In celebration of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, UNESCO, in collaboration with the UN-REDD Programme and other partners is organising the 3rd Mekong Mangrove Forum. Taking place on 1 October, the Forum will support and highlight efforts to urgently conserve existing blue carbon ecosystems and to restore degraded mangroves, while promoting scientific research in support of science-based environmental management. This year, due to restrictions, the event will take place online, hosting engaging key speeches, videos, and events, and bringing together a wealth of experts in blue carbon science and conservation. Date: Thursday, 1 October 2020 Time: 2...

Open Foris is an innovative, open-source software that helps countries measure, monitor and report on forests and land use, paving the way for improved climate change mitigation plans and more informed land-use policies. Accurate information is crucial for the sustainable management of natural resources. In collaboration with many countries and partners, FAO, with support from UN-REDD, NICFI, BMU-IKI, Finland and other donors, developed Open Foris to meet the urgent need for systems that enable accurate, yet cost-effective monitoring, reporting and verification of forest and other land cover. Open Foris tools are helping more than 30,000 people across 180 countries collect, analyse...

A key pillar of the Paris Agreement is the Enhanced Transparency Framework which aims to raise ambitions for climate action through transparent country reporting. For forests, open and transparent data has enabled forest and climate action under REDD+ through the development of National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS). In light of the climate emergency, it is time to scale up efforts toward accurate, open and transparent forest data, to catalyse higher ambitions under REDD+ and the Paris Agreement. A multi-purpose NFMS can provide transparent, reliable, relevant, accessible and sustainable forest data as articulated in FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for National Forest Monitoring. The...

  Date: Wednesday 23 September 2020 Time: 14:30 - 15:30 CEST Registration here Languages: French and English French version of the announcement: bit.ly/CBIT_DRC_fr    In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as in many other African countries, the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is a major national strategic priority. Previously, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had limited technical capacity to produce and utilize data necessary for monitoring forest cover and changes. Since then, the country has established a national forest monitoring system (NFMS) to promote sustainable forest management practices and to take informed policy decisions on reducing forest loss. The FAO elearning Academy webinar...

The Board of the Green Climate Fund today approved several new projects, including one for Côte d'Ivoire that marks the first time the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has helped an African country obtain a grant from the international entity. Along with the $11.8 million approval for Côte d'Ivoire, other two FAO-led projects in Armenia and Colombia, for a total amount of $58.5 million, including $10.5 million in cofinancing, received approval from the Green Climate Fund, a unique global platform mandated to invest in low-emission and climate-resilient development. "These approvals show that FAO is a strong partner for Members looking...