Global Forest Observation Initiative

Global Forest Observation Initiative

The Challenge

With the Paris Climate Change Agreement in place, countries have a great need for access to credible information on the extent and condition of their forests and their contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals.

The Solution

National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS) generate important information to inform countries’ decision-making and action on climate change. This includes information to meet international reporting requirements, establish baselines, track progress and develop effective interventions to reduce emissions. The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) is a partnership of countries and institutions that assist developing countries to establish NFMS and associated emissions Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) procedures. Through the development of these systems and procedures, GFOI aims to help countries to the initiative’s priority work areas include methods and guidance documentation, capacity building, data coordination, and research and development coordination.

Latest Developments

The Plenary of GFOI

The Plenary of the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) was held at FAO headquarters in May 2023 to boost forest monitoring in tropical countries and further action on climate change. More than 300 representatives from governments, international organizations, leading research bodies and the private sector gathered in Rome last month to boost forest monitoring and further action on climate change in tropical countries through collaborative action. A further 500 participants joined the event online, making it a truly global gathering. More than 25 tropical countries were represented at the event. In recognizing the vital role that forests must play in an effective response to climate change, the Plenary’s final communiqué stressed the importance of ensuring the uptake of the technical information generated by the GFOI community into policy and decision-making processes, including potentially through the emerging Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership and other critical forums. 

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The Plenary of GFOI

Our Impact

The GFOI is a global voluntary partnership that coordinates international support in forest monitoring to help developing countries address their international reporting requirements and national information needs.

Partners of the GFOI coordinated support to more than 450 activities worldwide. The GFOI’s Methods and Guidance Documentation (MGD) is regularly used by more than 50 countries for a user-friendly guide through the complex process of needs assessment, system design and implementation. It complements the GFOI partners’ own guidance materials and presents these within the context of a complete REDD Measurement, Reporting, and Verification that complies with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Developing countries have made considerable progress in the implementation of their NFMS and associated MRV procedures, with the support of GFOI partners. The resources developed by the GFOI community have been used to compile countless REDD submissions from countries to the UNFCCC and other forums such as the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). In recent times, there has been a notable increase in the number of submissions made to the UNFCCC in particular. Furthermore, a significant milestone was achieved by a key GFOI partner country, Mozambique, as the first country to access performance-based funds for verified emissions reductions from the World Bank-administered FCPF in 2021. Since then, both Costa Rica and Ghana have also been awarded performance-based payments from the FCPF. These countries have long been involved in GFOI activities, utilized the initiative’s resources such as the MGD and been supported by GFOI’s capacity building partners.

Policy Drivers

The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) coordinates the collaborative activities of its partners and many other organizations and individuals to help developing countries address decisions taken under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in a manner that is consistent with the good practice guidance set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The GFOI acts in support of the Paris Agreement, as the collection of improved information on forests is vital for helping countries to tackle climate change since forest landscapes contribute significantly to the global greenhouse gas (GHG) cycle. Moreover, the GFOI is a flagship programme of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). It was founded in 2011, building on the pilot GEO Forest Carbon Tracking (FCT) initiative, which was founded in 2009.

Contacts

For more information about the Global Forest Observation Initiative explore the website

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