4 September 2014: Sixteen Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries convened in a workshop to exchange experiences and provide training in the use of satellite technology to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the loss of forest carbon and to form a foundation for decisions regarding deforestation and forest degradation. The workshop was held 2-4 September 2014 in Panama City, Panama.

The workshop is part of efforts to improve national capacities in key aspects of REDD+ measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) and to promote cooperation among LAC national agencies responsible for forest monitoring. Technical experts from agencies in Argentina, Belize, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Suriname attended.

The workshop focused on how satellite technology can be used to estimate GHG emissions from forests and land use change, forest carbon absorption, and change in forest areas. The workshop also stressed how to ensure that the use of remote sensing techniques meet the principles of consistency, precision, accuracy, comparability and transparency.

The workshop was organized jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) within the context of the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) and Mexico’s National Forest Commission (CONAFOR) through the Reinforcing REDD+ and South-South Cooperation Project. [UN-REDD Release (in Spanish)] [Reinforcing REDD+ and South-South Cooperation Project release]