23 May 2017
Monitoring Initiatives to Fill Data Gaps, Track Progress on Forest-Related Commitments
UN Photo/Eva Fendiaspara
story highlights

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and partners developed a knowledge-sharing platform that will provide access to a comprehensive database of key forest and landscape restoration resources from around the globe.

In Benin, the FAO FLEGT Programme supported the country's National Timber Office to establish a barcode-based traceability system for its teak plantations.

Experts from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Regional Center for Mapping Resources for Development, and the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD) are establishing a regional forest observatory in East Africa.

May 2017: With partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) have announced projects supporting various aspects of forest monitoring, globally as well as in specific African countries. A FAO database serves as a knowledge-sharing platform for forest and landscape restoration initiatives worldwide, while a programme on trade governance and an observatory aim to improve monitoring and sustainable forestry across Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and partners developed a knowledge-sharing platform that will provide access to a comprehensive database of key forest and landscape restoration resources from around the globe. The first section of the platform, a monitoring module, includes tools, methodologies and guidelines to assess the progress and success of forest and landscape restoration efforts, aiming to help users improve organizational and technical capacities when designing, planning and implementing restoration programmes. The platform is expected to be complemented, later this year, by the establishment of restoration-related communities of practice. [FAO Press Release] [Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism Knowledge Platform]

FAO is also supporting monitoring efforts through its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme. In Benin, the FLEGT Programme supported the country’s National Timber Office to establish a barcode-based traceability system for its teak plantations, helping to prevent illegal activity in the logging, transport or sale of State timber. The system, which allows workers to use smartphones to send real-time information from the forest, has been so successful that it has positioned Benin as a leader in traceability in West Africa, according to FAO. Other FLEGT-related developments include the signature of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement between Cameroon and the EU, which aims to improve forest resource management through the monitoring of logging activities and the establishment of a licensing scheme for legal timber. [CBFP Press Release] [FAO Press Release]

Also on monitoring in Africa, experts from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Regional Center for Mapping Resources for Development, and the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD) are establishing a regional forest observatory in East Africa. In preparation, they are conducting a comprehensive study to gather forestry data and assess the status of forests, REDD+ activities, institutional systems and monitoring capabilities across Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. The observatory aims to fill data gaps in the region by building capacity and expertise levels in all four countries, focusing on a smaller scale, and allowing for data verification by governments. It will eventually offer the region a more compatible, streamlined data system that supports regional collaboration on forestry. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. [CIFOR Press Release]

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