The Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), which supports the coordination of international support to developing countries on forest monitoring and greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, has announced the launch of a new portal. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) refers to the portal as a “one-stop shop” for information on more than 400 forest monitoring activities in 70 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The GFOI Inventory of Activities offers users the opportunity to search for information by country or region, by type of forest monitoring activities, and by donors. GFOI activities fall into five categories including (1) facilitating country-led assessments of forest monitoring needs and gaps; (2) harmonized work planning to address country-identified priorities; and (3) collaborative implementation of forest monitoring support; (4) fostering a diverse network of experts and practitioners to support developing countries in a targeted and cohesive manner; and (5) facilitating information sharing between partners to avoid duplication and overlap.

The portal is meant to help stakeholders identify gaps, share resources, avoid overlaps and explore opportunities for new partnerships in the development of National Forest Monitoring Systems. It is also meant to support reporting on progress towards the SDGs, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and other development goals and priorities.  

Australia, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States’ SilvaCarbon Programme, the International Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the European Space Agency (ESA), FAO and the World Bank partnered to design and populate the portal. The platform will be maintained by the GFOI Office, hosted by FAO, with funding from Australia and Norway. [FAO Press Release]