9 April 2013: The World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Google and the University of Maryland, have previewed an online monitoring system for forests and forest cover at the tenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF10) taking place in Istanbul, Turkey.

The system, Global Forest Watch 2.0, combines satellite data with on-the-ground observations and data sharing to analyze forest cover change in real time. It is expected that the timely provision of up-to-date information on forests will help reduce deforestation by supporting improved forest law enforcement, policy development, management and the accountability of decision makers.

The system is also intended to alleviate some of the burden countries face for data collection by combining new technologies on remote sensing and the analysis of satellite data with new approaches such as crowd sourcing. The system builds on existing initiatives in Brazil including the Amazon Alert System.

Intended users of the system include buyers and suppliers of sustainable commodities, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media. Global Forest Watch 2.0 will be launched in the summer of 2013. [UN Press Release] [Global Forest Watch 2.0] [IISD RS Coverage UNFF10]