1. Global Forest Observations Initiative - GFOI
Doug Muchoney - Chair
UK, September 2016

2. Climate Change and Forests
Deforestation and forest degradation globally are significant sources of CO2 (nearly 20% to global total emissions)
An important part of countries efforts to protect forests and reduce these emissions countries need to be able to monitor what is happening in their forests
Combining satellite data with ground based information and possibly other remote sensing provides a cost effective way of doing this in a timely way
Internationally countries have to report their emissions and removals from forests as:
Part of their national communications to the UNFCCC including all land not just forests
If they take part in REDD+

3. GFOI
Aims to support countries in developing sustainable national forest monitoring & MRV systems to meet their individual needs
Works in collaboration with other international organisations and programmes
Its current focus is on supporting REDD+ implementation
Is working with CEOS to ensure the sustained, freely available, supply of core data streams with world-wide coverage by 2016
Is considering how to address additional data needs and services including processing and delivery
Is also supporting countries in the use of this data through capacity building, methodological advice and addressing R&D needs

4. Why GFOI?
There are many organisations supporting the implementation of REDD+ (UNREDD, FAO, World Bank …)
GFOI’s unique features are
its links to space agencies and their commitment to acquire data needed for annual forest monitoring
Participation by many experts in Earth Observation, organisations involved in REDD+ and developing countries
GFOI has:
Active support and involvement of 13 space agencies
Active involvement of key REDD+ and GHG institutions: UNFCCC, FAO, WB, IPCC
Explicit endorsement by 90 countries (GEO) and 67 international organisations
Active involvement of developing country participants
Why GFOI? …

5. GFOI Approach Wall-to-wall monitoring Consistency with UNFCCC and IPCC
Captures leakage
Capture small changes
Grund based data for emission factors and validation
Consistency with UNFCCC and IPCC
Follow IPCC guidelines
Vital for reporting of REDD+ and to UNFCCC
Maps 5 REDD+ categories onto IPCC methods
Affordable and Practical
Based on medium resolution data (10-30m)
Can use higher resolution data if needed
Co-operation with Partners
Coordination of capacity development
GOFC-GOLD
IPCC and UNFCCC

6. GFOI Components Space Data Capacity Building Methods and Guidance
GFOI ensures the acquisition of core satellite data
Capacity Building
GFOI provides capacity building in coordination with others such as UN-REDD. It supports the use of satellite and ground data to monitor forests, and estimate GHGs.
Methods and Guidance
Report guiding the use of Satellite and Ground data for national forest monitoring and estimation of carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions.
Research and Development
Identifying and promoting R&D needed for practical, global implementation of National Forest Monitoring
GFOI Office
Coordination and Management

7. Global Forest Observations Initiative
GFOI
Global Forest Observations Initiative
Operational NFMS
Development of new methods and approaches
Complete Methodologies for all 5 REDD+ activities
Assured delivery of free/affordable remote sensing
Capacity for analysis of remote sensing and ground data
Combining ground and remote sensing for emission estimation
Ground based measurement system
Institutional arrangements and long-term resources and capacity

8. GFOI Partners Founded under Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in 2011
• First work plan was
• Operational ever since.
Lead partners: Australia, Norway, USA, FAO & CEOS
Experts from UNFCCC, IPCC, World Bank FCPF, universities, technical and policy experts and others
Open to new partners.
MRV. This document underlies GFOI all activities from defining minimum space data needs to methodological gaps that need to be filled with R&D.

9. Methods and Guidance
Logical and systematic guide for countries to follow in developing their forest monitoring systems
Improve accessibility of technical data: link to IPCC, GPG, UNFCCC requirements and other technical docs
V1 published in January 2014, V2 in June 2016
New web application REDDcompass available

10. Target Audience: MGD Space Agencies National Negotiators
Senior Technical Implementers
National Negotiators
International Organisations
Space Agencies
Target Audience:

11. Capacity Building Interface of GFOI with implementing countries
Jointly implemented by US SilvaCarbon and UNREDD-FAO
Builds upon their existing work programmes and country partnerships
Uses MGD & REDDcompass as core syllabus
Workshops, one-on-one training, in-country experts, training trainers, webinars and open sources tools.

12. R&D Component
Coordinate global R&D activities on forest monitoring, to help meet country needs
Pioritising RS research topics for the use in NFMS
Priorities topics include: forest degradation, mapping, forest types, interoperability, uncertainty, data and, model integration etc.
Lead by GOFC-GOLD with funding from ESA.

13. GFOI R&D Programme
Methods and Guidance only includes operational methods and approaches. Future versions will incorporate new approaches
Review of on-going R&D identifies methods that are operational, and those that need further development
R&D Workshops to discuss major topics, on-going work and how to promote further development
Identifying and provision of space data to meet R&D needs is under discussion by CEOS
Identification and discussions with other organisations to support identified R&D needs
Undertaken in collaboration with GOFC-GOLD

15. Thank you