1. Bradley Reed USGS Climate and Land Use Change
SilvaCarbon support to Vietnam
Partnering to Measure Forest Carbon
GFOI Capacity building component
Bradley Reed
USGS Climate and Land Use Change

2. SILVACARBON PARTNERS U.S. Agency for International Development
U.S. State Department
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Forest Service
NASA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Smithsonian Institution
As well as U.S. universities, NGOs, donors and industry

3. PARTNER COUNTRIES Asia Americas Bangladesh Belize Cambodia Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
Africa
Cameroon
DR of Congo
Gabon
R of Congo
Zambia
Asia
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Indonesia
Lao PDR
Nepal
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Bhutan

4. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
A flagship program under U.S. fast start financing for REDD+
A U.S. contribution to the GEO Global Forest Observation Initiative (GFOI)
SilvaCarbon objectives:
Partner with developing countries to improve monitoring of forest and terrestrial carbon
Improve understanding of methodologies and collection and dissemination of data
Coordinate US science, innovation, and technical expertise

5. Capacity to set reference levels, and monitoring safeguards
What are the specific needs of REDD+ countries in terms of forest monitoring and MRV
Needs assessment varies among countries, the person asked in the country, and the program conducting the assessment
Governance (legal frameworks, mandates and institutionalization of REDD+ processes)
Capacity to set reference levels, and monitoring safeguards
Technical, financial and administrative support
Need to implement National Forest Monitoring Systems for other purposes beyond REDD+
REDD projects in states and provinces for some regions
Emerging technologies

6. REMOTE SENSING
Does not develop tools, but supports the development and testing of tools.
Present GFOI capacity building efforts supporting forest cover mapping for reporting to REDD+
Support countries to establish partnerships and implementing remote sensing methodologies
Promote research around EO for forest monitoring

7. Silvacarbon Vietnam Background
The SilvaCarbon-Vietnam program, initiated in 2013, is working with government and research partners in Vietnam to build national capacity in measuring, monitoring, and reporting forest and terrestrial carbon.
SilvaCarbon provides in-country technical teams with in-depth technical training and assistance based on identified needs and priorities
Supports Vietnamese participation in regional technical exchanges to stimulate South-South and other cooperation and technology transfer.

8. Partners Key SilvaCarbon partners in Vietnam include:
the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI), which leads the country’s national forest inventory (NFI) efforts;
the Department of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Climate Change (DMHCC), which generates the national GHG inventory;
and national Universities such as the Forestry University of Vietnam, which train forestry professionals and conduct related research.

9. Focus on 3 technical areas
Improving the accuracy and statistical robustness of the NFI;
Integrating remote sensing data with the ground plot data to support an improved understanding of Vietnam’s forest cover and change over time to support management objectives; and
Strengthening the national GHG inventory for the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector.

10. Expected outcomes
By the end of FY17-19 period, SilvaCarbon-Vietnam will have:
Assisted Vietnam to produce national forest cover change maps and to increase the quality of the terrestrial carbon pool data and an updated national AFOLU sector GHG inventory consistent with IPCC good practices for reporting to the UNFCCC.  
Contributed to the use of latest information and data available to support the further revision and implementation of Vietnam’s national plans and climate change and green growth strategies, including its NDC, REDD+, and payment for ecosystem services programs.

11. Expected outcomes
By the end of FY17-19 period, SilvaCarbon-Vietnam will have:
Collaborated with national, regional and international partners, under the AFOLU Working Group, UN-REDD, FCPF and other emerging initiatives to develop and facilitate guidance for increased climate financing in Vietnam.
Directly contributed to the coordinated approach of training and tools for Vietnamese partner agencies to improve their capacity on monitoring, measuring, and reporting forest and terrestrial carbon.
Contributed to at least four jointly planned technical assistance activities that support integrated capacity-building approaches in Vietnam. By using the GFOI MGD as a frame for identifying potential methods and tools for monitoring, SilvaCarbon will avoid duplication of efforts and achieve a greater impact in Vietnam.

12. How SilvaCarbon benefitS from engagement with GFOI
Open collaboration with others, not only US. In the case of SE Asia and Africa, these synergies are key
Avoid duplication among partners in same developing countries and create a greater impact
Access to R&D community, use of collective training materials (REDD+ Compass), and access to data providers.
A bigger umbrella to operate

13. More information available at www.SilvaCarbon.org
Bradley Reed – USGS
More information available at