Expert Workshop on Using Global Datasets
for National REDD+ Measuring and Monitoring

Wageningen University, The Netherlands

9-10 November, 2015

Organized by:

Background

UNFCCC negotiations have identified the need to establish national forest monitoring systems that use an appropriate combination of remote sensing and ground-based forest carbon inventory approaches for estimating anthropogenic forest-related greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks to support REDD+ implementation and assessing performance in implementing REDD+ activities. Efforts to improve country monitoring capacities are ongoing, and a series of global and regional datasets have been produced by the research community. These global and regional products become increasingly relevant, spurred by the REDD+ monitoring requirements, and aided by the communications efforts of initiatives such as Global Forest Watch and recently the Global Observation Forests Initiative (GFOI) has provided a module with initial advice on the possible use of global datasets in the context of national monitoring. Beyond that, there is little additional guidance on their use for national forest monitoring, change estimation, or reporting and over the past 24 months, a number of experiences on the use of global data products have been collected in different country circumstances. It is timely and relevant for a collection and exchange of these experiences to guide future research, guidance documents, and communication on the use of global data products. Central actors in the field have expressed the value of, and their interest in, such an effort.

Workshop objectives

The international community together with experts from countries has been working to provide guidance to countries on how estimate emissions from REDD+ activities through the GOFC-GOLD REDD+ Sourcebook and related training materials, and the GFOI methods and guidance document which links REDD+ operationally to IPCC guidelines.
The workshop aims to bring together the communities of REDD+ monitoring experts and national practitioners to discuss the current state in using global datasets for national forest monitoring systems, identify gaps and obstacles that hinder progress where the use of global datasets would be advantageous, and to develop a synthesis, additional guidance and an action plan towards improving the underlying science and national forest monitoring in REDD+ countries. More specifically, the workshop aims to:

1. Present and collect of current experiences on the use of global data products related to national forest monitoring system (NFMS) and those of other stakeholders involved in REDD+ monitoring. These experiences largely relate to the use of remote sensing-based forest cover and change products but will also take into account those related to biomass and emission factors for biomass and other pools (i.e. from fire and peatlands)
2. dentify gaps, inconsistencies, uncertainties and other obstacles for the useful integration of global monitoring efforts with those of national forest monitoring efforts
3. Discuss and document the impact of the experiences issues on:
   1. The existing and upcoming guidance on their use (provided by GFOI and GOFC-GOLD)
   2. Capacity building efforts for national forest monitoring systems
   3. Communication of global data product analyses and results
   4. Research needs and opportunities (links to the GFOI R&D component)

The expected outcomes of the workshop is a set of presentation and discussion materials that will be made available online, and a workshop report that synthesize the findings towards improved guidance to be provided by the various partners involved to countries and other users.

Workshop Summary

You can access the summary report here

Sponsors

Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI)
US Silvacarbon Program
Global Forest Observations Initiative
GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Office (GOFC-GOLD LC Office)
European Space Agency (ESA)
Wageningen University (WU)

Local Organizing Committee Leaders

GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Project Office and Wageningen University
Martin Herold (martin.herold@wur.nl)
Brice Mora (brice.mora@wur.nl)
Antoinette Stoffers (antoinette.stoffers@wur.nl)

Agenda

List of Participants