Progressing the use of earth observations in national monitoring of forest changes and GHG emissions

Summary

This research examines the status and trends in national forest monitoring capacities and explores how the varying characteristics of national forest inventories influence their integration with satellite-based forest biomass data. The results are valuable for strengthening forest monitoring and supporting sustainable forest management at both national and subnational levels. They also help countries report on international forest-related commitments, including the ‘Life on Land’ indicators (15.1.1 and 15.2.1) of the Sustainable Development Goals.

This research expands the use of Earth Observation data to assess the direct drivers of peat forest disturbances and the related greenhouse gas emissions from above-ground biomass loss, peat decomposition, and burning across tropical regions, including Indonesia, Peru, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The findings provide important insights for shaping policies to better manage emissions from various drivers and sources, and for supporting countries’ commitments to report driver-specific emissions from peat forest disturbances to international platforms such as the Paris Agreement.