an ESA project aimed at deriving key geo-information products from Earth Observation data in support of forest development programmes
Several International Conventions and policy frameworks aim to protect and improve the management of forests. These include the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) policy process related to reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 13 and 15, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme.
Accurate information and monitoring systems to support countries to make assessments and track changes are required but is challenging. By nature, forests cover huge and often inaccessible and inhospitable areas, making observation of their status and condition with human teams challenging.