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On Wednesday 23 September 2020, Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment entered into a contract worth up to NOK 400 million (approx. USD 43) with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) and its partners Airbus and Planet, to provide universal access to high-resolution satellite monitoring of the tropics in order to support efforts to stop the destruction of the world’s rainforests.
«This will revolutionize global forest monitoring. Better insight into what is happening in the rainforests will enhance efforts to protect these priceless ecosystems», says Sveinung Rotevatn, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment.
Better information saves rainforests
Satellite images are available that are so detailed that one can see if a single tree has been cut down. However, such images are very expensive, and only a few private stakeholders have access to them. Through Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), the Government of Norway is now making the images accessible and free for everyone.
The high-resolution satellite images provide an overview of all the tropical forests around the world, and these images will be updated every month. Users can access image archives that include data dating back to 2015. This allows users to see the development that has taken place in the forests over several years.
«Small communities can now be seen and heard in their struggle with companies that steal their rightful territories. The world’s supermarkets can monitor claims made by their suppliers regarding the sustainable production of soy, palm oil and other raw materials», says Rotevatn.
The images will be free of charge. Anyone around the world can detect deforestation occurring in very small areas, whether it be authorities, companies buying raw materials associated with deforestation, investors, journalists, scientists, indigenous organizations or NGOs.
Powerful tool for indigenous people.
Not least, information from satellite images is important for indigenous organizations. The indigenous leader Ianukulá Kaiabi Suiá, from the Associação Terra Indígena do Xingu (ATIX), has high expectations for the new satellite images. He represents the indigenous territory of São Félix do Xingu in Brazil, one of the most vulnerable areas in the Amazon.
«Satellite image is a powerful tool since it is better understood by indigenous communities compared to data sources from numbers. These images will give the communities a better understanding of the problems’ location and dimension, so that their actions can be better planned”, says Ianukulá Kaiabi Suiá.
Colombia’s Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Ricardo José Lozano Picón, points out that Colombia over the last years has developed an advanced monitoring system, but that a bottleneck has been that high-resolution satellite images are very expensive.
«With Norway’s new investment in free available, high resolution satellite imagery, Colombia will continue to get access to frequent and detailed satellite observations. This will improve the monitoring and management of our valuable forests», says Lozano.
Technology is saving rainforests.
Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) has supported satellite-based rainforest monitoring for many years, including through a collaboration with Google and the World Resources Institute called Global Forest Watch. This project uses satellite data to detect forest changes.
Norway also supports SEPAL, an analysis tool developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations”, that helps forested countries gain an overview of deforestation and land use. Both services will be strengthened by this procurement.
«We have already made important progress in providing open and accessible information about where and why deforestation is occurring. This technology is used by journalists, organizations and individuals around the world, and helps save important forests and nature. Now we are taking it one step further. The fight to combat deforestation and forest crime is more important than ever before», says Rotevatn.
Norway pays several tropical forest countries, including Indonesia and Colombia, to reduce emissions caused by deforestation. Better images reduce the uncertainties associated with the estimates.
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Satellites are powerful tools for monitoring deforestation. Now, a new partnership aims to make high-resolution, satellite imagery of the tropics free and accessible to everyone.
Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment announced this week that they have entered into a new contract, forming a partnership with three well-established satellite monitoring technology groups: Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), Planet and Airbus.
The US $43.5 million contract was awarded under Norway’s International Climate and Forests Initiative (NICFI), a program that aims to mitigate climate change by protecting rainforests. The government of Norway has made substantial investments to combat deforestation in the tropics and, for several years, NICFI has supported Global Forest Watch (GFW), a tool used by Mongabay and others to visualize and monitor forest change.
“This new partnership announced by the Norwegian government could be game-changing for tropical forests,” Crystal Davis, director of Global Forest Watch wrote in an email to Mongabay. “The public now has free access to high-resolution satellite imagery that can show the fate of a single tree.”
The 19th Meeting of the Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will start tomorrow, July 05, until July 08, 2022. For four (4) days, it will be a question of finding ways and means to accelerate the implementation of the COMIFAC Declaration, the Glasgow Declaration on the "Fair Deal", and all the results of the international conferences through workshops, discussions and round tables.
Registration for the 19th Meeting of the Parties of the PFBC from July 5 - 8, 2022 started yesterday July 03 from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00. If you have not yet registered, please go to the Radisson Blu Hotel, on the 1st floor in front of the Libreville 1 room according to the days and times below...
If you are interested in covering the CBFP 19th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) and related meetings, please register before 28 June 2022 by completing the form below and clicking on the button “register”. It will not be possible to cover the 19th MOP without strictly following the registration process.
Meeting in person for the first time since the COVID pandemic began, the Global Environment Facility’s governing body approved the final tranche of its seventh funding cycle and endorsed record donor contributions for the coming four years as the partnership rallied around the need to invest in improved planetary health.
Conference venue , Registration, Shuttle between conference hotel and other hotels, Internet, Weather information, Plugs, Currency , Health information, Covid , Documents ,Travel expenses and subsistence allowances (funded participants only)… Please download the Document…
Registration for field trips for the CBFP MoP19 has been prolonged until Sunday, 26 June 2022 at 6pm CEST. These exclusive field Trips will kick-off the diverse and ambitious technical and political discussions that will take place during the MoP19. They will offer great scenery and expert inputs on a variety of relevant themes. Field trips will take place before the beginning of the official meetings, between July 02 and 04, 2022.
Firstly, the European Commission (EC) published its breakthrough proposal for a EU Regulation on deforestation-free products, which Fern and allies have been working towards for years. We also came together with partner NGOs and civil society groups from around the world to successfully campaign to stop the EU from discarding Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreements - its best weapon to fight against illegal logging.
To kick off the diverse and ambitious technical and policy discussions that will take place during the conference, we are pleased to offer several field trip opportunities exclusively for MOP19. These will include beautiful landscapes and tours led by experienced experts on a variety of topics. The field trips will take place prior to the start of the conference, between July 02-4, 2022.
The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) MOP19 will be held in Libreville, Gabon from 5-8 July 2022. If you have been accepted to attend the CBFP MOP19 and related meetings, please download the list of hotels selected for MOP19...
We are pleased to hereby inform you that exhibition registration for the CBFP MoP19 is open. The exhibition space offers your organization the opportunity to present your work, initiatives, projects and expertise to the participants of the MoP19. Exhibitors are able to rent a stand package at set prices with options for customization and additional equipment. To register as Exhibitor at the 19th Meeting of Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), please fill out this form online before June 10, 2022.
At the COP26 climate summit, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Féelix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced a $500 million aid package to protect forests in the Central African country. Part of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the announcement was one of the top headlines at the summit.
ATIBT had launched on February 15, 2022 the 2021 Timber Market Survey. This collection ended on May 9, 2022. The data is now being analyzed by the Probos Foundation and the results will be presented at the end of September 2022. We warmly thank all ATIBT members who have completed the Themis portal.
Bonn/Ventotene 26 May 2022 – Visualizing how migratory animals connect continents, countries, sites and habitats is the result of an international scientific effort under the aegis of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), in developing the first atlas of bird migration across three continents. CMS, an environmental UN treaty, will launch the Eurasian-African Bird Migration Atlas today at the Museum of Migration on the Italian island of Ventotene, as the first part of a broader initiative to develop a global atlas of animal migration.
Save the Childrenwill deliver the Pacific region’s largest ever investment in community-based climate change adaptation in one of the world’s biggest climate hotspots, the child rights organisation announced today.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board has closed its 32nd meeting, approving four new climate projects worth USD 301.5 million in GCF funding and USD 1.7 billion in co-financing. Including the approval of tranche two funding for an approved project, USD 325.2 million of GCF funding was approved for climate action.
As climate change and global heating approach critical points of no return, experts gathered in Seoul at the World Forestry Congress to assess an often overlooked but increasingly important resource for limiting carbon emissions— the forests of Central Africa.
Establishing certification standards for forestry and agricultural commodities is no straightforward matter, particularly for smallholder farmers. Voluntary standards of the type designed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ensure timber and non-timber forest products are produced according to sustainability standards and audited by a third party. They have been used to tackle deforestation, forest degradation and ensure ethical trading practices for more than 30 years.
“At no other point in modern history has humanity faced such an array of familiar and unfamiliar risks and hazards interacting in a hyper-connected and rapidly changing world,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, the executive secretary of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in a statement on the launch of the second Global Land Outlook report (GLO2).
Every two years, the FAO publishes the State of the World's Forests (SOFO) report. The report presents data and analysis on the interaction between forests and people. Each edition focuses on a specific relevant theme.
FSC's Principles and Criteria set out the global requirements for responsible forest management. Chamber-balanced standard development groups (SDG’s) adapt the International Generic Indicators at the regional or national level to reflect the diverse legal, social and geographical conditions of forests in different parts of the world. The resulting adjustment is incorporated into a National Forest Stewardship Standard.
If you wish to attend the 19th MoP of the CBFP and related events, please register before June 02, 2022 by completing the form below and clicking on the button “register”. It will not be possible to attend the meeting without a properly completed registration procedure.
With just over a week to go before the ATIBT Forum, we are sharing an updated version of the conference and roundtable program.This program will be regularly updated on the ATIBT website page dedicated to the Forum.
PeaceNexus is launching a call for proposals on embedding conflict sensitivity in environmental organisations. Environmental organisations are at the forefront of addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. In doing so, they grapple with conflict dynamics, face risks to their staff and partners, but also provide opportunities for divided groups to work together around issues of common concern. The deadline for application is Tuesday 21st June 2022.
This is a reminder that registrations for the 19th Meeting of Parties (MoP) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership in Libreville, Gabon, from 5 to 8 July 2022 are CLOSING IN 2 DAYS. Please note, that you can only attend with a completed registration. Please register here...
Mongolia flood defence project shows the way for urban adaptation. The project incorporates infrastructural upgrades with the formation of community action groups to improve the capital’s flood resilience . A project in Mongolia, which incorporates a wide range of initiatives and aims to build the resilience of high-risk communities, is directly confronting the burden of urban climate impacts.
Home to the only biosphere reserve of argan in the world, Morocco is facing a unique challenge. It must preserve its argan forests as a barrier to climate-induced desertification while helping the communities, that depend on these forests for a living, adapt and preserve their cultural heritage.
The 32nd meeting of the GCF Board is taking place in person in Antigua and Barbuda from May 16-19. The meeting, one of four scheduled this year, follows on the heels of the first Board meeting where USD 187.7 million was approved for new climate projects and major changes to GCF’s accreditation framework were approved. The changes aim to accelerate climate finance for developing countries and include strengthening the existing accreditation model and introducing the project-specific assessment approach (PSAA).
The proposed EU Regulation on deforestation-free products aims to ensure goods cannot be placed on the EU market if they have caused deforestation, forest degradation, or violated producer country laws. The Commission released a draft proposal of the Regulation on 17 November 2021, and now the European Parliament (EP) and the Council must agree on their positions. On 24 March 2022, the EP rapporteur Luxembourgish Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Christophe Hansen of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), released his draft response.
As world leaders, the private sector, and experts met for the final day of the 15th World Forestry Congress on Friday and the United Nations Forum on Forests begins today, fulfilling funding promises made during UNFCCC’s CoP26 to tackle the illegal timber trade and accelerating the implementation of sustainability strategies must be at the top of the agenda says TRAFFIC.
Global shipping to focus on bringing down the illegal networks exploiting maritime supply chains to traffic wildlife. On the 13 of May 2022, the 46th Meeting of the Facilitation Committee (FAL46) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted new ‘Guidelines for the Prevention and Suppression of the Smuggling of Wildlife on Ships Engaged in International Maritime Traffic’.
Fifty years after the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, which put “health and sanitation” on the international agenda, ensuring water and sanitation for all “remains one of the world’s biggest challenges.” A ‘Still Only One Earth’ policy brief from IISD argues that for universal access to become a reality,
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has issued the second edition of its flagship report titled, ‘Global Land Outlook: Land Restoration for Recovery and Resilience’ (GLO2). The publication outlines various future land scenarios, and highlights the potential contributions of land restoration investments to climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, and human health, among other SDGs.
Delegates at the 15th meeting of the World Forestry Congress (XV WFC) called for immediate action to protect forests, forestry, and forest stakeholders as providers of nature-based solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, hunger, and poverty. They encouraged “actions for a green, healthy and resilient future with forests” as a contribution to the SDGs, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has launched its biennial flagship report on the state of the world’s forests (SOFO), which explores three intertwined forest pathways to achieve green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic while tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, among other “multidimensional planetary crises.”
A high-level panel marked Desertification and Drought Day 2020 with a discussion focused on the Day’s theme, ‘Food. Feed. Fibre,” and the question, “Is it time for a new social contract for nature?” Ministers and agency heads offered recommendations for addressing vulnerabilities for land management that have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and options for building back better.