The GEO Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI)

1. GEOSS-IPCC Workshop, Geneva, Feb. 2011 The GEO Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) Prepared by FCT & GFOI teams Presented by Ivan PETITEVILLE (ESA) Ivan.Petiteville@esa.int

2. GEO Forest Carbon Tracking (FCT)

3. Deforestation & Climate Change Up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions can currently be traced to deforestation(from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ). urgent need for coordinated international action to monitor forest carbon stocks and emissions. A post-Kyoto climate treaty which includes consideration of forests in carbon accounting will require Parties to report annually on national forest stocks and stock changes, on a sub-hectare basis. This reporting will require an annual national forest/non-forest map and associated changes from each Party as a baseline information set

4. Forest Carbon Tracking Goals Assist countries develop their own national forest and carbon monitoring systems. Demonstrate that coordinated Earth Observations, validated by in situ measurementsand properly linked toforest modelscan provide the basis for reliable, accurate, consistent and continuous information services to support forest carbon Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) leading to eventual establishment of a network of national forest carbon monitoring systems Develop methods and protocols for comparability, interoperability in satellite observations and integration with ground measurements.

5. The GEO FCT Task: characteristics • a framework for coordination: governments, space and forest agencies, research scientists, intergovernmental and international organisations • national demonstrators showing the elements of a global system of systems • institutional arrangements for secure data access and continuity • time series of optical and SAR satellite mid-resolution images (<30m) for semi-annual ‘wall-to-wall’ full country coverage 5

6. The GEO FCT Participants • Co-leads:Australia (Dept Climate Change), Canada (NR Canada), Japan (JAXA), Norway (NSC), CEOS, FAO • Other active participants include: • Brazil, UK, USA, EC-JRC, GOFC-GOLD • CEOS space agencies: notably contributions from ASI, CSA, DLR, ESA, INPE, JAXA, ISRO, USGS • Various research groups • Google.org - contributing the FCT Portal (www.geo-fct.org) • Several countries cooperating as National Demonstrators in 2009 & 2010 • Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, DR Congo, Guyana, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru and Tanzania. 6

7. National Demonstrators in 2010 • Initially 7 National Demonstrators in 2009 • Indonesian enlarged and 3 more added in 2010

8. Current & Planned FCT National Demonstrators NDs in 2010 NDs in 2011 NDs in 2012 NDs in 2013 The proposed baseline would allow, in 2013, coverage of about 1/3 of global land and about half of the forested areas

9. FCT Products (1/2) Two families of products: “Horizon-1” forest information products, which are considered to address baseline IPCC requirements, complemented by a range of more specific demonstration “Horizon-2” products Products accuracy and reliability Mid-res “Horizon-1 and ,-2” products evaluated against in situ data overVerification Sites and with the additional acquisition of high-res imagery from available satellites or airborne systems.

10. FCT Products (2/2) Horizon-1: 1a – Forest/Non-Forest coverage maps(ultimately annually wall-to-wall national coverage) 1b. - Forest change maps(direct/indirect derivative of dual- or multi-year Horizon 1a products or input data) 1c – Land-use map (with six broad land use categories - forest land, cropland, grazing land, wetlands, settlements, other land)) (for use in estimation of area change and land-use conversion as per IPCC GPG) 1d. – Land-use change and conversions (direct/indirect derivative of Horizon-1c products or input data) Horizon-2: 2a - Forest Degradation Information Products (still TBD); might include: Forest cover/density change and trends High-resolution forest change, structure or physiology products (from satellite, airborne systems – eg. lidar, X-band SAR, imaging spectrometers) 2b - Forest-type: Softwood, hardwood, native, primary, secondary 2c - Sparse woody perennial cover

11. Examples of FCT Products (1/2) H-1b product: Legal Amazon. Multi-year forest cover and change map 1997-2009 (INPE/PRODES, 2009)

12. Examples of FCT Products (2/2) Landsat ETM+ image of 4 July 2007 (RGB: bands 5-4-3). ENVISAT ASAR deforestation map (Forest: green; Burnt forest: red); H-1a Products: Forest loss in Central Kalimantan during the 2006 moderate El Niño period.

13. Example of National Demonstrator ND: Tasmania (68.400 sqkm) 3 Verification Sites proposed by the Forest Authority of Tasmania FRA 2010 data

14. 2010 Acquisitions over Tasmania

15. FCT Achievements • Significant progress towards achieving the 4 FCT objectives: • establish a framework for coordination, cooperate with a number of national demonstrators, provide a better access to data, and work on methods and protocols for ensuring comparability and interoperability. • Data and products are starting to become available, and the proof of concept for global wall-to-wall monitoring is being demonstrated. • e.g. more than 64000 optical and SAR images delivered by CEOS Agencies in 2010 …. • Systematic observations will support governments in obtaining analyses and reporting information. 15

16. Need for a global capability • Rapidly evolving policy context, notably through the Paris-Oslo and UNFCCC processes on REDD+ • COP-15 explicitly cited the need for national forest monitoring systems and for observations (Decision 4/CP.15) • Information on forest cover and forest carbon stocks is crucial for monitoring reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation • comprehensive information needed for forest policy, programming, planning and management 16

17. Towards sustained global capability • Significant progress in 2009 & 2010 for FCT • …. but need to move from preliminary tasks to more comprehensive, consistent and continuous forest observations setting up permanent solutions to issues like data policies, satellite availability, transition from demonstration to operations, … GEO Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) from 2012 onwards • Will ensure the systematic coordination of the FCT efforts and production of the resulting information and map products. 17

18. GEO Global Forest Observations Initiative

19. GFOI Mission • The mission of the GEO Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) is to: • foster the sustained availability of satellite and ground observations in support of national forest information systems, • support countries in the use of observations in national forest information systems – respecting national choices of data and tools • GFOI will support long-term observation needs of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) • GFOI will engage with other key users, notably FAO and IPCC 19

20. GFOI Role • Several entities interested in forest monitoring but as yet, there is no systematic coordination of effort. The GFOI shall ensure this coordination role. • The GFOI will: • investigate how to improve the provision of satellite and ground data for forest monitoring • support continuing research and development as well as national capacity building. 20

21. GFOI Key components 1/2 • Support to national governments:consistent and comparable methods fundamental to individually developed and comparable national systems. • Observations and measurement: regular and routine (systematic) observations and measurements essential for effective reporting. • Methods and protocols for data collection, processing and integration

22. GFOI Key components 2/2 • Improvement through R&D activities:GEO should promote coordinated activities needed for continuous improvement of national forest information systems. • National capacity building:to help governments develop national forest information systems, GEO will work in collaboration with other providers such as the FAO.

23. GFOI Planning Phase (2010-2011) • GFOI Concept Phase Report presented and endorsed at GEO VII Plenary (Nov. 2010) • a GFOI Task Force and a Planning Team are being set up to define and implement the GFOI. • A detailed GFOI Implementation Plan will be developed in 2011 and presented to GEO VIII Plenary (Nov. 2011) • requires core full-time staff and adequate financial resources • overseen by a Steering Group (FCT Co-Leads, FAO, IPCC, CEOS, GEO SEC). Assisted by invited experts

24. GFOI Concept Phase Report Outline The GFOI Concept Phase Report contains: Mission statement for the GFOI Introduction – defining need Current status and key activities of the GEO FCT task Operating context – GEO role and essential partners Key components – main elements Planning phase – briefly describes next steps Recommendations – decisions put to GEO Plenary Report is available on the GEO Secretariat web site

25. GFOI Implementation Plan –Main Objectives Assess existing national capabilities for producing national forest information Identify strategies needed to improve national capabilities Identify potential sources of observations (satellite and in-situ) and associated data policies Identify recommendations to GEO Plenary for future action. Include proposals for measuring success.

26. Next Steps in 2011 Issue the GFOI Implementation Plan for endorsement at GEO-VIII Plenary (Nov. 2011) Draft intermediate versions are planned Look for resources for funding the first 2012GFOI activities before the relevant measures described in the GFOI IP are put in place.

27. Thank you … Questions ?