In August 2020, the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI) released the third edition of its Methods and Guidance Documentation (MGD3.0) on integrating remote sensing and ground-based observations for estimation of emissions and removals of GHG in forests.
Forests and other land sector activities play an important role in mitigating global climate change. The MGD provides guidance for countries to monitor changes in their forests and report the associated GHG emissions under the UNFCCC. This MGD is compliant with the IPCC 2019 Refinement to its Good Practice Guidance and relevant UNFCCC decisions taken since the second edition was released in 2016.
The MGD promotes good practices for National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS) and associated emissions Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) procedures. It enables GEO Members to generate information for international reporting and to inform domestic action to protect forests and reduce GHG emissions.
The MGD3.0 has been produced by a large group of international experts, including from GFOI Lead partner organizations in the Governments of Australia, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) as well as the international Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank.
“The MGD provides practical guidance, which incorporates UNFCCC decisions and supports the technical assessment of advanced carbon measurement methodologies, which countries are increasingly using in their REDD+ submissions.”
Dirk Nemitz, Program Officer from the UNFCCC Secretariat.
