Monitoring

 

Countries and sometimes organisations monitor forests and woodlands to understand how they are changing and what impacts the forests might be having on the environment. These monitoring activities are fundamental to supporting the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which calls for the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system. The Kyoto Protocol also requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions claimed by countries due to land use, land-use change and forestry to be 'verifiable'. Monitoring is the key to verification.

Monitoring for protection

Forests and woodlands can be monitored to establish whether forest areas are being maintained and whether human interventions are leading to forest improvement or degradation. The growth and 'condition' of forests can also be monitored to see if pollution or climate change is having negative (or conceivably positive) impacts. Monitoring forests and woodlands for protection is the first step in adaptation to climate change.

Monitoring for mitigation

Forests and woodlands can be monitored to confirm that carbon stocks are increasing or reducing, either as a result of environmental change or human intervention. This form of monitoring provides the essential information for international and project-level greenhouse gas (or carbon) accounting systems.