Our History

Global Forest Watch has recently become Global Nature Watch. A new name for the next chapter of our work — continuing to advance forest monitoring while expanding monitoring coverage and capabilities. Read below for more about the history of Global Forest Watch.

Learn more about our new name

WHO HAS USED GLOBAL FOREST WATCH?

Thousands of people around the world have used GFW every day to monitor and manage forests, stop illegal deforestation and fires, call out unsustainable activities, defend their land and resources, sustainably source commodities, and conduct research at the forefront of conservation.

HOW HAVE PEOPLE USED GLOBAL FOREST WATCH?

Click here to learn about how others have used Global Nature Watch in their network.

You can also choose a country from the list below:

Since its launch in 2014, over 9 million people have visited Global Nature Watch from every single country in the world.

HOW HAS GFW CREATED CHANGE?

It's hard to manage what you can't measure. For over a decade, Global Forest Watch has made the best available data about forests available online for free, creating unprecedented transparency about what is happening in forests worldwide. Better information supports smarter decisions about how to manage and protect forests for current and future generations, and greater transparency helps the public hold governments and companies accountable for how their decisions impact forests. Governments, companies, civil society organizations, journalists, and everyday people who care about their local forests have accessed GFW data daily.

Impacts

Daniel Tuesta

Rainforest Foundation US has collaborated with Indigenous communities to apply GFW’s forest carbon data to help them access climate finance.

Independent Forest Monitoring (IFM Fund)

WRI Indonesia and the IFM Fund are laying the groundwork for a new generation of forest monitors to contribute to environmental protection in Indonesia.

Daniel Tuesta

Rainforest Foundation US has collaborated with Indigenous communities to apply GFW’s forest carbon data to help them access climate finance.

History

1997

The World Resources Institute (WRI) established Global Nature Watch in 1997 as part of the Forest Frontiers Initiative. It started as a network of NGOs producing up-to-date reports about the state of forests in four pilot countries: Cameroon, Canada, Gabon, and Indonesia.