Curious about what may be causing deforestation alerts? Check out the new <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map/?map=eyJkYXRhc2V0cyI6W3siZGF0YXNldCI6ImRyaXZlcnMtb2YtZGVmb3Jlc3RhdGlvbi1hbGVydCIsIm9wYWNpdHkiOjEsInZpc2liaWxpdHkiOnRydWUsImxheWVycyI6WyJkcml2ZXJzLW9mLWRlZm9yZXN0YXRpb24tYWxlcnQiXX0seyJkYXRhc2V0IjoicG9saXRpY2FsLWJvdW5kYXJpZXMiLCJsYXllcnMiOlsiZGlzcHV0ZWQtcG9saXRpY2FsLWJvdW5kYXJpZXMiLCJwb2xpdGljYWwtYm91bmRhcmllcyJdLCJvcGFjaXR5IjoxLCJ2aXNpYmlsaXR5Ijp0cnVlfV19">&#8220;Drivers of deforestation alerts&#8221; layer on the map</a>, which offers classification of drivers for three alert types (GLAD-L, GLAD-S2, RADD) at 10m resolution. Read our <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-tools/drivers-deforestation-alerts/">blog</a> to learn more.

New drivers of deforestation alerts now available!

Users In Action

Hear stories from the forest defenders working in the field.

Users In Action | Global Forest Watch Blog

Small grants fund

Small grants fund | Global Forest Watch Blog

Stephanie Borcea

Growing Impact for the Small Grants Fund: Meet the 2025-2026 Recipients

This year, we welcome the 10th cohort of Small Grants Fund grantees — learn more about the important work they are embarking on in 2025-2026.

Meet the 2025-2026 GFW Small Grants Fund Recipients

Comment

Global Forest Watch Content

https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/gfwGlobal.png

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/be19f67e91ba81d93d32ae47706dcbb8?s=96&d=mm&r=g

Paige Johnson

amazon

amazon | Global Forest Watch Blog

Brazil

Brazil | Global Forest Watch Blog

Indigenous Peoples &amp; Local Communities

Indigenous Peoples &amp; Local Communities | Global Forest Watch Blog

Peru

Peru | Global Forest Watch Blog

Isabela Barriga

David Gibbs

Cameron Ellis

Indigenous Peoples and local communities <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/4-ways-indigenous-and-community-lands-can-reduce-emissions#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20research%20by%20WRI,not%20managed%20by%20indigenous%20peoples." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">play a crucial role</a> in protecting forests and the areas they manage tend to experience <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cobi.14195" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lower deforestation</a> rates than other forests. In fact, forests managed by Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin are some of the <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/amazon-carbon-sink-indigenous-forests" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most effective carbon sinks</a> on the planet. By maintaining these forests, they actively contribute to global climate change mitigation efforts.



New climate financing mechanisms are creating opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to generate revenue to support the long-term stewardship of their ancestral lands and forest resources. However, communities often lack access to the data and tools required to quantify forest carbon fluxes (emissions from forest loss and disturbance, and removals due to plant growth) and communicate their contributions in ways recognized by these mechanisms.



To help communities supply such data, Global Forest Watch (GFW) offers accessible, open-source maps and statistics on forest carbon fluxes. GFW’s interactive <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map/?map=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&mapMenu=eyJtZW51U2VjdGlvbiI6ImRhdGFzZXRzIiwiZGF0YXNldENhdGVnb3J5IjoiY2xpbWF0ZSJ9">emissions, removals and net flux maps</a>, with associated statistics, support action unlike any other forest carbon monitoring system. The maps are updated annually, allowing communities to tell the carbon story behind every pixel of forest. &nbsp;



Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS), a non-profit organization dedicated to securing Indigenous Peoples’ land rights across Central and South America, is working with Indigenous communities and their allies to use this data and information to access climate financing opportunities. Since 2016, RFUS has worked alongside Indigenous communities to leverage tools like GFW data to detect and stop land invasions in their territories. This has resulted in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">significant reductions in deforestation</a> around some communities.



More recently, RFUS has collaborated with communities to interpret and apply GFW’s forest carbon data to help them access climate finance and participate in carbon-related decision-making. In recent years, GFW data on carbon fluxes has been an integral part of RFUS’ programming and advocacy for Indigenous Peoples’ rights.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1365" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep2024_Titulacion-Carococha_079_Sebastian-Castaneda-2048x1365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19529" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep2024_Titulacion-Carococha_079_Sebastian-Castaneda-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep2024_Titulacion-Carococha_079_Sebastian-Castaneda-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep2024_Titulacion-Carococha_079_Sebastian-Castaneda-768x512.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep2024_Titulacion-Carococha_079_Sebastian-Castaneda-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Titling teams map and demarcate community boundaries in Carcocha, Peru. Credit Sebastian Castañeda</figcaption></figure>



Read on to learn more about two case studies where RFUS is working with Indigenous communities to use GFW’s carbon monitoring data to strengthen the protection of their forests and rights.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Direct payments program as an alternative to carbon markets</h2>



External incentives can help communities carry out forest monitoring more consistently and effectively. They also help finance essential infrastructure and services, such as electricity, latrines and clean water systems, allowing communities to avoid turning to activities that drive deforestation, such as mining or commercial agriculture, and instead pursue livelihoods that keep forests standing and sequestering carbon.



To help provide these incentives, RFUS established a direct payments fund with support from private donors to compensate 32 communities in Ecuador and northern Peru for protecting over 350,000 hectares of standing tropical forest. For approximately two years, communities conducted forest patrols, documented evidence of land incursions and filed legal complaints to protect their territories. In this innovative direct payment program — which was independent of the carbon market and did not issue carbon credits — RFUS used GFW’s tree cover, tree cover loss, <a href="https://gfw.global/3tauzVt">forest carbon removals</a> and <a href="https://gfw.global/47iENb6">net forest carbon flux</a> data to estimate the carbon sequestered by communities’ forests.



By using the custom area analysis tool on <a href="https://gfw.global/4bOp721">GFW’s dashboard</a>, RFUS was able to quickly and easily estimate the standing forest area and carbon sequestration rates within the forests of participating communities. This data enabled RFUS and participating communities to quantify the climate benefits of their forests, providing a clear rationale for the payments. Based on this information, communities received 10 soles (~$4 USD) per hectare of standing forest per year, commensurate with Peru’s national forest payments program, Probosques.



Unlike carbon credits, these payments were not tied to reductions in emissions or reforestation. Instead, these payments were designed to recognize, support and honor communities’ continued stewardship of their forests. The only conditions attached to the payments were that the resulting projects had to benefit communities and receive full community approval. Furthermore, funds could not be used for activities that contributed to deforestation, and communities had to maintain deforestation rates within their recent average.&nbsp; &nbsp;



Communities used these funds to invest in priority projects such as continuing their traditional agricultural practices and initiatives, constructing solar panel arrays, sanitation systems, potable water systems, communal boats and sustainable economic development projects. The unique nature of this program — making payments directly to communities based on public GFW carbon monitoring data — gave communities greater autonomy and agency to invest in and manage the projects they chose.



In the Peru-Colombia-Brazil tri-border area, Ticuna communities used the funds to advance their land titling efforts. By using the funds to cover the costs of surveyors and legal support, the communities <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frainforestfoundation.org%2Fhow-climate-finance-can-reach-indigenous-peoples-and-local-communities%2F&data=05%7C02%7CPaige.Johnson%40wri.org%7C5904f82b68234045a96408ddefd86e63%7C476bac1f36b24ad98699cda6bad1f862%7C0%7C0%7C638930435315519121%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ULYpl8%2BqV%2Fn3NyG3RyYnQvvMuPiBB0P5lns2AaggRvE%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secured an additional 45,000 hectares</a> of titled land, creating a contiguous Ticuna territory along the banks of the Amazon River. They are also piloting a collaborative titling effort with the regional government of Loreto that has since expanded across the state of Loreto, 59 territories, and over 100,000 hectares in three years.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1538" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0863-2048x1538.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19530" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0863-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0863-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0863-768x577.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0863-1536x1153.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Titling ceremony in Loreto, Peru. Credit: Daniel Tuesta</figcaption></figure>



Across the border in Ecuador, the Indigenous community of Sarayaku is one of the largest territories to receive these direct payments, which they have used to invest directly in their “life plan,” or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0EBmUON0K/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kawsak Sacha</a>, which in Kichwa means “The Living Forest.” This reflects the Sarayaku’s philosophy of being an integral part of the forest ecosystem, as well as their vision for the future. While the funding available through this program did not cover all elements of the life plan, the funds and decisions were managed autonomously by the Sarayaku communities. They focused primarily on community infrastructure projects that resulted in significant improvements in the quality of life for community members.



Samai Gualinga, Vice President of the Sarayaku community, said of the direct payments program: “a new standard of fair compensation and retribution is being created … it’s necessary to seek our own ways of monitoring our territory … to have our own databases … to show how much biodiversity and carbon we have … we need economic funds to support the families working on our monitoring projects.”



Scaling this direct payment program across the Amazon Basin may be difficult. However, the flexibility of GFW data allowed RFUS to put climate financing directly in the hands of Indigenous Peoples and support locally-led climate finance outside of carbon markets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Informing community roles in national carbon credit deals</h2>



In 2022, the national government of Guyana signed a <a href="https://carboncredits.com/hess-signs-750m-redd-carbon-credits-deal-with-guyana/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">jurisdictional REDD+</a> deal to sell $750 million worth of carbon credits from reducing deforestation in the country (REDD+ is a <a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/land-use/workstreams/redd/what-is-redd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">framework</a> for paying developing countries when they reduce emissions from deforestation). Guyana was the first country to sell carbon credits at the national level and the deal requires that the revenue from the sale of credits are distributed to communities around the country through a process of <a href="https://blog.aspiration.com/benefit-sharing-voluntary-carbon-market/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">benefits sharing</a>. Under this deal, 242 Indigenous communities opted in to receive the proposed 15% share of the benefits from the sale to support community led projects.



RFUS uses GFW forest carbon data to help inform communities in Guyana about how forests emit and sequester carbon, how these can be estimated and monitored, and to calculate the amount of carbon being sequestered on both titled and customary lands. While RFUS and local partners such as the Amerindian People’s Association are not using GFW’s data to dispute Guyana’s national REDD+ calculations, GFW data informs Indigenous organizations on how the contributions of their communities are <a href="https://www.development-today.com/archive/2023/dt-2--2023/carbon-certifier-admits-that-key-indigenous-complaints-were-not-on-the-table-when-credits-were-issued-to-guyana-last-year" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">or are not</a> reflected in the benefit sharing program.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1536" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3115-2048x1536.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-19527" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3115-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3115-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3115-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3115-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Patamona woman cooks cassava in Guyana’s North Pakaraimas mountain range. Credit RFUS</figcaption></figure>



For example, in the South Rupununi region of Guyana, of the 2.9 million hectares of customary Indigenous land in Wapichan Wiizi, around 590,000 hectares have been formally recognized by the government. The unrecognized Indigenous lands account for the bulk of the area and an even higher percentage of the territory’s forests since many Guyanese land titles were granted primarily for savanna areas rather than for forests. The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/aoi/642b3e00493227001be0b2cf/?category=climate&map=eyJjYW5Cb3VuZCI6dHJ1ZX0%3D&widget=carbonFlux">uploaded their land claim</a> (delineated over years of community mapping) to GFW and saw that just their customary territory alone accounts for nearly 10% of Guyana’s overall annual carbon sequestration. This and other WRI data have generated key figures for ongoing collaborative discussions between the SRDC and the government of Guyana regarding formal recognition of these customary lands and potential designation of the area as a community conserved area.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1365" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DSC06626-2048x1365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19526" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DSC06626-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DSC06626-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DSC06626-768x512.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DSC06626-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indigenous communities in Guyana’s rugged interior often contain a mix of dense forests and tropical savannas. Credit RFUS</figcaption></figure>



“Carbon and carbon sequestration are abstract concepts that can easily get lost in national policy discussions and financial transactions,” said Linburg Pearson, Mapping and Monitoring Leader at Amerindian People’s Association. “GFW data has helped us understand the role that specific communities and lands play in regard to carbon emissions and sequestration.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Democratizing data helps make forest protection more equitable</h2>



GFW’s open-source data is helping to promote transparency and broaden access by making critical information on forests and carbon emissions and sequestration accessible to communities. This helps bridge the gap between Indigenous communities and sources of finance, creating more equitable and just opportunities.



In this vein, GFW’s forest carbon monitoring data has been an important resource for RFUS and the communities they work with, illustrating how free, global carbon emissions and sequestration maps can support forest monitoring on a community level and improved outcomes for communities. These examples from Indigenous and local communities effectively using the carbon data to improve their livelihoods and democratize data can shed light on how to create more equitable and responsive financial mechanisms that prioritize the needs and rights of forest protectors.







This work builds on WRI’s broader commitment to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities in securing rights, protecting forests and strengthening climate resilience. <a href="https://www.wri.org/equitable-development/indigenous-peoples-local-communities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learn more here</a> about how GFW and WRI are supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities.



<style type="text/css"></style>

Forest Carbon Data Helps Communities Benefit Financially from their Forests

Indigenous Peoples and local communities <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/4-ways-indigenous-and-community-lands-can-reduce-emissions#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20research%20by%20WRI,not%20managed%20by%20indigenous%20peoples." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">play a crucial role</a> in protecting forests and the areas they manage tend to experience <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cobi.14195" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lower deforestation</a> rates than other forests. In fact, forests managed by Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin are some of the <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/amazon-carbon-sink-indigenous-forests" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most effective carbon sinks</a> on the planet. By maintaining these forests, they actively contribute to global climate change mitigation efforts.



New climate financing mechanisms are creating opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to generate revenue to support the long-term stewardship of their ancestral lands and forest resources. However, communities often lack access to the data and tools required to quantify forest carbon fluxes (emissions from forest loss and disturbance, and removals due to plant growth) and communicate their contributions in ways recognized by these mechanisms.



To help communities supply such data, Global Forest Watch (GFW) offers accessible, open-source maps and statistics on forest carbon fluxes. GFW’s interactive <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map/?map=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&amp;mapMenu=eyJtZW51U2VjdGlvbiI6ImRhdGFzZXRzIiwiZGF0YXNldENhdGVnb3J5IjoiY2xpbWF0ZSJ9">emissions, removals and net flux maps</a>, with associated statistics, support action unlike any other forest carbon monitoring system. The maps are updated annually, allowing communities to tell the carbon story behind every pixel of forest. &nbsp;



Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS), a non-profit organization dedicated to securing Indigenous Peoples’ land rights across Central and South America, is working with Indigenous communities and their allies to use this data and information to access climate financing opportunities. Since 2016, RFUS has worked alongside Indigenous communities to leverage tools like GFW data to detect and stop land invasions in their territories. This has resulted in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">significant reductions in deforestation</a> around some communities.



More recently, RFUS has collaborated with communities to interpret and apply GFW’s forest carbon data to help them access climate finance and participate in carbon-related decision-making. In recent years, GFW data on carbon fluxes has been an integral part of RFUS’ programming and advocacy for Indigenous Peoples’ rights.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sep2024_Titulacion-Carococha_079_Sebastian-Castaneda-2048x1365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19529"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Titling teams map and demarcate community boundaries in Carcocha, Peru. Credit Sebastian Castañeda</figcaption></figure>



Read on to learn more about two case studies where RFUS is working with Indigenous communities to use GFW's carbon monitoring data to strengthen the protection of their forests and rights.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Direct payments program as an alternative to carbon markets</h2>



External incentives can help communities carry out forest monitoring more consistently and effectively. They also help finance essential infrastructure and services, such as electricity, latrines and clean water systems, allowing communities to avoid turning to activities that drive deforestation, such as mining or commercial agriculture, and instead pursue livelihoods that keep forests standing and sequestering carbon.



To help provide these incentives, RFUS established a direct payments fund with support from private donors to compensate 32 communities in Ecuador and northern Peru for protecting over 350,000 hectares of standing tropical forest. For approximately two years, communities conducted forest patrols, documented evidence of land incursions and filed legal complaints to protect their territories. In this innovative direct payment program — which was independent of the carbon market and did not issue carbon credits — RFUS used GFW’s tree cover, tree cover loss, <a href="https://gfw.global/3tauzVt">forest carbon removals</a> and <a href="https://gfw.global/47iENb6">net forest carbon flux</a> data to estimate the carbon sequestered by communities’ forests.



By using the custom area analysis tool on <a href="https://gfw.global/4bOp721">GFW’s dashboard</a>, RFUS was able to quickly and easily estimate the standing forest area and carbon sequestration rates within the forests of participating communities. This data enabled RFUS and participating communities to quantify the climate benefits of their forests, providing a clear rationale for the payments. Based on this information, communities received 10 soles (~$4 USD) per hectare of standing forest per year, commensurate with Peru’s national forest payments program, Probosques.



Unlike carbon credits, these payments were not tied to reductions in emissions or reforestation. Instead, these payments were designed to recognize, support and honor communities’ continued stewardship of their forests. The only conditions attached to the payments were that the resulting projects had to benefit communities and receive full community approval. Furthermore, funds could not be used for activities that contributed to deforestation, and communities had to maintain deforestation rates within their recent average.&nbsp; &nbsp;



Communities used these funds to invest in priority projects such as continuing their traditional agricultural practices and initiatives, constructing solar panel arrays, sanitation systems, potable water systems, communal boats and sustainable economic development projects. The unique nature of this program — making payments directly to communities based on public GFW carbon monitoring data — gave communities greater autonomy and agency to invest in and manage the projects they chose.



In the Peru-Colombia-Brazil tri-border area, Ticuna communities used the funds to advance their land titling efforts. By using the funds to cover the costs of surveyors and legal support, the communities <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frainforestfoundation.org%2Fhow-climate-finance-can-reach-indigenous-peoples-and-local-communities%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CPaige.Johnson%40wri.org%7C5904f82b68234045a96408ddefd86e63%7C476bac1f36b24ad98699cda6bad1f862%7C0%7C0%7C638930435315519121%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ULYpl8%2BqV%2Fn3NyG3RyYnQvvMuPiBB0P5lns2AaggRvE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secured an additional 45,000 hectares</a> of titled land, creating a contiguous Ticuna territory along the banks of the Amazon River. They are also piloting a collaborative titling effort with the regional government of Loreto that has since expanded across the state of Loreto, 59 territories, and over 100,000 hectares in three years.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_0863-2048x1538.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19530"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Titling ceremony in Loreto, Peru. Credit: Daniel Tuesta</figcaption></figure>



Across the border in Ecuador, the Indigenous community of Sarayaku is one of the largest territories to receive these direct payments, which they have used to invest directly in their “life plan,” or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0EBmUON0K/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kawsak Sacha</a>, which in Kichwa means “The Living Forest.” This reflects the Sarayaku’s philosophy of being an integral part of the forest ecosystem, as well as their vision for the future. While the funding available through this program did not cover all elements of the life plan, the funds and decisions were managed autonomously by the Sarayaku communities. They focused primarily on community infrastructure projects that resulted in significant improvements in the quality of life for community members.



Samai Gualinga, Vice President of the Sarayaku community, said of the direct payments program: “a new standard of fair compensation and retribution is being created … it’s necessary to seek our own ways of monitoring our territory … to have our own databases … to show how much biodiversity and carbon we have … we need economic funds to support the families working on our monitoring projects.”



Scaling this direct payment program across the Amazon Basin may be difficult. However, the flexibility of GFW data allowed RFUS to put climate financing directly in the hands of Indigenous Peoples and support locally-led climate finance outside of carbon markets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Informing community roles in national carbon credit deals</h2>



In 2022, the national government of Guyana signed a <a href="https://carboncredits.com/hess-signs-750m-redd-carbon-credits-deal-with-guyana/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">jurisdictional REDD+</a> deal to sell $750 million worth of carbon credits from reducing deforestation in the country (REDD+ is a <a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/land-use/workstreams/redd/what-is-redd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">framework</a> for paying developing countries when they reduce emissions from deforestation). Guyana was the first country to sell carbon credits at the national level and the deal requires that the revenue from the sale of credits are distributed to communities around the country through a process of <a href="https://blog.aspiration.com/benefit-sharing-voluntary-carbon-market/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">benefits sharing</a>. Under this deal, 242 Indigenous communities opted in to receive the proposed 15% share of the benefits from the sale to support community led projects.



RFUS uses GFW forest carbon data to help inform communities in Guyana about how forests emit and sequester carbon, how these can be estimated and monitored, and to calculate the amount of carbon being sequestered on both titled and customary lands. While RFUS and local partners such as the Amerindian People’s Association are not using GFW’s data to dispute Guyana’s national REDD+ calculations, GFW data informs Indigenous organizations on how the contributions of their communities are <a href="https://www.development-today.com/archive/2023/dt-2--2023/carbon-certifier-admits-that-key-indigenous-complaints-were-not-on-the-table-when-credits-were-issued-to-guyana-last-year" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">or are not</a> reflected in the benefit sharing program.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_3115-2048x1536.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-19527"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Patamona woman cooks cassava in Guyana’s North Pakaraimas mountain range. Credit RFUS</figcaption></figure>



For example, in the South Rupununi region of Guyana, of the 2.9 million hectares of customary Indigenous land in Wapichan Wiizi, around 590,000 hectares have been formally recognized by the government. The unrecognized Indigenous lands account for the bulk of the area and an even higher percentage of the territory’s forests since many Guyanese land titles were granted primarily for savanna areas rather than for forests. The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/aoi/642b3e00493227001be0b2cf/?category=climate&amp;map=eyJjYW5Cb3VuZCI6dHJ1ZX0%3D&amp;widget=carbonFlux">uploaded their land claim</a> (delineated over years of community mapping) to GFW and saw that just their customary territory alone accounts for nearly 10% of Guyana’s overall annual carbon sequestration. This and other WRI data have generated key figures for ongoing collaborative discussions between the SRDC and the government of Guyana regarding formal recognition of these customary lands and potential designation of the area as a community conserved area.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DSC06626-2048x1365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19526"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indigenous communities in Guyana’s rugged interior often contain a mix of dense forests and tropical savannas. Credit RFUS</figcaption></figure>



“Carbon and carbon sequestration are abstract concepts that can easily get lost in national policy discussions and financial transactions,” said Linburg Pearson, Mapping and Monitoring Leader at Amerindian People’s Association. “GFW data has helped us understand the role that specific communities and lands play in regard to carbon emissions and sequestration.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Democratizing data helps make forest protection more equitable</h2>



GFW’s open-source data is helping to promote transparency and broaden access by making critical information on forests and carbon emissions and sequestration accessible to communities. This helps bridge the gap between Indigenous communities and sources of finance, creating more equitable and just opportunities.



In this vein, GFW's forest carbon monitoring data has been an important resource for RFUS and the communities they work with, illustrating how free, global carbon emissions and sequestration maps can support forest monitoring on a community level and improved outcomes for communities. These examples from Indigenous and local communities effectively using the carbon data to improve their livelihoods and democratize data can shed light on how to create more equitable and responsive financial mechanisms that prioritize the needs and rights of forest protectors.







This work builds on WRI’s broader commitment to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities in securing rights, protecting forests and strengthening climate resilience. <a href="https://www.wri.org/equitable-development/indigenous-peoples-local-communities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learn more here</a> about how GFW and WRI are supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities.



<style type="text/css"></style>

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

deforestation

deforestation | Global Forest Watch Blog

Indonesia

Indonesia | Global Forest Watch Blog

logging

logging | Global Forest Watch Blog

Mirzha Hanifah

Benita Nathania

Deden Pramudyana

Harnessing Technology, Raising a New Generation of Forest Monitors

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

Harnessing Technology, Raising a New Generation of Forest Monitors | Users In Action | Global Forest Watch Blog

Biodiversity

Biodiversity | Global Forest Watch Blog

forest quality

forest quality | Global Forest Watch Blog

mexico

mexico | Global Forest Watch Blog

Eligio García Serrano

Ramón Guadarrama León

Salvador Huitrón García

Elizabeth Espinoza Hernández

Fernanda González Kohrs

Erick Noé Huitrón García

Every fall, one of the planet’s most extraordinary natural spectacles occurs amid the fir forests of central Mexico: Millions of monarch butterflies land here to find respite from the cooling winter temperatures in northeastern U.S. and Canada for their annual hibernation. It is a phenomenon that the <a href="https://monarchconservation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monarch Butterfly Fund</a> affectionately refers to as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDmKBvztIbk&t=1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the arrival of the sun’s daughters</a>.” The sight is both visually splendid and culturally important to the people of Mexico. Several myths surround this phenomenon, <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/monarch-butterflies-us-mexico/#:~:text=As%20pollinators%2C%20the%20monarch%20butterfly,enjoy%2C%20like%20squash%20and%20blueberries" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">such as beliefs that monarch butterflies are returning souls of loved ones</a>. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1323" height="1600" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18600" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG.jpeg 1323w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG-847x1024.jpeg 847w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG-768x929.jpeg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG-1270x1536.jpeg 1270w" sizes="(max-width: 1323px) 100vw, 1323px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Monarch butterfly sanctuary “Piedra Herrada.” Credit: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



This incredible event, a critical part of the monarchs’ life cycle, depends on Mexico’s forests. However, these forests are feeling the effects of global climate change. One of the effects is the rise of pests; a problem that is not unique to Mexico, forests pests are a growing threat in many other countries (for example, in 2024, WRI reported that forest pests are <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/europe-forest-loss-drivers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a growing threat to Europe’s forests</a>). &nbsp;



To help tackle this issue in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Global Forest Watch (GFW) Small Grants Fund recipient <a href="https://focenmexico.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neovolcanic Axis Conservation Fund (FOCEN)</a> has developed a novel approach, combining alerts on GFW’s Forest Watcher app and complementary technology like drones to monitor pests and inform actions to eradicate them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A new challenge for monarchs and monitoring: Forest pests</h2>



FOCEN works regionally to create alliances for the conservation, restoration and responsible use of natural resources in central Mexico. Since 2000, FOCEN has worked to conserve the valuable forests in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR), a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-see-mexico-monarch-butterfly-migration#:~:text=Travelers%20can%20help%20protect%20these,on%20UNESCO's%20World%20Heritage%20list.&text=In%20one%20of%20the%20planet's,fir%20forests%20of%20Central%20Mexico" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>. Through the <a href="https://focenmexico.org/fondo-monarca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund (Monarch Fund)</a>, FOCEN has facilitated a scheme that provides economic incentives for the payment of ecosystem services to forest owners (ejidos — small landowners and Indigenous communities) across 12,367 hectares of forests, 91% of which are within MBBR’s core zone.



In 2021, after receiving a grant from GFW’s Small Grants Fund, FOCEN set out to address forest disturbance in the MBBR.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1600" height="761" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18601" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG.jpeg 1600w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG-1024x487.jpeg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG-768x365.jpeg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG-1536x731.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Peña Blanca viewpoint, “Sierra Chincua” monarch butterfly sanctuary. Credit: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



While conducting initial field investigations using Forest Watcher to identify areas of degradation and create reports on their findings, they quickly discovered that the primary cause of forest degradation in the Reserve is forest pests, specifically bark beetles, which attack weakened trees. Worse, they discovered that the beetles are continuing to spread as temperatures and drought increase, threatening forest habitat that is critical for monarch butterfly migration and overwintering.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1545" height="2000" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Imagen_Descortezadores_JL-Gallardo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18602" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Imagen_Descortezadores_JL-Gallardo.png 1545w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Imagen_Descortezadores_JL-Gallardo-791x1024.png 791w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Imagen_Descortezadores_JL-Gallardo-768x994.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Imagen_Descortezadores_JL-Gallardo-1187x1536.png 1187w" sizes="(max-width: 1545px) 100vw, 1545px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A new way to use Forest Watcher and monitoring tools</h2>



FOCEN worked quickly to mobilize on this new finding. Teaming up with technical monitoring partner <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ambiomas_org/reels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ambiomas Acciones y Respuestas Adaptativas (Ambiomas)</a>, they adapted their project and set out to create an early warning system for monitoring forest pests and to develop capacity for using the system and monitoring the forest in a new way. &nbsp;



As a first step, FOCEN and Ambiomas recognized that engaging forest owners and community members living in and around the Reserve was essential. They created a comprehensive course with a corresponding manual and led a two-day intensive training event for 14 people on using Forest Watcher. Over the course of six months, community technicians from the participating ejidos and communities, with the support of Ambiomas and FOCEN, conducted more than 100 field visits and produced more than 1,000 reports on observations of forest degradation in the field. This provided the data needed to inform FOCEN’s development of an early warning system. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1600" height="1200" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18603" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG.jpeg 1600w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Training of community technicians from the Senguio ejido by the Ambiomas team. Credit: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



Next, FOCEN and Ambiomas, with support from GFW and the Monarch Butterfly Fund, took a multi-pronged approach to creating the early warning system. Realizing the time commitment of ground patrols and the limitations of satellite imagery, they incorporated multispectral drone technology that can capture data in multiple wavelengths beyond the visible spectrum (red, green, blue) to complement field visits and provide high-resolution imagery of forest degradation that satellites cannot always capture.



They selected five watersheds to assess that had historical records of monarch butterfly hibernation and that are critical to communities. After conducting drone flights, they used a Tree Density Calculator algorithm (available as a QGIS plugin) that provides an estimate of the number of trees present in the study area and shows the coordinates of each tree, creating a forest inventory that includes each tree’s precise location. They then assessed vegetation health using a platform to interpret the multispectral drone imagery and by assessing high-resolution images.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="663" height="505" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tree-Density-Calculator-fig.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18604"/></figure>



Using the forest inventory, they performed a visual interpretation for each tree determined by the algorithm to have signs of disease, such as standing dead or dry trees and trees with dry tops. The identification criteria were based on the color and appearance of the tree.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="814" height="441" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Examples-of-dead-and-dry-trees-ENG.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18605" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Examples-of-dead-and-dry-trees-ENG.png 814w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Examples-of-dead-and-dry-trees-ENG-768x416.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 814px) 100vw, 814px" /></figure>



They compared this information with the reports generated during monitoring trips using Forest Watcher and found that the reports aligned with the visual interpretation of the images identified by the algorithm.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1080" height="1080" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-English-v4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18606" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-English-v4.png 1080w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-English-v4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-English-v4-300x300.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-English-v4-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></figure>



FOCEN and Ambiomas have now conducted multispectral drone flights for two consecutive years during the pre- and post-rainy season and at times of the year when monarchs are not present to determine the vitality of the fir trees and in order to have timely information on the possible presence of forest pests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Outcomes for improved pest monitoring and response </h2>



Thanks to the early warning system, FOCEN, Ambiomas and communities have been able to take targeted action in controlling bark beetles — namely, removing infected trees and wood debris, in accordance with Mexican regulations for controlling and preventing beetle outbreaks. More monitoring is needed to determine whether the bark beetles are now contained, and local communities are currently conducting pest and forest disease monitoring surveys as part of FOCEN’s Best Management Practices Programs within their <a href="https://focenmexico.org/cuenca-sierra-chincua" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">payment for ecosystem services program</a>.



The combination of tools and practices used in the early warning system provides an important complement to field monitoring. It has helped ejidatarios (community landowners), community members and field technicians monitor larger areas and less accessible places faster and has allowed them to better understand their territory. Using the information collected, they have been able to implement conservation and restoration activities that are helping counteract the effects caused by forest pests.



Additionally, FOCEN and Ambiomas have developed a <a href="https://focenmexico.org/microcuencas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MapBuilder and Story Map</a> for each of the five watersheds crucial to monarch hibernation that they monitored throughout the project to aggregate and represent all the data generated, making it possible to conduct spatial analyses with this information.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1430" height="678" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MapBuilder-screenshot.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18607" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MapBuilder-screenshot.jpg 1430w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MapBuilder-screenshot-1024x486.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MapBuilder-screenshot-768x364.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1430px) 100vw, 1430px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">MapBuilder Application for the Nicolas Romero watershed. Source: FOCEN, 2022</figcaption></figure>



FOCEN and Ambiomas also worked with the team at GFW to make several improvements to Forest Watcher such as improving the location accuracy of reports and the ability to directly link reports to MapBuilder, which will help others interested in monitoring for pests or using these tools for other applications in the future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Adapting lessons for tackling forest pests around the world</h2>



In October 2022, FOCEN convened a workshop with the Reserve’s community technicians, technical advisors and researchers from the Colegio de Geografía de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México to discuss the impact of climate change on forest degradation. As a next step for FOCEN and Ambiomas, greater funding is needed to allow the continuation of monitoring larger areas and to more accurately assess levels of forest degradation in the forests that monarchs depend on.



These impacts to forests and lessons learned are relevant for many geographies that are confronted with similar issues. FOCEN and Ambiomas found that, in addition to an early warning system to reduce response time to forest damage, early detection and monitoring activities are essential to prevent forest degradation from pests. This requires long-term aerial monitoring and strengthening the local capacities of forest owners, in coordination with the various stakeholders involved in the area.



As climate change continues to wreak havoc, less visible but damaging effects like forest pests are becoming more apparent. The issue of pests causing degradation is not isolated to Mexico, and others can learn from the technologies and approaches developed by FOCEN and Ambiomas and implement similar strategies in the areas that are experiencing similar challenges.



To learn more about FOCEN and Ambiomas’s work and their early warning system for forest pests, please contact <a href="mailto:eligio.garcia@focenmexico.org">eligio.garcia@focenmexico.org</a> or <a href="mailto:ambiomasorg@gmail.co">ambiomasorg@gmail.com</a>.



<style type="text/css"></style>

A New Monitoring Challenge: Protecting Forests from Pests

Every fall, one of the planet’s most extraordinary natural spectacles occurs amid the fir forests of central Mexico: Millions of monarch butterflies land here to find respite from the cooling winter temperatures in northeastern U.S. and Canada for their annual hibernation. It is a phenomenon that the <a href="https://monarchconservation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monarch Butterfly Fund</a> affectionately refers to as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDmKBvztIbk&amp;t=1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the arrival of the sun’s daughters</a>.” The sight is both visually splendid and culturally important to the people of Mexico. Several myths surround this phenomenon, <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/monarch-butterflies-us-mexico/#:~:text=As%20pollinators%2C%20the%20monarch%20butterfly,enjoy%2C%20like%20squash%20and%20blueberries" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">such as beliefs that monarch butterflies are returning souls of loved ones</a>. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18600"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Monarch butterfly sanctuary "Piedra Herrada." Credit: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



This incredible event, a critical part of the monarchs’ life cycle, depends on Mexico’s forests. However, these forests are feeling the effects of global climate change. One of the effects is the rise of pests; a problem that is not unique to Mexico, forests pests are a growing threat in many other countries (for example, in 2024, WRI reported that forest pests are <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/europe-forest-loss-drivers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a growing threat to Europe’s forests</a>). &nbsp;



To help tackle this issue in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Global Forest Watch (GFW) Small Grants Fund recipient <a href="https://focenmexico.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neovolcanic Axis Conservation Fund (FOCEN)</a> has developed a novel approach, combining alerts on GFW’s Forest Watcher app and complementary technology like drones to monitor pests and inform actions to eradicate them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A new challenge for monarchs and monitoring: Forest pests</h2>



FOCEN works regionally to create alliances for the conservation, restoration and responsible use of natural resources in central Mexico. Since 2000, FOCEN has worked to conserve the valuable forests in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR), a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-see-mexico-monarch-butterfly-migration#:~:text=Travelers%20can%20help%20protect%20these,on%20UNESCO's%20World%20Heritage%20list.&amp;text=In%20one%20of%20the%20planet's,fir%20forests%20of%20Central%20Mexico" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>. Through the <a href="https://focenmexico.org/fondo-monarca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund (Monarch Fund)</a>, FOCEN has facilitated a scheme that provides economic incentives for the payment of ecosystem services to forest owners (ejidos — small landowners and Indigenous communities) across 12,367 hectares of forests, 91% of which are within MBBR's core zone.



In 2021, after receiving a grant from GFW’s Small Grants Fund, FOCEN set out to address forest disturbance in the MBBR.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18601"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Peña Blanca viewpoint, "Sierra Chincua" monarch butterfly sanctuary. Credit: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



While conducting initial field investigations using Forest Watcher to identify areas of degradation and create reports on their findings, they quickly discovered that the primary cause of forest degradation in the Reserve is forest pests, specifically bark beetles, which attack weakened trees. Worse, they discovered that the beetles are continuing to spread as temperatures and drought increase, threatening forest habitat that is critical for monarch butterfly migration and overwintering.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Imagen_Descortezadores_JL-Gallardo.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18602"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A new way to use Forest Watcher and monitoring tools</h2>



FOCEN worked quickly to mobilize on this new finding. Teaming up with technical monitoring partner <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ambiomas_org/reels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ambiomas Acciones y Respuestas Adaptativas (Ambiomas)</a>, they adapted their project and set out to create an early warning system for monitoring forest pests and to develop capacity for using the system and monitoring the forest in a new way. &nbsp;



As a first step, FOCEN and Ambiomas recognized that engaging forest owners and community members living in and around the Reserve was essential. They created a comprehensive course with a corresponding manual and led a two-day intensive training event for 14 people on using Forest Watcher. Over the course of six months, community technicians from the participating ejidos and communities, with the support of Ambiomas and FOCEN, conducted more than 100 field visits and produced more than 1,000 reports on observations of forest degradation in the field. This provided the data needed to inform FOCEN’s development of an early warning system. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18603"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Training of community technicians from the Senguio ejido by the Ambiomas team. Credit: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



Next, FOCEN and Ambiomas, with support from GFW and the Monarch Butterfly Fund, took a multi-pronged approach to creating the early warning system. Realizing the time commitment of ground patrols and the limitations of satellite imagery, they incorporated multispectral drone technology that can capture data in multiple wavelengths beyond the visible spectrum (red, green, blue) to complement field visits and provide high-resolution imagery of forest degradation that satellites cannot always capture.



They selected five watersheds to assess that had historical records of monarch butterfly hibernation and that are critical to communities. After conducting drone flights, they used a Tree Density Calculator algorithm (available as a QGIS plugin) that provides an estimate of the number of trees present in the study area and shows the coordinates of each tree, creating a forest inventory that includes each tree’s precise location. They then assessed vegetation health using a platform to interpret the multispectral drone imagery and by assessing high-resolution images.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tree-Density-Calculator-fig.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18604"/></figure>



Using the forest inventory, they performed a visual interpretation for each tree determined by the algorithm to have signs of disease, such as standing dead or dry trees and trees with dry tops. The identification criteria were based on the color and appearance of the tree.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Examples-of-dead-and-dry-trees-ENG.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18605"/></figure>



They compared this information with the reports generated during monitoring trips using Forest Watcher and found that the reports aligned with the visual interpretation of the images identified by the algorithm.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-English-v4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18606"/></figure>



FOCEN and Ambiomas have now conducted multispectral drone flights for two consecutive years during the pre- and post-rainy season and at times of the year when monarchs are not present to determine the vitality of the fir trees and in order to have timely information on the possible presence of forest pests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Outcomes for improved pest monitoring and response </h2>



Thanks to the early warning system, FOCEN, Ambiomas and communities have been able to take targeted action in controlling bark beetles — namely, removing infected trees and wood debris, in accordance with Mexican regulations for controlling and preventing beetle outbreaks. More monitoring is needed to determine whether the bark beetles are now contained, and local communities are currently conducting pest and forest disease monitoring surveys as part of FOCEN’s Best Management Practices Programs within their <a href="https://focenmexico.org/cuenca-sierra-chincua" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">payment for ecosystem services program</a>.



The combination of tools and practices used in the early warning system provides an important complement to field monitoring. It has helped ejidatarios (community landowners), community members and field technicians monitor larger areas and less accessible places faster and has allowed them to better understand their territory. Using the information collected, they have been able to implement conservation and restoration activities that are helping counteract the effects caused by forest pests.



Additionally, FOCEN and Ambiomas have developed a <a href="https://focenmexico.org/microcuencas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MapBuilder and Story Map</a> for each of the five watersheds crucial to monarch hibernation that they monitored throughout the project to aggregate and represent all the data generated, making it possible to conduct spatial analyses with this information.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MapBuilder-screenshot.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18607"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">MapBuilder Application for the Nicolas Romero watershed. Source: FOCEN, 2022</figcaption></figure>



FOCEN and Ambiomas also worked with the team at GFW to make several improvements to Forest Watcher such as improving the location accuracy of reports and the ability to directly link reports to MapBuilder, which will help others interested in monitoring for pests or using these tools for other applications in the future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Adapting lessons for tackling forest pests around the world</h2>



In October 2022, FOCEN convened a workshop with the Reserve’s community technicians, technical advisors and researchers from the Colegio de Geografía de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México to discuss the impact of climate change on forest degradation. As a next step for FOCEN and Ambiomas, greater funding is needed to allow the continuation of monitoring larger areas and to more accurately assess levels of forest degradation in the forests that monarchs depend on.



These impacts to forests and lessons learned are relevant for many geographies that are confronted with similar issues. FOCEN and Ambiomas found that, in addition to an early warning system to reduce response time to forest damage, early detection and monitoring activities are essential to prevent forest degradation from pests. This requires long-term aerial monitoring and strengthening the local capacities of forest owners, in coordination with the various stakeholders involved in the area.



As climate change continues to wreak havoc, less visible but damaging effects like forest pests are becoming more apparent. The issue of pests causing degradation is not isolated to Mexico, and others can learn from the technologies and approaches developed by FOCEN and Ambiomas and implement similar strategies in the areas that are experiencing similar challenges.



To learn more about FOCEN and Ambiomas’s work and their early warning system for forest pests, please contact <a href="mailto:eligio.garcia@focenmexico.org">eligio.garcia@focenmexico.org</a> or <a href="mailto:ambiomasorg@gmail.co">ambiomasorg@gmail.com</a>.



<style type="text/css"></style>

Cada otoño, uno de los espectáculos naturales más extraordinarios del planeta tiene lugar entre los bosques de abetos (oyamel) del centro de México: Millones de mariposas monarca aterrizan aquí en busca de un respiro a las frías temperaturas invernales del noreste de EE.UU. y Canadá para su hibernación anual. Es un fenómeno al que el <a href="https://monarchconservation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monarch Butterfly Fund</a> se refiere cariñosamente como «<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDmKBvztIbk&amp;t=1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">la llegada de las hijas del sol</a>». El espectáculo es a la vez visualmente espléndido y culturalmente importante para el pueblo de México. Existen varios mitos en torno a este fenómeno, como <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/monarch-butterflies-us-mexico/#:~:text=As%20pollinators%2C%20the%20monarch%20butterfly,enjoy%2C%20like%20squash%20and%20blueberries" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">la creencia de que las mariposas monarca son almas que regresan de seres queridos</a>. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/SANTUARIO_MONARCA_HERRADA_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18600"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Santuario de la mariposa monarca «Piedra Herrada». Crédito: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



Este increíble acontecimiento, parte fundamental del ciclo vital de las monarcas, depende de los bosques de México. Sin embargo, estos bosques están sintiendo los efectos del cambio climático global. Uno de los efectos es el aumento de plagas; un problema que no es exclusivo de México, las plagas forestales son una amenaza creciente en muchos otros países (por ejemplo, en 2024, WRI informó que las plagas forestales son una <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/europe-forest-loss-drivers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amenaza creciente para los bosques de Europa</a>).&nbsp;



Para ayudar a abordar este problema en la Reserva de la Biosfera de la Mariposa Monarca de México, <a href="https://focenmexico.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Fondo de Conservación del Eje Neovolcánico (FOCEN)</a>, beneficiario del Fondo de Pequeñas Suvenciones de Global Forest Watch (GFW), ha desarrollado un enfoque novedoso, combinando alertas en la aplicación Forest Watcher de GFW y tecnología complementaria como drones para monitorear las plagas e informar de las acciones para erradicarlas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Un nuevo reto para las monarcas y su monitoreo: las plagas forestales</h2>



FOCEN trabaja a escala regional para crear alianzas en favor de la conservación, la restauración y el uso responsable de los recursos naturales del centro de México. Desde 2000, FOCEN ha trabajado para conservar los valiosos bosques de la Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (RBMM) de México, declarada <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-see-mexico-monarch-butterfly-migration#:~:text=Travelers%20can%20help%20protect%20these,on%20UNESCO's%20World%20Heritage%20list.&amp;text=In%20one%20of%20the%20planet's,fir%20forests%20of%20Central%20Mexico" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO</a>. A través del <a href="https://focenmexico.org/fondo-monarca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fondo para la Conservación de la Mariposa Monarca (Fondo Monarca)</a>, FOCEN ha facilitado un esquema que proporciona incentivos económicos para el pago de servicios ecosistémicos a los propietarios de bosques (ejidos - pequeños propietarios y comunidades indígenas) a lo largo de 12,367 hectáreas de bosques, 91% de los cuales se encuentran dentro de la zona núcleo de la RBMM.



En 2021, tras recibir una subvención del Fondo de Pequeñas Subvenciones de GFW, FOCEN se propuso abordar las alteraciones forestales en la RBMM.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MIRADOR_PENA_BLANCA_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18601"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mirador de Peña Blanca, santuario de la mariposa monarca «Sierra Chincua». Crédito: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



Mientras realizaban las primeras investigaciones sobre el terreno utilizando Forest Watcher para identificar las zonas de degradación y elaborar informes sobre sus hallazgos, descubrieron rápidamente que la principal causa de degradación forestal en la Reserva son las plagas forestales, concretamente los escarabajos descortezador, que atacan a los árboles debilitados. Peor aún, descubrieron que los escarabajos siguen extendiéndose a medida que aumentan las temperaturas y la sequía, amenazando el hábitat forestal que es fundamental para la migración y la hibernación de la mariposa monarca.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ES-pests-fig.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18628"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fuente: Gallardo S. J.L. 2023</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Una nueva forma de utilizar Forest Watcher y las herramientas de monitoreo</h2>



FOCEN trabajó rápidamente para movilizarse ante este nuevo hallazgo. En colaboración con Ambiomas Acciones y Respuestas Adaptivas (Ambiomas), adaptaron su proyecto y se propusieron crear un sistema de alerta temprana para monitorear plagas forestales y desarrollar capacidades para utilizar el sistema y monitorear el bosque de una forma nueva.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Como primer paso, FOCEN y Ambiomas reconocieron que era esencial implicar a los propietarios de los bosques y a los miembros de las comunidades que viven en la Reserva y sus alrededores. Crearon un curso integral acompañado de un &nbsp;manual y organizaron un curso intensivo de dos días para capacitar a 14 personas en el uso de Forest Watcher. A lo largo de seis meses, técnicos comunitarios de los ejidos y comunidades participantes, con el apoyo de Ambiomas y FOCEN, realizaron más de 100 visitas de campo y elaboraron más de 1000 informes sobre observaciones de degradación forestal sobre el terreno. Esto proporcionó los datos necesarios para que FOCEN desarrollara un sistema de alerta temprana.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAPACITACION_TECNICOS_SHG.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-18603"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Capacitación de técnicos comunitarios del ejido de Senguio por el equipo de Ambiomas. Crédito: Salvador Huitrón García</figcaption></figure>



A continuación, FOCEN y Ambiomas, con el apoyo de GFW y el Fondo de la Mariposa Monarca, adoptaron un enfoque múltiple para crear el sistema de alerta temprana. Conscientes del tiempo que requieren las patrullas terrestres y de las limitaciones de las imágenes por satélite, incorporaron drones con tecnología multiespectral, capaz de captar datos en múltiples longitudes de onda más allá del espectro visible (rojo, verde y azul) para complementar las visitas en campo y proporcionar imágenes de alta resolución de la degradación forestal que los satélites no siempre pueden captar.&nbsp;



Seleccionaron cinco cuencas hidrográficas con registros históricos de hibernación de la mariposa monarca y que son fundamentales para las comunidades. Tras realizar vuelos con drones, utilizaron un algoritmo de cálculo de densidad de árboles (Tree Density Calculator, disponible como complemento de QGIS) que proporciona una estimación del número de árboles presentes en el área de estudio y muestra las coordenadas de cada árbol, creando un inventario forestal que incluye la ubicación precisa de cada árbol. A continuación, evaluaron la salud de la vegetación utilizando una plataforma para interpretar las imágenes multiespectrales de los drones y evaluando imágenes de alta resolución.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tree-Density-Calculator-fig.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18604"/></figure>



Utilizando el inventario forestal, realizaron una interpretación visual de cada árbol que el algoritmo determinaba que presentaba signos de enfermedad, como árboles muertos o secos en pie y árboles con copas secas. Los criterios de identificación se basaron en el color y el aspecto del árbol.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ES-dead-trees-fig.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18631"/></figure>



Compararon esta información con los informes generados durante los viajes de monitoreo con Forest Watcher y comprobaron que los informes coincidían con la interpretación visual de las imágenes identificadas por el algoritmo.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/FOCEN-Spanish-v6.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18632"/></figure>



FOCEN y Ambiomas llevan dos años consecutivos realizando vuelos multiespectrales con drones durante la época anterior y posterior a las lluvias, así como en épocas del año en las que no hay monarcas para determinar la vitalidad de los oyameles y poder disponer de información puntual sobre la posible presencia de plagas forestales.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Resultados para un mejor monitoreo y la respuesta ante plagas&nbsp; </h2>



Gracias al sistema de alerta temprana, FOCEN, Ambiomas y las comunidades han podido tomar medidas específicas para controlar los escarabajos descortezadores,concretamente, retirar los árboles infectados y los restos de madera, de acuerdo con la normativa mexicana para controlar y prevenir los brotes de escarabajos. Se necesita más monitoreo para determinar si los escarabajos descortezadores están ahora contenidos y las comunidades locales están llevando a cabo actualmente encuestas de monitoreo de plagas y enfermedades forestales como parte de los Programas de Mejores Prácticas de Gestión de FOCEN dentro de su <a href="https://focenmexico.org/cuenca-sierra-chincua" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">programa de pago por servicios ecosistémicos</a>.



El conjunto de herramientas y prácticas utilizadas en el sistema de alerta temprana constituye un complemento importante a la vigilancia en campo. Ha ayudado a los ejidatarios, a los miembros de la comunidad y a los técnicos de campo a vigilar más rápidamente zonas más extensas y lugares menos accesibles y les ha permitido conocer mejor su territorio. Con la información recopilada, han podido poner en marcha actividades de conservación y restauración que están ayudando a contrarrestar los efectos causados por las plagas forestales.&nbsp;



Además, FOCEN y Ambiomas han desarrollado un <a href="https://focenmexico.org/microcuencas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MapBuilder y un Story Map</a> para cada una de las cinco cuencas hidrográficas que son cruciales para la hibernación de las monarcas y que monitorearon a lo largo del proyecto. En ellos, agregaron y representaron todos los datos generados, haciendo posible realizar análisis espaciales con esta información.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MapBuilder-screenshot.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18607"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Aplicación MapBuilder para la cuenca Nicolas Romero. Fuente: FOCEN, 2022</figcaption></figure>



FOCEN and Ambiomas also worked with the team at GFW to make several improvements to Forest Watcher such as improving the location accuracy of reports and the ability to directly link reports to MapBuilder, which will help others interested in monitoring for pests or using these tools for other applications in the future.



FOCEN y Ambiomas también trabajaron con el equipo de GFW para introducir varias mejoras en Forest Watcher, como mejorar la precisión de la ubicación de los informes y la posibilidad de vincular directamente los informes a MapBuilder, lo que ayudará a otras personas interesadas en la vigilancia de plagas o en utilizar estas herramientas para otras aplicaciones en el futuro.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Adaptar las enseñanzas para combatir las plagas forestales en todo el mundo</h2>



En octubre de 2022, FOCEN convocó a un taller con los técnicos comunitarios de la Reserva, asesores técnicos e investigadores del Colegio de Geografía de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México para discutir el impacto del cambio climático en la degradación forestal. Como un siguiente paso para FOCEN y Ambiomas, se necesita mayor financiamiento que permita continuar con el monitoreo de áreas más extensas y evaluar con mayor precisión los niveles de degradación forestal en los bosques de los que dependen las monarcas.&nbsp;



Estos impactos en los bosques y las lecciones aprendidas son relevantes para muchas geografías que se enfrentan a problemas similares. FOCEN y Ambiomas descubrieron que, además de un sistema de alerta temprana para reducir el tiempo de respuesta a los daños forestales, las actividades de detección temprana y seguimiento son esenciales para prevenir la degradación de los bosques a causa de las plagas. Para ello es necesario realizar un monitoreo aéreo a largo plazo y reforzar las capacidades locales de los propietarios forestales, en coordinación con las distintas partes interesadas de la zona.&nbsp;



A medida que el cambio climático sigue causando estragos, los efectos menos visibles pero perjudiciales, como las plagas forestales, son cada vez más evidentes. El problema de las plagas que causan degradación no es exclusivo de México, y otros pueden aprender de las tecnologías y los enfoques desarrollados por FOCEN y Ambiomas y aplicar estrategias similares en las zonas que están experimentando retos parecidos.



Si desea más información sobre el trabajo de FOCEN y Ambiomas y su sistema de alerta temprana de plagas forestales, póngase en contacto con <a href="mailto:eligio.garcia@focenmexico.org">eligio.garcia@focenmexico.org</a> o <a href="mailto:ambiomasorg@gmail.com">ambiomasorg@gmail.com</a>.



<style type="text/css"></style>

Un nuevo reto de monitoreo: Proteger los bosques de las plagas

GFW partner FOCEN is using a novel monitoring approach to tackle increasing forest pests in in Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.

Cocoa

Cocoa | Global Forest Watch Blog

commodities

commodities | Global Forest Watch Blog

Sofia Tenorio Fenton

Caroline Winchester

Sofia Scharrer

Ariana Carter

ECOM Research Team

Cocoa production has been linked to high rates of deforestation and biodiversity loss, making it a significant contributor to environmental degradation. Addressing and mitigating these negative impacts is essential for achieving a more sustainable cocoa supply chain.



ECOM, one of the world’s largest cocoa traders and processors that sources from over 30 countries, has made it a priority to reduce the negative impacts from their operations. One way they are doing so is by applying a standardized methodology developed by World Resources Institute (WRI) to ensure the cocoa beans they use are sustainably sourced and are not linked to forest loss.



Recognizing that collective action is critical to ending deforestation and no one company can tackle the problem alone, ECOM joined the <a href="https://worldcocoafoundation.org/programmes-and-initiatives/cocoa-and-forests-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cocoa & Forests Initiative</a> (CFI), facilitated by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), and established in 2017 with the aim of ending cocoa-driven deforestation and restoring forest areas. Companies that joined the CFI agreed to map their supply chains, align methodologies on deforestation risk assessment and contribute to transparent monitoring and reporting.



To support these efforts, World Resources Institute (WRI) partnered with WCF and 19 major cocoa and chocolate companies to create <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-tools/data-resources-ending-deforestation-cocoa-west-africa/">two data-driven resources</a> available on GFW — the <a href="https://gfw.global/4bEEES2">West Africa Cocoa dataset</a> and the <a href="https://data.globalforestwatch.org/documents/gfw::cocoa-deforestation-risk-assessment/about">Cocoa Deforestation Risk Assessment (DRA)</a> — that ECOM has adapted and scaled to additional regions to secure a more sustainable cocoa supply chain.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1430" height="868" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cocoa-Deforestation-Risk-Assessment-Priority-2023.png" alt="" class="wp-image-16731" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cocoa-Deforestation-Risk-Assessment-Priority-2023.png 1430w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cocoa-Deforestation-Risk-Assessment-Priority-2023-1024x622.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cocoa-Deforestation-Risk-Assessment-Priority-2023-768x466.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1430px) 100vw, 1430px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Proactively identifying deforestation risk in cocoa supply chains</h2>



Prior to the Cocoa DRA, ECOM relied on broader, less tailored tools such as national level risk assessments or global data sets like the ones available on GFW. With the release of the Cocoa DRA, ECOM was able to adapt <a href="https://www.wri.org/research/mapping-cocoa-assessing-deforestation-risk-cocoa-cote-divoire-ghana" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">its methodology</a> to carry out widespread risk assessment in a standardized manner, expanding the model to other geographies and analyzing data from Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Vietnam and Uganda.



The flexibility of the Cocoa DRA has enabled ECOM to leverage global data and peer-reviewed methods while supplementing these with their own farm boundary data and ground verification (which is an essential component of cocoa monitoring since satellites can have trouble detecting cocoa grown under shade canopies).



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="602" height="205" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Picture1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18569"/></figure>



Once high-risk areas have been identified, ECOM works with smallholder farmers to proactively tackle cocoa-linked deforestation, focusing on prevention through strategies like sensitization training or Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs. The focus on high-risk locations enables further engagement with farmers and remediation to avoid excluding them from the supply chain, which can lead to worse outcomes and accelerate deforestation.



For example, since 2021, ECOM has partnered with a customer and local farming communities in Ghana to promote agroforestry through a PES initiative. The program provides farmers with multi-purpose shade trees, and farmers receive financial incentives for maintaining these trees over three years, boosting adoption rates. To ensure the program’s success and its meaningful contributions to local biodiversity and ecosystem health, ECOM conducted comprehensive land assessments prior to implementation. These assessments identified suitable tree species and accounted for farmers’ needs. The initiative includes training in Good Agricultural Practices, environmental stewardship and business management. A progress report due later in 2025 will highlight its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem health.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1363" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana-SourceTrust-1-2048x1363.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18570" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana-SourceTrust-1-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana-SourceTrust-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana-SourceTrust-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana-SourceTrust-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: ECOM</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beyond regulatory compliance</h2>



As the cocoa sector is focused on preparing for compliance with regulations like the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), it is crucial to recognize the continued importance of solutions and approaches that go beyond near-term compliance needs to effectively address sector-wide, systemic challenges.



While regulatory compliance assessments are focused on whether deforestation risk occurred after a given cut-off date, they often do not help identify future deforestation risk or inform collective action. The Cocoa DRA is intended to support better allocation of resources for halting deforestation and to enable collaborative approaches among cocoa supply chain actors where they’re most urgently needed to address deforestation.



For example, in Côte d’Ivoire, ECOM is using information gained from the Cocoa DRA to inform multiple efforts aiming to protect forests and support sustainability. In one project, they’re collaborating with the <a href="https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/32209.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Green Innovation Centre of GIZ</a>, the German Corporation for International Cooperation, to provide training and awareness-raising to help farmers adapt to climate change, build resilience and increase incomes through climate-smart cocoa and agroforestry. Around the protected areas of the Bossematié Nature Reserve and the Beki Classified Forest, ECOM is working to tackle deforestation and improve conservation by helping farmers in the forest buffer zone transition to agroforestry. They collaborated with GIZ to develop a management plan for the Reserve’s buffer zone and are now developing an incentive scheme based on carbon stocks and additional planting of trees for promoting agroforestry practices.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1365" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cote-dIvoire-Daloa-2048x1365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18571" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cote-dIvoire-Daloa-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cote-dIvoire-Daloa-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cote-dIvoire-Daloa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cote-dIvoire-Daloa-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: ECOM</figcaption></figure>



Additionally, two briquette production units are being installed within two of ECOM’s partner cooperatives to promote the use of sustainable briquettes made from organic waste. This initiative aims to reduce reliance on firewood to help prevent deforestation.



Finally, ECOM is also supporting local nurseries to develop plants for on- and off-farm planting and distributing trees to further accelerate the transition to agroforestry. This will all be supported by a local plan to monitor and prevent deforestation. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2048" height="1356" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Peru-Forestry-2048x1356.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18572" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Peru-Forestry-2048x1356.jpg 2048w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Peru-Forestry-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Peru-Forestry-768x509.jpg 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Peru-Forestry-1536x1017.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: ECOM</figcaption></figure>



Using the Cocoa DRA and complementary data and tools, ECOM will continue ongoing monitoring efforts aimed at identifying and preventing future deforestation. This is a great step in the right direction, but ultimately, companies like ECOM need more solutions that can encourage collaborative approaches and continued innovation that prioritizes the needs of cocoa farmers and their communities. Only then can we truly achieve deforestation-free supply chains.



<style type="text/css"></style>

Better Cocoa for the Planet: How ECOM is Reducing Deforestation in Their Supply Chain

Cocoa production has been linked to high rates of deforestation and biodiversity loss, making it a significant contributor to environmental degradation. Addressing and mitigating these negative impacts is essential for achieving a more sustainable cocoa supply chain.



ECOM, one of the world’s largest cocoa traders and processors that sources from over 30 countries, has made it a priority to reduce the negative impacts from their operations. One way they are doing so is by applying a standardized methodology developed by World Resources Institute (WRI) to ensure the cocoa beans they use are sustainably sourced and are not linked to forest loss.



Recognizing that collective action is critical to ending deforestation and no one company can tackle the problem alone, ECOM joined the <a href="https://worldcocoafoundation.org/programmes-and-initiatives/cocoa-and-forests-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cocoa &amp; Forests Initiative</a> (CFI), facilitated by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), and established in 2017 with the aim of ending cocoa-driven deforestation and restoring forest areas. Companies that joined the CFI agreed to map their supply chains, align methodologies on deforestation risk assessment and contribute to transparent monitoring and reporting.



To support these efforts, World Resources Institute (WRI) partnered with WCF and 19 major cocoa and chocolate companies to create <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-tools/data-resources-ending-deforestation-cocoa-west-africa/">two data-driven resources</a> available on GFW — the <a href="https://gfw.global/4bEEES2">West Africa Cocoa dataset</a> and the <a href="https://data.globalforestwatch.org/documents/gfw::cocoa-deforestation-risk-assessment/about">Cocoa Deforestation Risk Assessment (DRA)</a> — that ECOM has adapted and scaled to additional regions to secure a more sustainable cocoa supply chain.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cocoa-Deforestation-Risk-Assessment-Priority-2023.png" alt="" class="wp-image-16731"/></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Proactively identifying deforestation risk in cocoa supply chains</h2>



Prior to the Cocoa DRA, ECOM relied on broader, less tailored tools such as national level risk assessments or global data sets like the ones available on GFW. With the release of the Cocoa DRA, ECOM was able to adapt <a href="https://www.wri.org/research/mapping-cocoa-assessing-deforestation-risk-cocoa-cote-divoire-ghana" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">its methodology</a> to carry out widespread risk assessment in a standardized manner, expanding the model to other geographies and analyzing data from Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Vietnam and Uganda.



The flexibility of the Cocoa DRA has enabled ECOM to leverage global data and peer-reviewed methods while supplementing these with their own farm boundary data and ground verification (which is an essential component of cocoa monitoring since satellites can have trouble detecting cocoa grown under shade canopies).



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Picture1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-18569"/></figure>



Once high-risk areas have been identified, ECOM works with smallholder farmers to proactively tackle cocoa-linked deforestation, focusing on prevention through strategies like sensitization training or Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs. The focus on high-risk locations enables further engagement with farmers and remediation to avoid excluding them from the supply chain, which can lead to worse outcomes and accelerate deforestation.



For example, since 2021, ECOM has partnered with a customer and local farming communities in Ghana to promote agroforestry through a PES initiative. The program provides farmers with multi-purpose shade trees, and farmers receive financial incentives for maintaining these trees over three years, boosting adoption rates. To ensure the program's success and its meaningful contributions to local biodiversity and ecosystem health, ECOM conducted comprehensive land assessments prior to implementation. These assessments identified suitable tree species and accounted for farmers’ needs. The initiative includes training in Good Agricultural Practices, environmental stewardship and business management. A progress report due later in 2025 will highlight its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem health.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ghana-SourceTrust-1-2048x1363.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18570"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: ECOM</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beyond regulatory compliance</h2>



As the cocoa sector is focused on preparing for compliance with regulations like the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), it is crucial to recognize the continued importance of solutions and approaches that go beyond near-term compliance needs to effectively address sector-wide, systemic challenges.



While regulatory compliance assessments are focused on whether deforestation risk occurred after a given cut-off date, they often do not help identify future deforestation risk or inform collective action. The Cocoa DRA is intended to support better allocation of resources for halting deforestation and to enable collaborative approaches among cocoa supply chain actors where they’re most urgently needed to address deforestation.



For example, in Côte d’Ivoire, ECOM is using information gained from the Cocoa DRA to inform multiple efforts aiming to protect forests and support sustainability. In one project, they’re collaborating with the <a href="https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/32209.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Green Innovation Centre of GIZ</a>, the German Corporation for International Cooperation, to provide training and awareness-raising to help farmers adapt to climate change, build resilience and increase incomes through climate-smart cocoa and agroforestry. Around the protected areas of the Bossematié Nature Reserve and the Beki Classified Forest, ECOM is working to tackle deforestation and improve conservation by helping farmers in the forest buffer zone transition to agroforestry. They collaborated with GIZ to develop a management plan for the Reserve’s buffer zone and are now developing an incentive scheme based on carbon stocks and additional planting of trees for promoting agroforestry practices.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cote-dIvoire-Daloa-2048x1365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18571"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: ECOM</figcaption></figure>



Additionally, two briquette production units are being installed within two of ECOM’s partner cooperatives to promote the use of sustainable briquettes made from organic waste. This initiative aims to reduce reliance on firewood to help prevent deforestation.



Finally, ECOM is also supporting local nurseries to develop plants for on- and off-farm planting and distributing trees to further accelerate the transition to agroforestry. This will all be supported by a local plan to monitor and prevent deforestation. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Peru-Forestry-2048x1356.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18572"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: ECOM</figcaption></figure>



Using the Cocoa DRA and complementary data and tools, ECOM will continue ongoing monitoring efforts aimed at identifying and preventing future deforestation. This is a great step in the right direction, but ultimately, companies like ECOM need more solutions that can encourage collaborative approaches and continued innovation that prioritizes the needs of cocoa farmers and their communities. Only then can we truly achieve deforestation-free supply chains.



<style type="text/css"></style>

Cocoa trader ECOM shows how companies can use data-driven resources reduce deforestation in their cocoa supply chains.

Better Cocoa: How ECOM is Reducing Deforestation in Their Supply Chain

indigenous peoples

indigenous peoples | Global Forest Watch Blog

Inge Snip

A decade ago, the launch of Global Forest Watch (GFW) ushered in a new era of accountability and transparency around monitoring and protecting the world’s forests. To celebrate 10 years of impact, our Voices of Global Forest Watch series will highlight successes of GFW users, partners and community members throughout the year. We invite you to read, watch and share the stories of exceptional leaders in forest monitoring who have played a pivotal role in protecting forests everywhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pfTvH6_520?si=NSmHYOeS_YIpeBBy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>







“Forests have protected the climate of our planet, including protecting against flood threats and soil erosion. They provide a source of water for essential needs, a variety of types of food, and oxygen. At their core, [forests] have provided everything for all of us.” – Muhammad Ichwan, National Executive Director of Indonesia’s Forestry Independent Monitoring Network (JPIK)&nbsp;



Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest forested area. Founded in 2010, JPIK is a leading voice in the country’s battle against forest loss and illegal logging, as well as addressing the causes of deforestation, using GFW tools. Their work spans years of mobilizing communities, leveraging technology and advocating for sustainable forest management.&nbsp;



JPIK is a network of civil society organizations across Indonesia, form Papua to Aceh, that originally came together to monitor the application of Indonesia’s Timber legality Assurance System (SVLK).&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="624" height="468" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JPIK-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18195"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Meranti logs resulting from illegal logging in Central Kalimantan Province. Credit: JPIK</figcaption></figure>



JPIK has grown into a national network, comprising 26 regional offices, over 614 individual members and 68 institutional members. As Ichwan explains, JPIK’s mandate now goes beyond monitoring logging; it combines community engagement with policy advocacy to create long-lasting solutions to prevent forest loss and degradation.



This expansion required a strategic rethinking of the monitoring framework used by independent monitors to enable them to advocate for legal and policy reforms to better address illegal logging and protect Indonesia’s forests.



The adoption of satellite technology, particularly GFW data, has improved JPIK’s forest monitoring capabilities significantly in recent years.



“The use of satellite technology today is quite helpful in JPIK’s work,” said Ichwan. “We use this technology as our basis for conducting field monitoring, and for evidence of complaints — to law enforcement, to certification agencies, government.”



For example, in a pivotal case in December 2022, JPIK used GFW data to uncover illegal logging activities in Central Kalimantan. The investigation revealed the illegal harvesting of ramin wood, a species <a href="https://wri-indonesia.org/id/wawasan/mengenal-cites-dan-perannya-mengatasi-perdagangan-kayu-ilegal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species</a> (CITES). “Through the GFW app we can track illegal logging sites in protected forests, the flow of wood into rivers, until it enters the company,” said Ichwan. By tracking the wood’s journey, JPIK exposed an operation aiming to disguise the illegally logged timber as legitimate. The findings were submitted to Indonesian authorities, leading to legal actions against the perpetrators.



The involvement of local communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, is key to JPIK’s success. Indonesia’s forests are critical to the livelihoods of Indigenous and local communities, who often bear the brunt of effects of deforestation and poor forest management, facing increased risks of flooding, landslides and other environmental disasters. “If the forests are damaged or the governance of these forests is damaged, [Indigenous or local communities] will be most affected,” said Ichwan.



JPIK provides training to communities on independent forest monitoring and the use of GFW tools. According to Ichwan, empowering Indigenous Peoples and local communities to independently lead forest monitoring has been one of JPIK’s most effective strategies. “Indigenous or local communities are the primary independent monitoring actors because they are the closest party to forests, the closest to forests as their life support,” he said.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="468" height="312" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JPIK-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18196"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Training on GFW with WRI Indonesia. Credit: JPIK</figcaption></figure>



In another case in Central Kalimantan, a group of Indigenous people trained by JPIK helped stop illegal logging in protected areas. Their efforts, which included reporting the violations to law enforcement, resulted in significant legal actions: criminal sanctions, withdrawal of SVLK certifications and fines for the perpetrators and others.



Looking to the future, JPIK recognizes the importance of involving Indonesia’s youth in forest monitoring. They plan to recruit and train hundreds of young people — aged 17 to 29 — on the principles of sustainable forestry, using GFW and forest advocacy. The goal is to equip this new generation with the skills needed to document, report and campaign against illegal logging and deforestation, while also using social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube to raise awareness.



This next generation of independent forest monitors will continue JPIK’s legacy of community-driven, technology-enhanced forest protection. According to Ichwan, continuing to use GFW in this work is key: “GFW, for us, is very important to support our work on forest monitoring, to counter the threat of deforestation and illegal logging in Indonesia.”



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Video filmed at the Land & Carbon Lab Summit in June 2023.

 

</div>



<style type="text/css"></style>

Voices of Global Forest Watch: Muhammad Ichwan, Indonesia’s Forestry Independent Monitoring Network

A decade ago, the launch of Global Forest Watch (GFW) ushered in a new era of accountability and transparency around monitoring and protecting the world’s forests. To celebrate 10 years of impact, our Voices of Global Forest Watch series will highlight successes of GFW users, partners and community members throughout the year. We invite you to read, watch and share the stories of exceptional leaders in forest monitoring who have played a pivotal role in protecting forests everywhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<iframe width="560" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pfTvH6_520?si=NSmHYOeS_YIpeBBy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>







“Forests have protected the climate of our planet, including protecting against flood threats and soil erosion. They provide a source of water for essential needs, a variety of types of food, and oxygen. At their core, [forests] have provided everything for all of us.” – Muhammad Ichwan, National Executive Director of Indonesia's Forestry Independent Monitoring Network (JPIK)&nbsp;



Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest forested area. Founded in 2010, JPIK is a leading voice in the country's battle against forest loss and illegal logging, as well as addressing the causes of deforestation, using GFW tools. Their work spans years of mobilizing communities, leveraging technology and advocating for sustainable forest management.&nbsp;



JPIK is a network of civil society organizations across Indonesia, form Papua to Aceh, that originally came together to monitor the application of Indonesia's Timber legality Assurance System (SVLK).&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JPIK-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18195"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Meranti logs resulting from illegal logging in Central Kalimantan Province. Credit: JPIK</figcaption></figure>



JPIK has grown into a national network, comprising 26 regional offices, over 614 individual members and 68 institutional members. As Ichwan explains, JPIK's mandate now goes beyond monitoring logging; it combines community engagement with policy advocacy to create long-lasting solutions to prevent forest loss and degradation.



This expansion required a strategic rethinking of the monitoring framework used by independent monitors to enable them to advocate for legal and policy reforms to better address illegal logging and protect Indonesia's forests.



The adoption of satellite technology, particularly GFW data, has improved JPIK's forest monitoring capabilities significantly in recent years.



"The use of satellite technology today is quite helpful in JPIK’s work," said Ichwan. “We use this technology as our basis for conducting field monitoring, and for evidence of complaints — to law enforcement, to certification agencies, government.”



For example, in a pivotal case in December 2022, JPIK used GFW data to uncover illegal logging activities in Central Kalimantan. The investigation revealed the illegal harvesting of ramin wood, a species <a href="https://wri-indonesia.org/id/wawasan/mengenal-cites-dan-perannya-mengatasi-perdagangan-kayu-ilegal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species</a> (CITES). “Through the GFW app we can track illegal logging sites in protected forests, the flow of wood into rivers, until it enters the company,” said Ichwan. By tracking the wood’s journey, JPIK exposed an operation aiming to disguise the illegally logged timber as legitimate. The findings were submitted to Indonesian authorities, leading to legal actions against the perpetrators.



The involvement of local communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, is key to JPIK’s success. Indonesia’s forests are critical to the livelihoods of Indigenous and local communities, who often bear the brunt of effects of deforestation and poor forest management, facing increased risks of flooding, landslides and other environmental disasters. “If the forests are damaged or the governance of these forests is damaged, [Indigenous or local communities] will be most affected,” said Ichwan.



JPIK provides training to communities on independent forest monitoring and the use of GFW tools. According to Ichwan, empowering Indigenous Peoples and local communities to independently lead forest monitoring has been one of JPIK’s most effective strategies. “Indigenous or local communities are the primary independent monitoring actors because they are the closest party to forests, the closest to forests as their life support,” he said.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JPIK-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18196"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Training on GFW with WRI Indonesia. Credit: JPIK</figcaption></figure>



In another case in Central Kalimantan, a group of Indigenous people trained by JPIK helped stop illegal logging in protected areas. Their efforts, which included reporting the violations to law enforcement, resulted in significant legal actions: criminal sanctions, withdrawal of SVLK certifications and fines for the perpetrators and others.



Looking to the future, JPIK recognizes the importance of involving Indonesia's youth in forest monitoring. They plan to recruit and train hundreds of young people — aged 17 to 29 — on the principles of sustainable forestry, using GFW and forest advocacy. The goal is to equip this new generation with the skills needed to document, report and campaign against illegal logging and deforestation, while also using social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube to raise awareness.



This next generation of independent forest monitors will continue JPIK's legacy of community-driven, technology-enhanced forest protection. According to Ichwan, continuing to use GFW in this work is key: “GFW, for us, is very important to support our work on forest monitoring, to counter the threat of deforestation and illegal logging in Indonesia.”



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Video filmed at the Land & Carbon Lab Summit in June 2023.

 

</div>



<style type="text/css"></style>

Voices of Global Forest Watch: Muhammad Ichwan, Indonesia's Forestry Independent Monitoring Network

Satu dekade yang lalu, peluncuran Global Forest Watch (GFW) mengantarkan era baru akuntabilitas dan transparansi dalam pemantauan dan perlindungan hutan dunia. Untuk merayakan 10 tahun dampaknya, seri Kisah Pemantauan dengan GFW (Voices of Global Forest Watch) akan menyoroti keberhasilan para pengguna, mitra, dan anggota komunitas GFW sepanjang tahun. Kami mengundang Anda untuk membaca, menonton, dan berbagi kisah-kisah para pemimpin luar biasa dalam pemantauan hutan yang memiliki peran penting dalam melindungi hutan di mana pun.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<iframe width="560" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pfTvH6_520?si=NSmHYOeS_YIpeBBy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>







“Hutan telah melindungi iklim planet kita, termasuk melindungi dari ancaman banjir dan erosi tanah. Hutan menyediakan sumber air untuk kebutuhan pokok, berbagai jenis makanan, dan oksigen. Pada intinya, [hutan] telah menyediakan segalanya untuk kita semua.” - Muhammad Ichwan, Direktur Eksekutif Nasional Jaringan Pemantau Independen Kehutanan (JPIK)



Indonesia adalah rumah bagi kawasan hutan terbesar ketiga di dunia. Didirikan pada tahun 2010, JPIK merupakan organisasi terdepan dalam perjuangan melawan dan mengatasi deforestasi dan pembalakan liar di Indonesia, salah satunya dengan menggunakan perangkat GFW. Upaya mereka ini telah berlangsung selama bertahun-tahun dalam pemberdayaan masyarakat, pemanfaatan teknologi pendukung pemantauan, serta mengadvokasi pengelolaan hutan yang berkelanjutan. JPIK adalah jaringan organisasi masyarakat sipil di seluruh Indonesia, dari Papua hingga Aceh, yang pada awalnya merupakan perkumpulan untuk bersama-sama mengawasi penerapan Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu (SVLK) di Indonesia.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JPIK-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18195"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kayu bulat Meranti hasil pembalakan liar di Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah. Kredit: JPIK</figcaption></figure>



JPIK telah berkembang menjadi jaringan nasional yang terdiri dari 26 kantor regional tersebar di seluruh Indonesia, dengan lebih dari 614 anggota individu dan 68 anggota lembaga. Seperti yang dijelaskan oleh Ichwan, mandat JPIK kini lebih dari sekedar memantau penebangan kayu; JPIK menggabungkan pelibatan masyarakat dengan advokasi kebijakan untuk menciptakan solusi jangka panjang guna mencegah hilangnya hutan dan degradasi lahan.



Perluasan ini membutuhkan peninjauan strategis terhadap kerangka kerja pemantauan yang digunakan oleh para pemantau independen, sehingga memungkinkan mereka untuk mendorong reformasi hukum dan kebijakan yang lebih efektif untuk menangani pembalakan liar dan melindungi hutan di Indonesia dengan lebih baik.



Penggunaan teknologi satelit, khususnya data GFW, telah meningkatkan kemampuan pemantauan hutan JPIK secara signifikan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir.&nbsp;



“Penggunaan teknologi satelit saat ini cukup membantu kerja-kerja JPIK,” kata Ichwan. “Kami menggunakan teknologi ini sebagai dasar untuk melakukan pemantauan lapangan, dan sebagai data pendukung pengaduan - kepada penegak hukum, lembaga sertifikasi, dan pemerintah.”



Sebagai contoh, dalam sebuah kasus penting pada bulan Desember 2022, JPIK menggunakan data GFW untuk mengungkap kegiatan penebangan hutan ilegal di Kalimantan Tengah. Investigasi tersebut mengungkap adanya pemanenan kayu ramin – spesies yang tergolong Apendiks II atau sebagai spesies yang dilindungi <a href="https://wri-indonesia.org/id/wawasan/mengenal-cites-dan-perannya-mengatasi-perdagangan-kayu-ilegal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dalam sistem CITES</a> (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) – secara ilegal. “Melalui aplikasi GFW, kami dapat melacak lokasi pembalakan liar dalam kawasan hutan lindung, distribusi kayu melalui sungai, hingga masuk ke perusahaan,” kata Ichwan. Dengan melacak perjalanan kayu tersebut, JPIK berhasil membongkar sebuah operasi yang bertujuan untuk menyamarkan kayu yang ditebang secara ilegal menjadi kayu legal. Temuan ini kemudian disampaikan kepada pihak berwenang di Indonesia, yang kemudian berujung pada tindakan hukum kepada para pelaku.



Keterlibatan masyarakat lokal, khususnya Masyarakat Adat, merupakan kunci keberhasilan JPIK. Hutan Indonesia sangat penting bagi mata pencaharian Masyarakat Adat dan masyarakat lokal, yang sering kali menanggung beban terbesar dari dampak deforestasi dan pengelolaan hutan yang buruk, menghadapi peningkatan resiko banjir, tanah longsor, dan bencana lingkungan lainnya. “Jika hutan rusak atau tata kelola hutan buruk, [masyarakat adat atau lokal] akan menjadi pihak yang paling terkena dampaknya,” kata Ichwan.



JPIK memberikan pelatihan kepada masyarakat mengenai pemantauan hutan secara mandiri dan penggunaan perangkat GFW. Menurut Ichwan, memberdayakan masyarakat adat dan komunitas lokal untuk memimpin pemantauan hutan secara mandiri merupakan salah satu strategi JPIK yang paling efektif. “Masyarakat adat atau masyarakat lokal adalah pelaku utama pemantauan independen karena mereka adalah pihak yang paling dekat dengan hutan sebagai penopang kehidupan mereka,” katanya.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JPIK-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-18196"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pelatihan tentang GFW dengan WRI Indonesia. Kredit: JPIK</figcaption></figure>



Dalam kasus lain di Kalimantan Tengah, sekelompok masyarakat adat yang dilatih oleh JPIK membantu menghentikan pembalakan liar dalam kawasan lindung. Upaya mereka, termasuk melaporkan pelanggaran kepada penegak hukum, menghasilkan tindakan hukum yang signifikan: sanksi pidana, pencabutan sertifikasi SVLK dan denda bagi para pelaku, dan lain-lain.



Kedepannya, JPIK menyadari pentingnya melibatkan kaum muda Indonesia dalam pemantauan hutan. JPIK berencana untuk merekrut dan melatih ratusan anak muda - berusia 17 hingga 29 tahun - tentang prinsip-prinsip pengelolaan kehutanan berkelanjutan, serta menggunakan GFW dan advokasi hutan. Tujuannya untuk membekali generasi baru ini dengan keterampilan yang dibutuhkan untuk mendokumentasikan, melaporkan, dan mengkampanyekan perlawanan terhadap pembalakan liar dan deforestasi, serta menggunakan platform media sosial seperti TikTok dan YouTube untuk meningkatkan kesadaran masyarakat.



Generasi pemantau hutan independen berikutnya akan melanjutkan warisan JPIK dalam hal perlindungan hutan yang berbasis masyarakat dan didukung oleh teknologi. Menurut Ichwan, melanjutkan penggunaan GFW dalam pekerjaan ini adalah kuncinya: “GFW, bagi kami, sangat penting untuk mendukung pekerjaan kami dalam pemantauan hutan, untuk melawan ancaman deforestasi dan pembalakan liar di Indonesia.”



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Video filmed at the Land & Carbon Lab Summit in June 2023.

 

</div>



<style type="text/css"></style>

Kisah Pemantauan dengan Global Forest Watch: Muhammad Ichwan, Jaringan Pemantau Independen Kehutanan Indonesia