Deforestation monitoring needs better capacity and access to
technologies Most tropical developing countries are struggling
to monitor and report their greenhouse gas emissions from forest
loss, and will need international support to implement the UN
REDD+ scheme, according to a study. The Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) scheme aims to reverse
forest cover loss and curb related carbon emissions by putting a
financial value on stored carbon. Countries voluntarily report
back on their implementation of REDD+, but many lack the
capacity to monitor forest loss and carbon emissions using key
technologies such as satellite remote sensing, according to a
paper in the May–June issue of Environmental Science and Policy.
The study ranked tropical developing countries according to
their ability to implement REDD+, and found that few such
countries had improved their monitoring capacity between 2005
and 2010, with some even losing capacity, such as Burkina Faso
and Mozambique. African countri