Forest ecosystems across the world are under pressure from population growth. In many developing countries, local communities rely on forest resources almost entirely for their daily subsistence. Ever-increasing pressure from human populations will at some point outpace the forest’s natural regeneration cycle, leading not only to the degradation and eventual collapse of the ecosystem, but also to the loss of the community’s primary lifeline. Governments, the UN agencies and donors have identified the need to support and educate communities on sustainable forest management including the collection and selling of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), reforestation, diversification of community income sources and the monitoring and protection of forested areas from illegal logging.

The EO4SD Forest Management cluster provides geo-spatial information, which can support the assessment of deforestation/degradation and land use change in these areas.