National Forest Monitoring Programme - DRCongo

Programme objectives

• Operationalize the National Satellite Land Monitoring System.
• Support the DRC in conducting its forest inventory (17 provinces) so that emission factors can be identified. 
• Support the DRC in transmitting the results of its greenhouse gas inventory and the first and second biennial reports (BUR) to the UNFCCC on a regular basis.
• Make available information on major deforestation events through the SNSF web portal. 
• The forest reference levels of the forest provinces will be available and support will be provided for MRV in these provinces. Eight provincial forest reference emissions levels (NERFs) and 12 updated NERFs will be submitted to the UNFCCC.
• Conduct a greenhouse gas inventory.

Preliminary results (December 2020)

• FREL first submitted to UNFCCC in January 2018 and revised in October 2018.
• The National Forest Inventory is 85 percent complete.
• The SNSF portal is operational (Terra congo). Its new and improved version was finalized in December 2020 and will be launched online in May 2021.
• Data from satellite land monitoring activities are available on the portal. They helped to build the FRELs and to operationalize the Satellite Land Monitoring System.
• Provincial estimates have been validated and disseminated and emissions calculated for 2000-2010-2014- 2016.
• The first report on major deforestation events for 2017-2018 was completed and a database of these events is available on the web portal. Report on major deforestation events for 2019 and 2020 is being finalized (field verifications to be conducted during the first trimester in 2021 by Ministry of Agriculture inspectors before submission to the UNFCCC).
• The "Deforestation Alerts Analysis" application was developed and made available in July 2020 on the FAO Sepal platform.
• A 2016 - 2018 change map for the whole of DRC has been finalized and evaluated (including deforestation, degradation and reforestation strata from the 2016-2018 period and non-forest and forest strata from the existing 2016 map).
• The greenhouse gas inventory has been strengthened and operationalized and the first updated biennial report on forest cover change has been prepared for submission to the UNFCCC.
• 10 field teams have been trained to collect data in the field.

Areas of intervention

20 DRC forest provinces (Kwango, Kwilu, Mai Ndombé, Equateur, South Ubangi, North Ubangi, Tshuapa, Mongala, Tshopo, Bas and Haut Uele and Ituri, Kasai, Sankuru, Lulua, Kasai Oriental, Lomami, Maniema, South and North Kivu).

Synergies

The national analyses of this programme will capitalize on the results of CAFI-funded provincial multi-sectoral programmes (integrated, or PIREDD) to compare local data with national analyses and improve monitoring and, ultimately, land use.

The program targets activities that will lead to achieving the forestry milestones (Milestones 2018 H and I and Milestones 2020 C and D) and the agriculture milestones (Milestone 2018 B) in the 2016 Letter of Intent between the DRC and CAFI. Two independent verifications of these milestones were undertaken (please read the report available here).