Land Cover Project Office Annual Report 2007 - GOFC-GOLD LC-IT ...

Land Cover Project Office – Annual Report 2007Activities to support UN ConventionsGOFC-GOLD activities are guided and outlined inseveral international agreements and UN conventions.In the GCOS implementation plan to the UNFCCCcalls for GOFC-GOLD support with respect to landcover observations and reporting standards.Major activities of LC-PO in 2007 have been dedicatedto the issue of reducing GHG emissions fromdeforestation in developing countries. Internationalnegotiations are currently underway within theUNFCCC to build incentives for developing countriesto avoid deforestation. A key issue is the technicalfeasibility of determining historical deforestation ratesand monitoring future land change that would enabletropical countries to obtain carbon credits forreducing deforestation.Together with GTOS,the LC-PO haspresented first draftreporting standardsfor the ECV’s duringa side event atUNFCCC/COP 13 inBali.GOFC-GOLD has established a working group toassess satellite observation capabilities and developconsensus technical guidelines for operationalimplementation of such policy in the post 2012period. A related technical sourcebook draft has beendeveloped (see to the right). The report was presentedto the UNFCCC COP 13 in Bali and the adjacent CIFORforest day and has been well recognized in the policydiscussion process.Consensus technical document formonitoring carbon emissions fromdeforestation from space prepared byGOFC-GOLD working group as input toUNFCCC negotiations and to supportREDD implementation activities10This timeline shows theongoing contribution andcommitment of the GOFC-GOLD PO to support theUNFCCC REDD process.Since 2005, the PO hasorganized workshops, andpublished dedicatedtechnical reports that havebeen communicated to theUNFCCC negotiations andimplementation actorsthrough GTOSsubmissions and sideevents. In 2007, joint sideevents with ESA were heldat UNFCCC/SBSTA 26 and27 and at the CIFOR forestday adjacent to the COP13in Bali.