Processes [MGD Sections]
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
MRV Institutions [MGD Sections]
Institutional arrangements and REDD+ decisions
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Methods + Tools [MGD Sections]
Institutional arrangements and REDD+ decisions
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Remote sensing observations
Ground-based observations
Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
Activity data
Emissions/removals factors
Estimating total emissions/removals and its uncertainty
Guiding principles – Estimation and uncertainty
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Financial considerations
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Remote sensing observations
Ground-based observations
Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
Activity data
Emissions/removals factors
Estimating total emissions/removals and its uncertainty
Guiding principles – Estimation and uncertainty
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Financial considerations
Forest Policy + Governance [MGD Sections]
Institutional arrangements and REDD+ decisions
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
4.3 Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
- In most cases estimates of emissions and removals associated with REDD+ activities will be made using a combination of remotely-sensed and ground based data.
- Landsat satellites provide a time series of remotely sensed digital images spanning 40 years and are being used widely in monitoring activities such as deforestation, forest degradation and natural disturbances, and for estimating changes in biomass and carbon stocks.
- Other types of remotely sensed data, such as SAR, LIDAR and high resolution optical data are increasingly available and helpful especially in extending the range of REDD+ activities for which operational methods are available.
- Pre-processed data sets can be used as a basis for REDD+ estimation in conjunction with reference and auxiliary data to capture national circumstances.
- Remotely sensed and auxiliary ground-based data in combination are likely to be useful for stratification in order to increase sampling efficiency.
- If sufficient NFI data are available over space and time and at sufficient spatial resolution, NFIs can be used to estimate directly from repeated inventories stock changes associated with REDD+ activities. It will often be best to use NFIs in combination with remotely-sensed data.
- Data from NFIs are also a potentially valuable source of information for REDD+ estimation using gain-loss methods, and for developing modelling approaches at Tier 3.
- Detailed information generated at a fine scale at intensive monitoring sites can help address the difficulty of estimating stocks and stock changes for litter, dead wood and soil, by supporting development of model parameters, including emissions and removals factors.