The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has secured a major new investment from Norway to strengthen forest monitoring systems around the world, a move that will help countries improve climate action, enhance transparency and unlock financing needed to protect and restore forests.
The funding package will see Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) provide 90 million Norwegian kroner, equivalent to approximately $9.5 million, to support the next phase of the System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) through to December 2030.
The investment coincides with mounting pressure on governments to show that they are making progress against deforestation, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and fulfilling international climate pledges. As massive carbon sinks that sustain biodiversity, water systems, and the lives of millions of people, forests are widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most significant natural resources in the battle against climate change.
However, despite their significance, forests are disappearing at a startling rate in many areas as a result of mining, illegal logging, agricultural growth, and infrastructure development. According to experts, one of the main issues facing governments is the absence of timely, accurate, and easily accessible data required to track forest loss and take appropriate action.
By improving nations’ capacity to collect, evaluate, and apply satellite-based forest data, the most recent investment aims to tackle that issue. Governments will be better able to identify deforestation, monitor changes in land use, assist with restoration initiatives, and comply with more complicated climate reporting regulations with improved monitoring technologies.
Norway’s support for SEPAL is closely aligned with the Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests (AIM4Forests) programme, an initiative aimed at expanding technical assistance and strengthening national forest monitoring capacity across developing and forest-rich nations.
The partnership, according to Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, represents a growing understanding that technology innovation will be essential to accomplishing global climate and biodiversity goals.
“As artificial intelligence accelerates, open and transparent data tools are becoming even more essential for forest countries. SEPAL strengthens governments’ capacity to lead their own monitoring, and to make informed decisions for their forests for the benefit of their citizens, and for all of us.”
Andreas Bjelland Eriksen
Moreover, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu further noted that, “countries need reliable, accessible and transparent forest data to manage their forests sustainably, meet climate reporting requirements and access science-based finance.”
“This new funding will strengthen national forest monitoring systems and accelerate the use of innovative technologies, turning data into better decisions for the climate change and for sustainable development.”
QU Dongyu
For many developing countries, particularly those with extensive tropical forests, improved monitoring systems are increasingly viewed as a gateway to climate finance. International funding mechanisms often require governments to provide verifiable evidence of forest conservation and emissions reductions before financial support can be released.
As a result, investments in monitoring technology are becoming a key component of broader global efforts to halt deforestation and promote sustainable land management.
SEPAL’s Next Phase Aims to Transform How Countries Track and Protect Forests
Originally launched in 2016, SEPAL has grown into one of the world’s leading forest-monitoring platforms and forms part of FAO’s wider Open Foris initiative, a collection of open-source digital tools used by governments, technical institutions and environmental practitioners worldwide.
The platform provides users with direct access to Earth observation data and advanced geospatial analysis tools, enabling them to monitor forests in near real-time. Through satellite imagery and cloud-based processing systems, users can detect changes in forest cover, identify areas at risk of degradation and assess the effectiveness of conservation and restoration programmes.
Over the past decade, SEPAL has become an increasingly important resource for countries seeking to strengthen environmental governance while meeting international reporting obligations under climate and biodiversity agreements.
As of June 2026, the platform had recorded more than 30,000 active users across 205 countries and territories, reflecting its growing global reach and relevance.
The third phase of the programme will focus on developing next-generation geospatial solutions that allow countries to move beyond simple data collection towards more sophisticated analysis and decision-making.
A key feature of Phase Three will be its close integration with the AIM4Forests programme, a flagship partnership between FAO and the United Kingdom that supports countries through technical innovation, training and capacity development.
Together, the two initiatives aim to create what FAO describes as a comprehensive forest monitoring ecosystem. This approach is intended to help governments transform raw environmental data into practical policies that support conservation, climate transparency and sustainable economic development.
The programmes will also place strong emphasis on inclusive participation. FAO indicated that Indigenous Peoples and local communities will play an important role in monitoring efforts, recognising that their traditional knowledge and long-standing stewardship of forests are essential components of effective conservation strategies.
Environmentalist argue that sustainable forest protection necessitates the integration of cutting-edge technology with local expertise and community involvement. Governments can enhance data quality, bolster accountability, and guarantee that conservation strategies are more sensitive to local conditions by incorporating Indigenous groups and other stakeholders in monitoring procedures.
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