Using Global Perspectives to Enhance Sustainability at the Local Level
By Lars Laestadius - World Resources Institute View PublicationGlobal Forest Watch (GFW) is an international initiative for independent monitoring of the ecological condition of forests, and the compliance of forest utilization with relevant laws and regulations. GFW’s mandate is limited to producing high quality information and making it widely accessible over Internet, and does not include policy prescriptions or advocacy. The mapping is based on a combination of satellite images and on-the-ground information provided by scientific and stakeholder communities at levels from local to international, as relevant to the scale of mapping. Global Watch has seven country chapters now, with another three under development, and an international secretariat at the World Resources Institute. For Global Forest
Watch Canada, the principal interest is in mapping intact forests within the region where human
development is more likely to result in forest degradation.