SDG15 Life on Land

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as in many other African countries, the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is a major national strategic priority. Previously, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had limited technical capacity to produce and utilize data necessary for monitoring forest cover and changes. Since then, the country has established a national forest monitoring system (NFMS) to promote sustainable forest management practices and to take informed policy decisions on reducing forest loss.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as in many other African countries, the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is a major national strategic priority. Previously, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had limited technical capacity to produce and utilize data necessary for monitoring forest cover and changes. Since then, the country has established a national forest monitoring system (NFMS) to promote sustainable forest management practices and to take informed policy decisions on reducing forest loss.

The Misool Marine Reserve protects a complex and extremely biodiverse coral reef system in South Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Raja Ampat is an epicentre of marine biodiversity, with 1,632 described species of fish. The reserve is jointly managed by Misool Foundation and Misool Resort. Misool Resort is a private island resort that uses ecotourism revenue to generate a large proportion of the funding for the reserve. Marit and Andrew Miners founded the project in 2005 by forging a powerful partnership with the local landowners and communities.  

COVID-19 has caused profound damage to human health, societies and economies in every corner of the world. This illness is zoonotic, a type of disease that transmits between animals and humans. It may be the worst, but it is not the first. We already know that 60 per cent of known infectious diseases in humans and 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. Ebola, SARS, the Zika virus and bird flu all came to people by way of animals.

With global health pandemics and climate change creating a world of unknowns, we still have the power to step up to restore the earth. Join thousands of biodiversity experts, scientists, policymakers, journalists, activists, private sector and Indigenous groups at the Global Landscape Forum (GLF) Biodiversity Digital Conference to learn how the world’s leading organizations are uniting in the wake of COVID-19 to conserve and protect the world’s disappearing biodiversity—from seeds to sea turtles.

Costa Rica has made many efforts to monitor and conserve its forests. Since 2015, the Government has been developing a national system for monitoring land cover, land use and ecosystems (SIMOCUTE: Sistema Nacional de Monitoreo de la Cobertura y Uso de la Tierra y Ecosistemas) that facilitates the collection, integration, management, and dissemination of national-scale environmental data and information.