IMPRESS, Improve Measurement for Payments to Reduce Emissions and Strengthen Sinks, is a project that has developed an innovative global approach towards high-integrity data on forest emissions and removals to access climate finance. Funded by the United Kingdom Government under their Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) program, the project enables support for Kenya’s progress towards a National Forest Monitoring System producing high-integrity forest data for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV).
In 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) began work on IMPRESS, starting out with an MRV gap assessment, followed by a capacity development campaign. The novel approach resulted in improved data, aligned with both Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART-TREES) and VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework requirements and has the potential to inform national processes in Kenya and beyond.
To share the lessons learned during the IMPRESS project, FAO hosted a knowledge exchange in Rome on May 8, 2023. The knowledge exchange was organized to share experiences in the development of high-integrity MRV for forest emissions and removals. The event provided an opportunity for the Kenya Forest Service to share their experience with a select group of countries with similar ambitions to generate high-quality datasets and strengthen their national forest monitoring systems.
A total of 65 participants attended the event in Rome and online, including an equal number of men and women. Representatives from Cambodia, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Suriname, Uganda, and Viet Nam actively participated during the discussions, eager to share their progress and learn from Kenya's recent experience in updating and aligning its National Forest Monitoring System to meet the requirements of new carbon standards.
Participants were given a background on the IMPRESS approach, climate finance opportunities and standard requirements. Case country examples from Kenya, Ghana, and Viet Nam were shared, highlighting experiences and key lessons learned towards generating a high-quality dataset. Participants also learned how the IMPRESS approach could be replicated in their countries. Ghana presented on how it has already applied some parts of the approach to perform quality control of their data.
A checklist, demonstrating how to access climate finance for reduced emissions and enhanced removals, was shared with participants. Countries completed an online survey, examining seven success factors of MRV integrity for accessing jurisdictional climate finance. Participants identified needs for deliverables that replicate the IMPRESS approach in other countries and highlighted relevant countries with the potential for high-integrity MRV for accessing carbon finance. Notably, the main challenges countries identified included refining the MRV systems, approaches to addressing non-permanence (see figure below) and delivery risks, as well as robust safeguards information systems, and a comprehensive benefit-sharing mechanism.
The in-depth discussions during the knowledge exchange revealed a need to institutionalize forest monitoring, including more effective data collection processes, for institutional arrangements and the importance of estimating greenhouse gas removals along with emissions. The IMPRESS knowledge exchange was an excellent opportunity for participants to gain a better understanding of the IMPRESS approach and how it can be used as a role model in their countries.
The newly launched five-year programme, AIM4Forests, in collaboration with UN-REDD and the Global Forest Observations Initiative, will build on lessons learned from the IMPRESS project and continue to facilitate spaces for dialogue and knowledge exchanges between countries with similar ambitions for high-integrity data on forest emissions and removals. The new programme will support forest monitoring using modern monitoring technologies and technical innovation, as well as earth observation data for enhanced monitoring activities. This will enable countries to make more informed decisions to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, and to restore and sustainably manage forests.
