摘要：As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change nears the end of a
two-year period of evaluation of the issue of reducing emissions from deforestation in
developing countries, participating countries have agreed on the need to address this
globally important source of greenhouse gas emissions. Negotiations on policy frameworks
to monitor and reduce deforestation rely on an understanding of the scientific and technical
capacity to support these efforts. Current UNFCCC programs to improve observation of
land and forest cover change can provide valuable input to a future policy mechanism
focusing on deforestation emissions from developing countries. Countries participating in
the current debate have officially referenced the value of remote sensing tools and
methods for deforestation monitoring, and have identified specific needs and goals
related to their implementation. Based on these identified needs, this paper outlines
recommendations for a monitoring framework that can be globally applied with sufficient
levels of accuracy and certainty. This framework can serve as a starting point for
monitoring programs, and can be modified in response to expected progress in
establishing an international policy framework for reducing emissions from deforestation.
