Global Forest Watch

Global Forest Watch (GFW) is an interactive online forest monitoring and alert system.  The primary goal of GFW is to enable people across the globe to better manage and conserve forest landscapes through the provision of accurate information on forest extent and change. GFW employs state of the art information technology and applied science to provide timely and accurate information about the status of forest landscapes worldwide, from comprehensive annual summaries of forest extent and change to near-real time alerts of forest disturbance. GFW is free and simple to use, enabling anyone to create custom maps, analyze forest trends, subscribe to alerts, or download data for their local area or the entire world. GFW serves a variety of users including governments, the private sector, NGOs, journalists, universities, and the general public. Users are encouraged to contribute to GFW by sharing data and stories from the ground via GFW’s crowdsourcing tools, blogs, and discussion groups.  Examples of GFW applications, collaborations and plans for the future will be presented.