independent forest monitoring

This page is also available in Spanish and French

~~~ New! November 2008: Briefing on IFM and REDD

~~~ New! September 2008: IFM work resumes in Nicaragua 

Independent Forest Monitoring (IFM) projects focus on cooperation with governments, civil society and the private sector in timber-producing countries by providing objective information on forest concession allocations and infractions, capacity building in forest monitoring techniques and case-tracking for legal processes, in order that the populations of the countries concerned equitably benefit from the sustainable use of their natural resource base.  



Click on picture to view a short film about IFM in Cameroon.

Monitoring staff and officials make inspection visits, either jointly or independently, to a range of locations (forest, sawmill, factory, port etc.) either in a programmed, systematic way or to investigate suspicions. By complementing official forest law enforcement with the objectivity and public credibility of an independent third party, IFM can improve transparency in the short term while contributing to the development of a sound legislative and regulatory framework for responsible forest management.

IFM Guide The definitive guide to IFM for governments, donors, and NGOs is available here in English (3.5mb), French (3.5mb) or Spanish (3.2mb)   Global Witness has pioneered and gained unique experience on IFM in Cambodia (1999-2003) and Cameroon (2000-2005). We are currently running IFM projects in Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as answering requests from Peru and other countries where our expertise is in high demand.