On March 23, CAF held the 2022 Forestry Cooperation "Lancang-Mekong Week" and the Lancang-Mekong Countries Forestry Cooperation Project Seminar. Relying on the international cooperation project of "Regional Forest Observation for Sustainable Management" funded by Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) ,Research Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniquesundertook the seminar of "Remote Sensing Monitoring of Forest Resources in the Greater Mekong Subregion".

At the seminar, the three domestic experts focused on the progress of the APFNet-funded projects and the cooperation in forest resources monitoring and remote sensing products testing in the Lancang-Mekong countries. A doctor from National University of Singapore introduced the application and challenges of the new generation of all-wave lidar (GEDI) satellite in the forest resources observation in Southeast Asia. At the same time, partners from Nature Conservation and Protection Agency of Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, National University of Laos, Royal Thai Ministry of forestry, Vietnam Forest Resources and Environment Center, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Beijing Normal University and Southwest Forestry University gave reports on Mekong subregion forest mapping and forest change analysis as well as sub-subject progress report.

The seminar pointed out that Southeast Asia has long been a hotspot in terms of forest research. Relevant countries have actively been cooperating in the field of forest resources monitoring and the remote sensing products were of great scientific value. All countries were encouraged to continue to work closely to increase scientific outputs.

The seminar made it clear that all involved partners would strengthen the consistency inspection and changing analysis of the forest coverage map in 2005, 2010 and 2017, take advantage of the current dry season in Southeast Asia to strengthen the verification of the annual forest change products from 2015 to 2021, and jointly promote the establishment of the regional forest observation mechanism.

The "Lancang-Mekong Week" seminar has promoted the forestry projects betweenResearch Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques andLancang-Mekong subregion as well as the technical exchanges and cooperation. The seminar has also promoted the friendship, communication, collaboration and the sustainable development of forest resources monitoring in countries around the Lancang-Mekong River. (Meng Shili/Research Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques)