A satellite-based deforestation monitoring system for tropical forests, “JICA-JAXA Forest Early Warning System in the Tropics (JJ-FAST)”

（Japanese title: 熱帯林違法伐採の検知（JJ-FAST））

This submission provides our input for the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement. Our input focuses on a satellite-based deforestation monitoring system for tropical forests, “JICA-JAXA Forest Early Warning System in the Tropics (JJ-FAST)”.

Summary of the submission:

• A satellite-based deforestation monitoring system has been developed through enhanced international cooperation among JICA, JAXA, and countries with tropical forests: the JICA-JAXA Forest Early Warning System in the Tropics (JJ-FAST). This system can help countries to locate illegal deforestation, so that it can be combatted more efficiently. Reduced deforestation contributes to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
• JJ-FAST uses PALSAR-2, a synthetic aperture radar onboard JAXA’s ALOS-2 satellite, to provide periodic deforestation information even for frequently cloud-covered areas and during the rainy season.
• JJ-FAST has detected about 3 million potential deforested plots in 78 tropical-forest countries between 2016 and 2021 (Figure 1), including more than 1 million deforested plots in Brazil. IBAMA uses JJ-FAST and other optical satellite systems to monitor and control illegal deforestation throughout the year, including rainy and cloudy periods. Practices of JJ-FAST application in Brazil should provide useful information on how tropical countries can enhance climate action by using JJ-FAST to detect and control illegal deforestation.
• To promote JJ-FAST to combat illegal deforestation, JICA and JAXA provide technical training to a number of countries and held an international conference in Tokyo and regional/country seminars in seven countries.