Sierra Leone has taken a significant step towards accessing international climate finance following the validation of the methodology for its first Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL). The FREL is a national benchmark designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with forests. This initiative was developed under the Support to Sustainable Forestry in Sierra Leone Project, which aims to strengthen the country’s ability to monitor forest-related emissions and improve environmental reporting.
The process of developing the FREL draws on information from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) and the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS). These systems provide data on Sierra Leone’s forest resources and changes in forest cover. Once completed and submitted for international technical assessment, the benchmark is expected to support Sierra Leone’s participation in climate financing mechanisms that reward measurable reductions in forest-related emissions.
The Forest Reference Emission Level serves as a baseline against which countries can measure changes in greenhouse gas emissions associated with forests. For Sierra Leone, establishing the benchmark represents an important step towards improving the accuracy and transparency of forest monitoring and climate reporting. The initiative provides a nationally informed assessment of emissions linked to deforestation, forest degradation, and other changes in forest carbon stocks.
Director of Forestry, Mrs. Kate M. B. Karemo-Garnett, explained that the exercise was designed to review the technical approaches, assumptions, and data sources that will inform Sierra Leone’s forest emissions benchmark. She highlighted the importance of using reliable national data to ensure that forest-related emissions are measured and reported accurately. The process involves assessing emission factors associated with forest biomass and dead organic matter.
International FREL Consultant, Esther Mertens, outlined the technical requirements for submitting Sierra Leone’s forest emissions benchmark to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Her presentation focused on the information and procedures needed to prepare the country’s FREL report for international technical assessment. Mertens also discussed opportunities associated with the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) framework.
The validation workshop is expected to produce agreed methodologies, confirmed data sources, and technical information needed to prepare Sierra Leone’s first FREL report. Participants are also expected to develop a roadmap outlining the remaining steps towards submitting the benchmark to the UNFCCC. The submission will be followed by an international technical assessment process. Once assessed, the benchmark can serve as a reference for measuring future changes in forest-related emissions and removals.
The FREL initiative is expected to support conservation, reforestation, and sustainable forest management while improving the country’s readiness for international climate finance. Although additional technical work and international assessment remain necessary, the methodology validation represents progress towards establishing Sierra Leone’s first nationally developed forest emissions benchmark. The next major milestone will be completing the FREL report and submitting it to the UNFCCC for technical assessment.
Key points
- Sierra Leone validates methodology for Forest Reference Emission Level to measure greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with forests.
- The FREL benchmark is expected to support Sierra Leone’s participation in climate financing mechanisms that reward measurable reductions in forest-related emissions.
- The initiative aims to strengthen the country’s ability to monitor forest-related emissions, improve environmental reporting, and support efforts to combat deforestation and forest degradation.
