Early Adopters are national institutions and organisations that collaborate closely with WorldForest to shape the project’s priorities, validate its developments, and ensure that the resulting tools address concrete, on-the-ground forest monitoring requirements.
The National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) is the agency attached to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation. It is the governing body of the National Forest and Wildlife Management System (Sinafor) . IT’s main function is to promote the sustainable management of the country’s wild flora and fauna.
MRV Unit within the National Sustainable Development Fund (FNDS). FNDS is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries. The MRV Unit provides technical assistance to different sectors of the ministry, including: environment (GHG in Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector, carbon credits), agriculture (registration of farmers, monitoring of crop production) and mangrove monitoring..
Reef Check Malaysia is a non-profit organisation committed to the protection and sustainable management of Malaysia’s coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Since its inception in 2007, it has been at the forefront of marine conservation efforts, working tirelessly to engage communities, conduct vital research, and promote awareness.
The Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) is the research branch of the Department of Forestry. FRIM’s operations are organised following a programme-based structure. This approach enables a more focused response to problem-oriented research, particularly research designed to address key issues of poverty alleviation, sustainable resource use and environmental conservation.
WorldForest brings together a consortium of leading European organisations with deep expertise in Earth Observation and forest monitoring. The consortium covers the full technical and thematic range needed to develop innovative EO tools for sustainable forest management.
GAF AG is the project’s lead coordinator and one of Europe’s most experienced EO service providers. With nearly four decades of global experience in forest monitoring, GAF brings deep technical expertise in mapping, platform development, and policy relevant applications across tropical and temperate regions.
VITO is a leader in land cover and forest monitoring, known for delivering operational Copernicus services such as WorldCover and the Global Land Cover service. The team specialises in high-resolution mapping, forest structure analysis, and cloud-based processing tools like openEO.
DHI brings expertise in environmental mapping, change detection, and blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves. With a strong background in machine learning and remote sensing, DHI supports large-scale ecosystem monitoring systems and policy reporting for international frameworks like SDG 6 and Ramsar.
GFZ leads innovation in forest carbon monitoring, land dynamics, and satellite data validation. The team, led by Prof. Martin Herold, has played a central role in global initiatives such as GFOI and REDDCopernicus, linking EO science to international policy.
NMBU is a world leader in forest inventory, laser scanning, and statistical estimation methods. With decades of research and implementation experience, the team ensures that EO-derived forest data is scientifically rigorous, nationally relevant, and policy-compliant.
Caribou leads the project’s impact assessment and communication. Known for its work across ESA’s GDA and EO4SD programmes, Caribou connects EO innovation to development goals, producing accessible, user-driven insights for decision-makers.
