By: Mamajah Jalloh
Sierra Leone has taken a significant step towards accessing international climate finance with the validation of the methodology for its first Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL), a critical benchmark for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the country’s forests.
The milestone is expected to strengthen Sierra Leone’s eligibility for results-based climate finance under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) framework and other international climate funding mechanisms.
Developed under the Support to Sustainable Forestry in Sierra Leone Project, the FREL combines data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) and the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS), providing a comprehensive assessment of the country’s forest resources.
Speaking at the validation workshop, Director of Forestry, Kate M. B. Karemo-Garnett, said the exercise allows government institutions, technical experts and development partners to review and validate the methodologies, assumptions and data sources underpinning Sierra Leone’s FREL.
She explained that the process involves assessing country-specific emission factors for biomass and dead organic matter, alongside activity data generated through forest monitoring systems and satellite imagery.
Particular attention is being given to the methodologies used to calculate emissions and removals resulting from deforestation, forest degradation, the enhancement of forest carbon stocks and reforestation.
“By relying on nationally generated data rather than global default values, Sierra Leone is establishing a more accurate, transparent and credible basis for reporting emissions and demonstrating future reductions,” she said.
During the workshop, international FREL consultant Esther Mertens outlined the requirements and procedures for submitting Sierra Leone’s FREL to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She also highlighted opportunities for accessing climate finance through REDD+ and other results-based funding mechanisms.
Mertens presented a preliminary analysis of the FREL based on National Forest Inventory data and facilitated technical discussions on the methodologies, assumptions and emissions estimates that will inform the country’s final report.
The workshop is expected to produce validated methodologies, agreed data sources and assumptions, technical inputs for the FREL report, and a roadmap for submission to the UNFCCC. Participants are also strengthening their understanding of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and greenhouse gas reporting requirements.
Once submitted and technically assessed, the FREL will provide Sierra Leone with an internationally recognized benchmark against which future changes in forest-sector emissions can be measured.
Beyond strengthening the country’s climate reporting framework, the benchmark is expected to support sustainable forest management, enhance conservation and restoration efforts, and improve Sierra Leone’s prospects of securing international climate finance for forest protection and climate action.