Pöyry has been involved in projects monitoring sustainable forest management practices in Guyana in South America. Guyana possesses considerable forest resources that have the potential to make a large contribution to emission-reduction efforts targeted by the Kyoto Protocol and UN-REDD programme.

A forest change detection system for recording and updating logging and road clearing activities from satellite data was developed for the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). An integrated geographic database for the storage of acquired satellite imagery and relevant GIS layers was established and training on the handling of imagery and use of tools was provided.

The system allows GFC to identify areas of active forest change, assess the legality of the change, and facilitate forest law enforcement where necessary.

An analysis of historical deforestation was also conducted using a time series of archived satellite imagery. Temporal changes in forest caused by mining, agriculture, infrastructure and forestry activities were mapped and trends in the rates of change by the various drivers were evaluated.