On 3 January 2011, the Training Workshop on Application of Geospatial technology in Forest Mapping in the Asia-Pacific Region, sponsored by APFNet and organized by the Institute of Forest Resources Information and Techniques (IFRIT) of the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), was opened in Nanning, China. As a follow-up activity to the International Workshop on Forest Monitoring held in April 2010, this training workshop will further enhance the capacity of regional technicians in forest monitoring and promote technical exchanges and cooperation among participants.

The workshop brought 14 forestry technical officers and researchers from the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries (including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam) and Malaysia. Technical expertise was imparted from a number of resource people from research institutes and international organizations, such as GOFC-GOLD, AIT, CAF, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Maryland, the United States Geological Survey and the China Center for Resource Satellite Data and Applications.

 During the opening ceremony Mr. Lu De, Deputy Director-General of the APFNet Secretariat, extended gratitude to the local organizers, and highlighted the importance of technical cooperation on forest monitoring as a means to promote sustainable forest management to facilitate the achievement of the aspirational goal of forestry set by APEC leaders. 

Mr. Liu Shirong, Vice-President of CAF, emphasized the important role of geospatial technology combined with ground-based survey data in supporting the sustainable management of forests and mitigating climate change. Mr. Liang Jianping, Director of the Guangxi Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, also delivered welcoming remarks during the welcoming ceremony. 

The training workshop is designed to promote interactions and collaboration among regional technicians and experts through an interactive combination of keynote speeches, theoretical presentations, practical sessions and in-workshop seminars. Further networking opportunities will also be offered through participation in a field trip during the workshop.