Tropical deforestation and forest degradation monitoring is one of the central elements for REDD+ implementation. Current schemes for monitoring are based on remote sensing and field measurements. Since monitoring is a periodic process of assessing the properties of forest stands with respect to some reference data, adopting the current schemes for implementing monitoring at national levels is a challenging task. Recently, the advancement in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and handheld devices has enabled local communities to monitor their forest in an efficient and cost effective way. In this paper we present a conceptual framework and process that aims to simplify the forest monitoring capacities of local communities in developing countries.
