Articles | Volume 18, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1331-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1331-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| 
19 Feb 2026
Data description article |
| 19 Feb 2026
| 19 Feb 2026
GFC2020: a global map of forest land use for year 2020 to support the EU Deforestation Regulation
Clément Bourgoin
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, 21027, Italy
Astrid Verhegghen
ARHS Developments Italia S.R.L, Milan, 20121, Italy
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, 00100, Italy
Silvia Carboni
European Dynamics Luxembourg S.A., Milan, 20121, Italy
Iban Ameztoy
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, 21027, Italy
Lucas Degreve
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, 21027, Italy
Steffen Fritz
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Martin Herold
Helmholtz Center Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
Wageningen University & Research, Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
Nandika Tsendbazar
Wageningen University & Research, Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
Myroslava Lesiv
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Frédéric Achard
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, 21027, Italy
René Colditz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, 21027, Italy
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Short summary
In the context of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), forest maps can support operators in the assessment of the risk of deforestation after year 2020. Here we present the Global Forest Cover map of year 2020, derived from the combination of most recent publicly available land cover and land use datasets. The map is a globally-consistent representation of the presence/absence of forests based on EUDR definitions, but its use is not mandatory, not exclusive and not legally binding.
In the context of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), forest maps can support operators in...
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