Global Nature Watch (formerly Global Forest Watch)
Global Forest Watch, run by the World Resources Institute and now renamed Global Nature Watch, is a free source of near-real-time deforestation alerts, integrating GLAD, RADD SAR and DIST-ALERT systems behind a public API, with the Forest Watcher mobile app for ground verification.
Global Nature Watch (formerly Global Forest Watch)Inside Global Nature Watch (formerly Global Forest Watch)
GFW integrates four independent alert systems, GLAD-L on Landsat, GLAD-S2 on Sentinel-2, RADD on Sentinel-1 radar and the global DIST-ALERT, into the earliest and most confident signal of vegetation loss available on its platform.
All of this is exposed through the free GFW Data API.
The Forest Watcher mobile app takes alerts offline for field teams to verify, a natural companion to community-led monitoring.
The free, authoritative deforestation alert feed for every monitored project, and through Forest Watcher a ready ground-verification loop for community monitors.
Recent developments
- Jan 2026WRI refreshed its integrated disturbance alerts documentation reflecting the latest alert-system developments.
- Nov 2024Expanded RADD radar alert coverage to mainland Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Using Global Nature Watch (formerly Global Forest Watch) in a project
The provider’s own site holds its current capabilities, access terms and documentation. Read them before selecting the tool or planning an integration.