NFMS Definitions & Data Standards
Definitions, data dictionary, standards, classifications and methods.
Classification Systems
Land is reported in the six IPCC 2006 land-use categories: Forest land, Cropland, Grassland, Wetlands, Settlements and Other land. Kenya's automated mapping does not separate Settlements from Other land, so the two are reported together; settlements are digitised separately where they must be distinguished.
| Broad class | 1st level sub category | 2 level sub category (based on ancillary data) |
|---|---|---|
| Forestland | Natural Dense Forest (above 65% Canopy) Moderate Forest (40% - 65%) Open Forest (15% ≤ 40%) | Montane and Western rain forests and bamboo |
| Mangroves and Coastal forests | ||
| Dryland forests | ||
| Plantation | - | |
| Grassland | Wooded Grassland Open Grassland | - |
| Cropland | Perennial Cropland Annual Cropland | - |
| Wetland | Vegetated Wetland Open Water | - |
| Other Land | Settlement | - |
Land classification used in the national GHG inventory (NID 2024)
| IPCC class | First-level sub-category | Canopy cover | Second-level sub-categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest land | Montane / western rain forest | Dense (> 65%), moderate (40–65%), open (15–40%) | Montane forest: dense, moderate, open · Western rain forest: dense, moderate, open |
| Coastal and mangrove forests | Dense, moderate, open | Coastal forest: dense, moderate, open · Mangrove forest: dense, moderate, open | |
| Dryland forest | Dense, moderate, open | Dryland forest: dense, moderate, open | |
| Plantation forest | — | Public plantation · Private plantation | |
| Grassland | — | — | Wooded grassland · Open grassland |
| Cropland | — | — | Perennial cropland · Annual cropland |
| Wetland | — | — | Vegetated wetland · Open water |
| Settlements | — | — | Settlements |
| Other land | — | — | Other land |
Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, National Forest Monitoring System in the Republic of Kenya, Version 1 (Draft), February 2021. Chapter 3.3 and 5.1.1 (4).
Source: Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya's Third National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Document 1990–2022, December 2024 (Kenya’s national inventory report to the UNFCCC). Table 6-2.