The Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) is a collaborative effort of forest-related institutions aiming to maximize the ... value of all forest information resources and providers worldwide through the sharing of forest-related information through a single gateway. GFIS promotes the dissemination and sharing of forest-related information and knowledge among the global forestry community by developing common information exchange standards, building capacity and enhancing partnerships among forestry information providers and users. GFIS seeks to develop a system of partnerships with a variety of organizations to form an online community. Through a bottom-up approach, partners determine the volume, coverage and type of information they would like to share through GFIS. The underlying assumption behind the development of GFIS is that its partners share a common need for information sharing that is addressed most effectively through collaboration. GFIS Initiative and Partners GFIS is an initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) - an interagency partnership of 14 major forest-related international organizations, institutions and convention secretariats. In the global policy context, the vision and mission of GFIS are consistent with the resolutions of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and the priorities of the CPF. GFIS is led by IUFRO, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations; and the gateway is maintained by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). read more