 Paying countries to reduce forest loss will only work if activities are targeting areas with rapid deforestation or high threat, but there is a question as to whether the eventual emission trajectories compared to reference levels represent real emission reductions due to differences in methods and limited datasets. A study comparing forest area estimates submitted by seven countries in Asia and the Pacific with forest area estimates using the Global Forest Change Version 1.4, GFC, dataset found consistent differences highlighting an urgent need to address the gap between the forests monitored by countries and those sources of emissions.