Improving tropical forest monitoring
According to the United Nations (UN), almost 20 % of the world's greenhouse gases result from the destruction of forests. Unfortunately, developing countries often lack the manpower and money needed to monitor the effects of fires, logging, agricultural activities and construction. This is where the EU-funded RECOVER project comes in: eight research institutions and a small business worked together to accurately assess the rate of tropical deforestation. They worked with local end users in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Guyana and Mexico to create new cheap, accurate and standardised tools to monitor deforestation. Researchers defined and tested several new statistical sampling methods to assess land cover from satellite radar imagery. These methods also provided data to correct mapping errors and bias. RECOVER then used the new methods in conjunction with satellite imaging to generate high-resolution maps. The maps provide users with information on forest and cover type, biomass, degradation and other changes. Overall, the maps could distinguish forest cover from other land use with approximately 90 % accuracy. This accuracy was lower for areas of forest degradation and complex land use, and higher where there was less human influence on the land. RECOVER interacted with end users through service-level agreements, workshops and interviews. According to this process, end users are satisfied with the satellite image-based products that were delivered by the project. Even after its completion, RECOVER leaves a legacy of services that promise to support the sustainable use of forests. Project work has also contributed to vital capacity building in developing countries.
Keywords
Tropical, forest monitoring, developing countries, deforestation, land use
