Information
This project establishes forest carbon stock baselines, assesses historical and current carbon emissions, and enables countries to monitor and predict the effects of natural resource and land-use policies. Geographic Region Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia Contributors/Partners Woods Hole Research Center American Museum of Natural History Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil) Users Forest ministries in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia Jane Goodall Institute Green Belt Movement Earth Observations and NASA Products Used MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimeter System) aboard the ICESat (Ice Cloud and Elevation Satellite) spacecraft ICESat-2 (future, second-generation of the laser altimeter ICESat mission) NASA Dinamica model More Information Carbon Stock Corridors to Mitigate Climate Change and Promote Biodiversity in the Tropics SERVIR AST Research Reveals New Benefits of Conserving Biological Corridors Corridors for Carbon and Critters Corridors to Survival: Charting a path to Combat Climate Change in the Tropics REDD+ Should Finance Corridors between Protected Areas, Argues Study WHRC Fights Climate Change and Preserves with GIS and Lidar Access Product http://whrc.org/mapping/pantropical/habitatcorridors/index.html Carbon stocks in Africa have been highly depleted because of the high demand for agricultural land and fuel wood consumption from a growing population. High carbon density forests in Africa are mainly found in isolated protected areas or mountain regions and have lost connectivity. Countries in Africa, like many tropical countries, are now developing their strategies for REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), including activities that result in conservation or enhancement of forest carbon stocks and sustainable management of forests, to decrease forest-based emissions. Many of these countries lack basic information for developing and implementing their carbon assessment and evaluating impacts of REDD+ associated policies, including information on the extent of forest area, the rate at which forests are being cleared and/or degraded, and the carbon amounts associated with these losses. These countries also need support in conducting integrated assessments of the most promising approaches for reducing emissions, and in identifying the policy options that hold the greatest potential. Application Purpose This SERVIR Applied Sciences Team project 1) demonstrates practical solutions for national and local carbon assessment and REDD+ implementation; 2) helps countries identify appropriate policies to achieve sustainable development goals through scenario modeling and determination of where carbon emissions could be minimized; and 3) demonstrates that NASA Earth science products and derived models can assist countries with their terrestrial carbon assessment and forest conservation strategies. Application Uses Measures include establishing forest carbon stock baselines, assessing historical and current carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation, and enabling countries to monitor and predict the effects of natural resource policies and efforts to mitigate negative impacts of land use and land-use change. In addition, the project identifies corridors of high forest carbon stock to be preserved and potential areas to be replanted in order to sustain biological diversity. Through annual workshops for park and forest managers and local and international nongovernmental organizations, the project provides training and capacity-building in the use of maps, tools, and models. A project of the SERVIR Applied Sciences Team under NASA’s Earth Science Division’s Applied Sciences Program. Principal Investigator: Nadine Laporte, Woods Hole Research Center Inc.
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