Transcript Remote sensing to support biodiversity conservation and human livelihoods Aurélie C. Shapiro WWF-Germany © Edward Parker.

Remote sensing to support
biodiversity conservation and
human livelihoods
Aurélie C. Shapiro
WWF-Germany
© Edward Parker
© Cat Holloway/WWF-Canon
© Edward Parker
Ecological Overshoot
Human demand for natural resources is
1.5 x the current “biocapacity”
Ecological Overshoot
When China reaches U.S. levels of consumption,
demand will = 2 planets
when the
rest of the
world
follows…
Population x Consumption ≠ Planet
WWF Mission:
1. Protect natural areas and wildlife populations
2. Promote natural resource use
3. More efficient resource use, reduction of pollution
© Brent Stirton / Getty Images / WWF-UK
Decisions from Convention of Biodiversity COP 10
 By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at
least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, degradation
and fragmentation is significantly reduced.
 By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including
services related to water, and contribute to health, livelihoods and wellbeing, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of
women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and
vulnerable.
 By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to
carbon stocks has been enhanced, through conservation and
restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded
ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and
adaptation and to combating desertification.
Remote sensing for conservation
Zero Net Deforestation and Degradation
monitoring forest conversion, fires, planning
sustainable activities
Evaluating Ecosystem Services
spatially explicit maps of nature‘s value
Conserving Forest Carbon
forest carbon stock mapping, low carbon
pathways for development
Zero Net Deforestation and Degradation
Living landscapes
Promote Forest Conservation
and Sustainable Use
Tackle Deforestation Drivers
Agriculture without conversion
(soy, palm, beef)
Protect
Forest-Friendly Infrastructure
Manage
Restore
Curb illegal logging, burning,
clearing
Sustainable Lifestyles
Zero Net Deforestation and Degradation
Annual forest monitoring:
 Mapping deforestation in concessions,
protected areas, sensitive habitats
 Fragmentation indices
 degradation
 Fire monitoring
Global operational system:
 Compare one year to next
 Model drivers and threats
 Coarse automated systems – with
higher resolution for further analysis
 WWF network for ground truthing for
system calibration
Remote sensing for conservation
Zero Net Deforestation and Degradation
monitoring forest conversion, fires, planning
sustainable activities
Evaluating Ecosystem Services
spatially explicit maps of nature‘s value
Conserving Forest Carbon
forest carbon stock mapping, low carbon
pathways for development
Mapping Ecosystem Services
InVEST: Integrated Valuation of
Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs
GIS models that enable users to
quantify, map and value the
ecosystem service impacts of
alternative land use decisions.
free & open source
http://invest.ecoinformatics.org
* comes with a step-by-step manual.
InVEST in Sumatran Tiger Landscape
Carbon stock
Sediment Retention
Water Yield
% difference in services between
TCLs and rest of landscape
Ecosystem Services Tiger Landscapes
500
5000 % !!
400
Carbon stocks / ha
Water yield runoff depth
Sediment retained / ha
300
200
100
0
-100
Kualar KamparKerumutan
Bukit Rimbang Baling Tesso Nilo Landscape
Bukit Tigapuluh
Landscape
Kerinci Seblat (partial
coverage)
Remote sensing for conservation
Zero Net Deforestation and Degradation
monitoring forest conversion, fires, planning
sustainable activities
Evaluating Ecosystem Services
spatially explicit maps of nature‘s value
Conserving Forest Carbon
forest carbon stock mapping, low carbon
pathways for development
“Tropical deforestation
produces more global
warming pollution than
the total emissions of
every car, truck, plane,
ship, and train, on
earth.”
Union of Concerned Scientists, 11/9/2009
Global Forest Carbon and biodiversity
Kapos et al., 2008; Naidoo et al., 2008
REDD + and WWF
Ensure that policies, funds and the institutions
mobilised for REDD+ produce benefits for:
 local communities and indigenous peoples
 biodiversity
 low carbon economies
(M)MRV: measuring, monitoring, reporting, verification
2
Measuring (Science)
Carbon Stocks
Monitoring
Detecting Change
Characterizing it
Link it to Carbon stocks
Safeguards
Formats
Standards
Business As Usual
Emissions/Offset estimations
Carbon accounting systems
Carbon markets
What is a carbon map?
Spatially explicit biomass/carbon
Accuracy/Uncertainty
 Map emissions
 Target field efforts
 Land use and conservation
planning
 Make improvements
 Where is „at-risk“ carbon?
 Low carbon development
 Reality check
Integrating the map with monitoring
1990
2000
0.7
2010
Deforestation
0.5
Disturbance
0.4
II
+
0.6
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
Time Step (yr)
Carbon Map
Forest Monitoring
Emissions Calculations
Civil society forest monitoring
Emissions calculations, reporting, enforcement, planning
DR Congo Forest Biomass Mapping
 Proposed program implemented
by WWF is the largest forest
carbon mapping project in Africa
 Strong support from local partners,
 Showcasing innovative NASA-JPL
aerial/satellite technology, many
different data types
 Will significantly increase local
technical capacity
 Will provide valuable data to region
for other studies
Degradation component
 Combine lidar with
radar (JAXA, DLR)
 degradation and
fragmentation
 Emissions from
degradation
 Evaluate impact of
conservation,
management,
selective logging
Outcomes
Remote sensing meets
conservation:
 Monitoring human impacts on
forests and global trends
 Evaluating ecosystem services
 Forest carbon for local benefits
from REDD
Conservation Remote Sensing
Center of Excellence at WWF