Deforestation Monitoring in Bolivia. Eric Armijo

1. In the Field
February 2012
Woods Hole Pantropical Scholars Quarterly Newsletter
Research Center
Durban in Retrospect A letter from the director ...
W e now have over two months of perspective after the
closing of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) of
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
through the lenses of our own personal experiences, and that
couldn’t have been truer of the side event panelists. Mercy
Karunditu, Senior Project Officer of the Green Belt Movement,
was it the disappointment that most had expected, or did it spoke compellingly of how tree planting has allowed the
actually make some unexpected progress? village women of Kenya to earn money and to shorten the
distances they walk in search of water and wood for cooking.
Unfortunately, seventeen annual Conferences of the Parties However, climate extremes, such as floods and droughts,
have failed in meeting the clear goal set forth in the 1992 can imperil this progress, as described by Constance Okollet,
UNFCCC treaty. Greenhouse gas emissions are continuing Chairperson of Osukuru United Women’s Network, who spoke
to increase on a trajectory that is leading to the upper end of her village in Uganda that has not yet recovered from a
of warming projections, and the record of extreme weather giant flood in 2007.
events is accumulating, along with disastrous economic,
human health, and environmental impacts that accompany Next up were WHRC scientists, Glenn Bush and Nadine
them. The recent Durban meeting made a procedural Laporte. Glenn spoke of the ways in which economists try
breakthrough of sorts by getting both developed and to measure how people value forests, putting into numbers
developing countries to negotiate a single emissions the values that Constance and Mercy had expressed with
agreement that will apply to all signatory countries starting in their narratives. Nadine provided yet another perspective
2020. It is tempting to conclude that this progress is simply as a scientist who spends hours “seeing” forests through
too little too late, but in the meantime, various national and the images taken by satellites orbiting the earth, while also
subnational projects are moving forward that are helping emphasizing the importance of capacity building.
define what might work in the global arena.
All of these lenses through which we view forests converge
We at WHRC and our Green Belt Movement partners made on the crucial importance of forests. I don’t know how long it
our own breakthrough at a Durban side event, by merging will take for the insights gleaned by merging views through
the narratives of people who live close to their forests with such different lenses to carry the day at the negotiating
the scientific and economic analyses that quantify the tables, but I am convinced that the views of people who need
importance of forests for policy makers. We all view the world forests and the views of sound science will ultimately prevail.
Eric Davidson, PhD
nesia,
lombia, Gabon, Indo
Repo rts from Bolivia, Co
In th is Is su e: Mexico, Uganda, La
os and Zambia!
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2. Project Coordinator Update
Tina Cormier, MS
W inter has finally arrived on Cape Cod! After some mild temperatures, we seem to be experiencing a
bit more typical weather here now. For many of us this time after the holidays is a great opportunity
to spend quality hours getting work done at the office. Our travel schedules are less hectic, and everyone
seems to be hunkered down at their desks, toiling away on research, reports, and proposals.
I am no exception! I have been working on several projects focused on the tropics and also in the U.S. I
am using field-collected reference data and radar, and optical satellite images to classify floodplain land
cover in the Varzea region of Brazil as well as along the Napo River on the Peru/Ecuador border. One of
the image stacks has 29 layers, with Landsat data reaching way back to the 1980s and ALOS data from as
recently as early 2011. It’s quite an impressive catalog of information, and we are excited to be mining it!
We are using the same segmentation–random forest approach that we have discussed in our workshops
to classify the images. Additionally, I have been helping Drs. Kellndorfer and Walker with a book chapter
detailing a radar-based land cover change analysis on a section of the Xingu River watershed in Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Dr. Kellndorfer and I are also working on a different type of radar project. We are trying to map soil moisture at two sites in the U.S. using
ALOS. We have field sites in Maine (forested) and North Dakota (agricultural) where we collect soil moisture information every 30 minutes
during the growing season, and we are trying to find a relationship between soil moisture and radar backscatter that would allow us to
generate maps of soil moisture in similar areas. Based on preliminary results, we will attempt to use modeling to remove the vegetation
response from the radar backscatter to get a clearer picture of how soil moisture is affecting the signal. We are also investigating the use of
C-Band radar (ENVISAT, RADARSAT). These projects have kept me very busy over the past couple of months!
Tina
Scholar’s Editorial from Gabon
Andréana Paola Mekui Biyogo, PhD
D ear Scholars,
It is so valuable to know each other’s activities and especially to understand what our evolution is in the
fight against deforestation and forest degradation in our respective countries and in accordance with the
training we have received at WHRC. As citizens of tropical countries we contribute to the slowing down of
forest loss for three forest basins – the Amazon, Congo and South-East Asia.
But what is our status in our individual countries? Is our expertise recognized there? In other words, how
can we measure the impact of the scholar program on our own countries? While some of us have decision-
making ability and autonomy in our work, it is not the case for others. For all of us, this newsletter can serve
as a platform to speak about and be heard on all the challenges we face in our work.
In this second edition, the activities undertaken by the scholars focused on the themes of CDM, REDD,
sustainable development, and climate change. While some of us are developing indicators of biodiversity (Mexico), others are concentrating
on field data collection protocols (Zambia), performing sensitivity analyses for an oil-rich forest reserve (Uganda), analyzing satellite data to
produce maps of deforestation (Bolivia), participating in workshops and contributing knowledge and expertise to national conversations
regarding deforestation (Gabon), completing REDD feasibility studies (Laos), or developing MRV methodologies on carbon (Indonesia). It is
inspiring to see how, in our own individual ways, we are all working toward a common goal!
P a ol o

3. Deputy Director Report Thoughts from the Carbon Scientist
Scott Goetz, PhD Alessandro Baccini, PhD
P art of our effort on the
management side has been
focused on getting our beloved
T his is a great time for the
pantropical team, and not
only because winter arrived and
scholars back to Woods Hole disappeared in just a few days, but
for the 4th annual 2-week because our pantropical mapping
festival of technology and project was published on January
experience sharing, commonly 29. For many of you, the work is
known as the Visiting Scholars not new. It was presented during
capacity building workshop. the scholar program and you are
Each year has been better than probably already running your
the previous, and we’d love to new and improved script. That
keep up the energy and get the said, I would like to think that you
greatest possible benefit from will appreciate seeing the work
our shared experience working with satellite imagery and GIS for published in a peer-reviewed journal. The article can be accessed via
forest conservation and management. this link.
Conducting the annual workshop requires money, and we are in I am now working on quantifying uncertainties associated with
the process of “rescoping” our pantropical mapping activity to the biomass mapping process. We used a multi-staged approach
spend remaining funds and position ourselves to continue our that integrates field measurements with LiDAR and MODIS data,
mapping and capacity building work in the most productive way it was important to propagate the errors relative to each step to
for everyone here at WHRC and with all of the scholars. the final biomass estimate reported on the map. This has kept me
Unfortunately, we were not able to do a simple “no cost extension” busy working with Luis Carvalha, a professor of statistics at Boston
to spend the remaining money, but instead have been involved University, who helped me design a solid statistical approach for
in preparing not one, but three separate rescoping proposals, generating uncertainties in maps. We were able to reduce the
each with a separate budget and emphasis area. Further, we were processing time from months to a few days! The results are very
disappointed to learn that the research side cannot include Africa, encouraging, and I hope to share them with you soon.
owing to the funders’ own preferences, and so we will no longer
have a truly “pan tropical” mapping effort.
Woods Hole
Fortunately, the capacity building that we know is so vital to our
overall effort will continue to include colleagues from Africa; that
was a priority for us. Going forward we may have to change the
overall name of the effort from pantropical mapping to pantropical
capacity building, but whatever we call it we are working to
continue our vital collaboration. Nadine has also been working on
a new proposal with the East African scholars to secure funding
through the NASA applied Sciences Program.

4. Bolivia Phase One of Colombia REDD
Technical Capacity Study Complete
Edersson Cabrera, Diana Vargas & Paola Giraldo
O ur team at IDEAM (the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology,
and Environmental Studies of Colombia) recently finished
the first phase of the project entitled “Technical and scientific
institutional capacity to support REDD projects for reducing
emissions from deforestation in Colombia,” which was funded by
the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. We have begun to plan
the second phase of the project in order to continue monitoring
deforestation and carbon stocks in natural forests. The work we
did with Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) strengthened the
capacity of Colombia for the processing of digital images (Optical
Field validation required crossing large rivers and driving many hours. and Radar).
The participation of IDEAM researchers in the annual training
Deforestation Monitoring in Bolivia programs organized by WHRC positively influenced some
Eric Armijo of the final products generated by the project, such as the
Protocol of Digital Processing of Images for the Quantification of
Deforestation in Colombia at the National and Sub-national levels,
T he past two months have The regional monitoring of the the estimation of national deforestation, and the estimation of
been devoted to the forest area, achieved through a carbon stocks. A Spanish summary of the products generated in
preparation of a 2008-2010 combination of remote sensing the project can be viewed via this embedded link:
deforestation map for the and field work, will provide
In this first phase, it was possible to establish a historic baseline of
Bolivian “Legal Amazon.” This a way to locate and quantify
the deforestation in Colombia by updating the deforestation rate
area of 16 million hectares in deforestation through time.
for 3 periods 1990-2000, 2000-2005 and 2005-2010. For example,
the northern part of the country The resulting products (maps
we were able to identify that for the most recent period, the
is still mostly covered by dense and reports) will support better
annual rate was 238.361 hectares/year. Related information and
humid forest. However a recent actions by FAN and other
the results of carbon estimates can be found in the following links:
increase in logging, small scale stakeholders.
Publication 1. Publication 2.
agriculture and conversion to
pasture suggests a major threat Additionally, the project delivers a web application in which all
to the forest. information generated in this phase can be viewed. The following
link will lead to the application: Spanish version.
The Friends of Nature
Foundation (FAN-Bolivia) has It is important for IDEAM to continue and expand our work with
identified the Northern portion WHRC, as the exchange of knowledge during WHRC workshops
of the country as a key area to and subsequent trainings led by IDEAM allow us to improve our
promote the sustainable use of capacity to apply methodologies that generate the high quality
the forest, including non-timber geographic products needed to monitor our natural forests.
products. This strategy is aimed
at reducing deforestation and
forest degradation, which
could guarantee the integrity of
current Amazon ecosystems. Colombia
Right above: Cattle ranching is a
major driver of deforestation in the
Bolivian Amazon. Right below:
Riverine vegetation bordering the
Beni river, near the city of Riberalta.
2005 - 2010 Colombia Landsat.

5. Developing a National Strategy for Sustainable Development in Gabon
Andréana Paola Mekui Biyogo
I n the last quarter of 2011, I participated in a number of
workshops; contributed to the development of a number of
policy documents and annual work plan in my institution, the
• Workshop on the report of the Second National
Communication on Climate Change, Gabon, which was
submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat at the COP17 in Durban in
Ministry of Water and Forest, Gabon. Indeed, as Focal Point of the December 2011.
National Commission for Sustainable Development (CNDD) to
represent my institution in the inter-ministerial committee, the • Workshop on developing the national strategy document on
majority of my time was spent developing the National Strategy on CDM. As a member of the multidisciplinary working group
Sustainable Development (NSSD). I mention only the workshops implemented by the National Authority for CDM, I contributed
related to the fight against climate change that I have been to the preparation of CDM projects for my institution.
involved with over the last 3 months:
• Workshop to launch the National Strategy for Sustainable
• Workshop on assessment and evaluation of forest carbon in Development (NSSD), whose main objective was to review
Gabon, organized by the National Agency of National Parks and and amend the priorities of that NSSD for Gabon, covering four
AGEOS. I represented my institution as a remote sensing expert. major challenges, namely to promote good governance, ensure
My role was to provide technical advice on methods of carbon economic growth prosperity, improve and expand social
stock assessment by remote sensing, and on the establishment of welfare, and protect the environment.
a standard field inventory protocol for permanent plots set up to
The links below lead to press coverage of our work:
monitor carbon.
Publication 1 / Publication 2 / Publication 3 / Publication 4
A workshop in progress.
Gabon

6. Development and Testing of a Carbon MRV Methodology and Monitoring Plan in Indonesia
Virni Budi Arifanti
I am just back from the field in the Katingan District of Central Kalimantan Province. The Ministry of Forestry (MOF),
Republic of Indonesia, in collaboration with ITTO and Marubeni Corp has signed an MoU to conduct a full Feasibility
Study (FS) to develop a complete REDD+ MRV Methodology for the bilateral offset scheme.
One of the activities carried out by the MOF is to undertake, design, and test the applicability and scientific thoroughness
of the carbon MRV methodology through the measurement and monitoring of peat, water level, and forest biomass at
each permanent sampling plot. This work is jointly implemented by PT Starling Resources and University of Hokkaido
with the following activities:
• Forest Biomass (Above Ground Carbon stock) measurement: Analyze above ground biomass using remote sensing
technologies (e.g., ALOS AVNIR, Landsat) and field measurements, determine and establish Permanent Sampling
Plots (PSPs), develop allometric equation for peat forest.
• Peat analysis: Analyze peat depth data from past survey, determine and establish PSPs, analyze carbon content of
peat samples
• Water level: Set up data loggers at water level sampling plots, measure and test peat depth in selected PSPs, analyze
water level data at selected PSPs.
Below left: Diameter and tree height measurement. Below center: The entire team gathers for a
photo. Bottom right: Taking plot coordinates and measuring tree density in ex- burnt peat forest.
Indonesia

7. Decisions Support System (SSD), CONABIO, Mexico
Isabel Trejo
W ith my colleagues in the National Commission for the
Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), we have been
working on assessing the relationship between high biodiversity
Using information from the National Forest Inventory (INF) and the
National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), we developed an index
of environmental or anthropogenic impact. This index is helping to
and high carbon storage in Mexico, and how increasing storage identify and characterize which temperate and tropical forests are
along a gradient of land-use intensity could help mitigate the the most endangered and which are still undisturbed. (Map 1)
impact of climate change on forest ecosystems. Reforestation or
conservation projects funded under REDD could possibly produce We are also working on assessing changes in taxonomic diversity
an increase in species richness and biodiversity, and therefore also of trees and change in vegetation structure to further develop an
the capacity to mitigate climate change. ecological integrity index.
Map 1. Tree density map with anthropogenic impacts, per INF. The Yucatan
Peninsula shows one of the highest tree densities while Mexico City and
surrounding areas have very low tree density.
Mexico

8. Remote Sensing Technology for
Conservation Monitoring in Uganda
Edward Senyonjo
I have been involved with a lot of satellite image analysis, vector
data analysis and fieldwork since my visit to WHRC. I am proud
to report that skills acquired from the WHRC pantropical program
came in handy as I worked through this congested schedule. For
example, I used Spring 5.1.6 for all image segmentation, ArcGIS 10
to process the vector data, and GPicSync for georeferencing field
photos and uploading them to Google Earth. The skills I learned
were not limited to remote sensing/GIS, but also included personal
and team building skills – gained from Alan and Ned, which helped
me effectively coordinate tasks with both management in office
and teams in the field. Indeed the team building skills are useful
in situations where we are working on projects with overlapping
time lines, limited resources, tight deadlines and high expectations
from policymakers.
l was responsible for the production of forest maps and other
information from Landsat satellite images for the Maramagambo
forest reserve. We used this information and maps to create
sampling designs for tree species distribution and biodiversity
surveys which targeted birds and mammals. Maramagambo
forest reserve is one of the largest, least surveyed forest blocks
in Uganda. It is part of a complex forest ecosystem that lies in an
ecologically sensitive area better known as the Albertine Graben,
which is very rich in biodiversity. This is located in southwestern
Uganda and is part of other protected areas, the most conspicuous
being Queen Elizabeth National Park. Oil exploration started
Above: 2010 Environmental Sensitivity Atlas. Below left: A herd of cattle
in the area a few years ago and eventually large deposits were
graze and water at the Semliki River. The degraded banks are widening at
discovered. The sensitivity atlas can be downloaded here: 10m/yr due to the receding snow on the Rwenzori Mountains. Below right:
Butiaba Wanseko Rift Valley
Uganda

9. REDD Feasibility Study for the NEPL NPA in Laos
Akchousanh Rasphone & Colin Moore
T he end of 2011 saw The Wildlife Conservation Society complete a REDD feasibility study for the Nam Et Phou Louey
National Protected Area (NEPL NPA) in Laos. To do this, land cover change maps (Figure 1) for four years (2000, 2004,
2006 and 2010) as well as a current land cover map of the NPA (Figure 2) were produced using Landsat imagery. These
maps allowed us to understand what the current carbon stocks were, on site, and to calculate rates of deforestation.
Despite knowing that agricultural practices in the NEPL NPA are intensifying and expanding, our analysis demonstrated
that historical rates of deforestation in the NPA have traditionally been low. This is because the expansion is occurring in
existing fallow areas rather than at the expense of forest. This means however, that the project has a low emission reduction
potential, based upon current methodologies accepted by the Verified Carbon Standard, and is unlikely to generate a high
number of carbon credits.
The outcome is that WCS is now looking into alternative approaches to develop the NEPL NPA as a REDD project. In
particular, WCS is exploring the possibility of developing a sub-national, jurisdictionally based REDD project into which
the NEPL NPA would ‘nest.’ Jurisdictional-based REDD is the direction REDD is taking under the UNFCCC. By supporting the
development of REDD in NEPL NPA along these lines, WCS hopes to be at the cutting edge of REDD developments.
Figure 1: Map of cumulative deforestation in the NEPL NPA, 2000 – 2010. Figure 2: Land cover map of NEPL NPA in 2010 .
La os

10. The ILUA II and UN-REDD Programs in Zambia
Training of Field Team Leaders (FTL) – Forest Inventory, Soil Surveying and Socio-economic Surveys
Abel M. Siampale & Sitwala Wamunyima
T he forestry Department in Zambia, through the Integrated
Land-use Assessment (ILUA II) and the UN-REDD programs,
has embarked on training of Field Team Leaders (FTL) that will
and the MRV Expert (Julian Fox) to ensure there is consideration
for quality control on the “thematic variables” for the type of
data to be collected. Additionally, our main role is to provide
spearhead the first phase of field data collection scheduled to start technical guidance and expertise on the use of remote sensing to
in April 2012. Three National Consultants (Forestry Information supplement the preferred methods by the experts. The training
Specialist, Soil Scientist and Socio-economic Expert) have been was preceded with a comprehensive assessment of forestry
engaged to develop field manuals that will contain elaborate information needs including REDD+ requirements at national,
methods and protocols for field data collection. These consultants provincial, and district levels. Below is a tentative tabulation of areas
are working closely with us and the project staff (Abel and Sitwala) of concentration for biophysical information needs:
Main Category Sub Detail Variables
Tree Biomass Above ground Tree heights (m), Bole heights (m), Stem diameter
(cm) and Crown dimension (count)
Below ground Ratio of Below/above ground biomass fraction = 0.28
for tropical dry forest with above ground biomass >
20 tonnes/ha. carbon fraction of biomass equal to 0.47
Dead Organic Matter Dead wood Volume (m3) - Bole heights (m), Stem diameter (cm)
Litter/Leaves/Twigs Mass (g) – Collected and weighed in 1g plastic containers
Grass Volume (m3) - grass fuel loads
Soil Humus Soil Profile Bulky density, Soil type, Soil Texture, Soil Ph extracted
from 1 x 1m dip pits
Lab testing Carbon content (tons)
AUTHORS’ NOTE: The overall technical guidance and expertise provided by the project staff (Abel and
Sitwala) for ILUA and UN-REDD projects in Zambia, is as a result of the enhanced skills and hands-
on knowledge learnt from the 3 year-long (2009, 2010 and 2011) scholar program on Pan‐Tropical
Mapping of Forest‐Cover and Above‐Ground Carbon Stock hosted by Woods Hole Research Center
(WHRC), particularly in the calibration of field inventory data to remote sensing datasets and mapping
of land cover change. The scholars are anticipating that subsequent opportunities to participate
in the 2012 scholar program will further enhance their skills in 3 main areas of interest: (i) Image
segmentation and % tree cover mapping; (ii) Creation of emission maps; and (iii) Modeling land use
and land cover Change. We look forward to coming back! - By Abel & Sitwala
Sitwala Wamunyima Abel Siampale
Zam bia

11. The Pantropi cal Scholar Team
Our vision is a world in which the insights of science guide management of the
Earth’s natural resources, so that we and future generations may sustain prosperous
and fulfilling lives without degrading the ecosystems that support humanity and a
diverse abundance of life.

12. The Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) is a private, non-profit research organization
focussing on environmental sciences. Our scientists combine analysis of satellite images of the
Earth with field studies to measure, model, and map changes in the world’s ecosystems, from
the thawing permafrost in the Arctic to the expanding agriculture regions of the tropics. We work
locally and regionally, with in-depth expertise and collaborations in North and South America and
Africa; and we also work globally, focussing on how humans are changing global cycles of carbon,
nitrogen, and water. We merge natural science with economics to discover sustainable paths for
human prosperity and stewardship of the Earth’s natural resources.
Our mission is to advance scientific discovery and seek science-based solutions for the world’s
environmental and economic challenges through research and education on forests, soils, air,
and water.
Program Director: Nadine Laporte, PhD Editor & Program Coordinator: Tina Cormier, MS
Design: Ian Vorster, MS, Associate Director of Communications.
www.whrc.org