Zamba Malamu – The Forest is Good

Greetings Scholars,

I hope this letter finds you all happy and healthy. We have many

exciting updates to share with you, including news of a new satellite

launched, a couple of new PhD students, some fun and interesting

aerial photography techniques, and several reports of progress for

establishing country-scale reference emission levels (RELs).

At WHRC, we have an update of our own. A few months ago, I emailed

all of you to announce our recent funding for the Equateur Project in

the DRC, which is supported by the Congo Basin Forest Fund. Glenn

and I have been waiting for a long time to begin this project, and we

are so excited to see it finally coming to life.

The purpose of the Equateur Project is to support sustainable

development that allows conservation of forests and reduces rural

poverty in the DRC province of Equateur – a tall order! We will be

testing the implementation of the REDD+ financial mechanism with

three specific objectives: (1) increase local capacity for REDD+ project

development; (2) conduct REDD+ pilot projects with communities,

so they may manage their own forests/carbon; and (3) inform the

REDD+ process at higher levels (e.g., provincial, national).

This project raises some difficult questions, ones with which many of

you are very familiar. For instance, how can we at once ensure food

security, reduce poverty, and conserve the forest? To answer these

types of tough questions and accomplish all of our technical and

rural development goals, we will need help. Along with establishing

a greater in-country presence, we are working with four partners who

May 2013In the FieldPantropical Visiting Scholars Program

Pantropical Scholars NewsletterWoods HoleResearch Center

have a lot of experience in rural development; we hope to incorporate

their knowledge with new ideas that can help this region retain its

forest while improving the livelihoods of people in the region.

Additionally, we have hired some new WHRC team members. Melaine

Kermarc is our new project manager who is stationed in Mbandaka,

DRC; he oversees day to day, on the ground operations. We are also

in the process of hiring a financial officer to assist with in-country

finance and administration. Based at WHRC, Amanda Poston joined

the team as project administrator to serve as liaison between our

new field office and WHRC. Finally, Raymond Achu Samndong, a

Norwegian graduate student from Cameroon, is working with Glenn

on the socioeconomic research part of the grant. He is in the DRC

now, collecting important socioeconomic baseline data. Glenn and I

will oversee the project for the next 3 years.

The establishment of this new office in the DRC is a huge milestone

for WHRC, as it is our first field office in Africa. Written on the door

in Lingala is the unofficial name of the project, which we adopted

because it captures the spirit of our work and of the community:

“Zamba Malamu,” which translates to “The Forest is Good.” Around

here, we tend to agree!

Keep up all of your hard work – what we are doing really matters.

Cheers,

Nadine

In this Issue: Reports from Indonesia, Mexico, and Vietnam

From January 28 to February 1, 2013, I attended the REDD+ Design Forum #1, a workshop on Building REDD+ Reference Levels held at WWF Headquarters and Forest Carbon Partnership Facilities (FCPF) in Washington DC, USA. The workshop was hosted by the FCPF Carbon Fund, which is dedicated to carbon accounting issues in the large-scale emissions reduction programs to be developed under the Carbon Fund. The participants of this workshop were from various REDD+ countries i.e., Indonesia, Brazil, Congo, Nepal, Costa Rica, and Vietnam; and also from various organizations i.e., World Bank, UNFCCC, European Union, WWF, TNC, IPAM, Winrock, Terra Global Capital, Georg-August University, Germany, CIFOR, Conservation International, McGill University, and Ohio State University.

The objective of the workshop was to provide an opportunity for us technical experts from countries involved in REDD+ activities to share the approaches we are taking in the development of sub-national and national reference levels. Throughout the week, we were able to highlight technical challenges, lessons learned to date, and any technical needs in further developing draft reference levels in the context of limited guidance from the UNFCCC. We also had many informal opportunities to provide feedback and brainstorm solutions among experts from forested countries and climate initiatives.

In the REDD+ context, performance based payments are aimed to value and award green house gas (GHG) emission reduction that is measureable and verified. For comparable and objective measurements within and across countries, Reference Emission Levels (RELs), benchmarks or baselines against which participants can measure future progress, become important instruments to measure REDD+ performance. The establishment of reference levels first requires the estimation of historical emissions—the rate of emissions from forests by a specific country or jurisdiction over a recent historical time period. This process requires science-based estimates of forest cover change (also referred to as “activity data”) and emission factors.

During the workshop, we learned that reference levels may be adjusted for national circumstances, but little guidance has been provided by the UNFCCC on when and how these adjustments may be conducted. Adjustments might include projections of the rate of emissions from forests predicted to occur in the near future under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. These are assumed, extrapolated, or modeled predictions of changes in emissions in the absence of REDD+ interventions. Land-use change predictions present a tradeoff between simple, transparent techniques and more complex, sophisticated models, and involve questions of accuracy and validation (FCPF Carbon Fund Working Draft, 2013).

We discussed some key points about the challenges in REL development, where I learned that most countries plan to use some kind of nested approach, starting sub-nationally - and eventually scaling up to national. REDD+ countries have developed their RELs based on data availability and capacity. Ken Andrasko from the World Bank stated that 64% countries (16 out of 24) propose

Building REDD+ Reference Levels and FCPF REDD+ Design Forum #1 Virni Budi Arifanti, Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia

developing REL by analyzing historic trends and projecting into the future somehow. Indonesia in particular had a top down and a bottom up approach in developing their REL. Our main challenge at this moment is how to produce a single estimate of emissions without any intervention (Business as Usual) for land-based sector at the national and sub-national levels.

Relating to me and my work, some key issues and questions arose during the workshop: (1) how can we reconcile sub-national and national baselines using different data, scales, and time periods? (2) what criteria should be used to determine what programs are in BAU? (3) how can we link REL to our Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) system, nested at different scales, and account for leakage? (4) how can we develop REL and MRV systems that handle all lands pertinent to a country’s REDD+ Strategy? (5) how should reference levels for the Carbon Fund (CF) or other initiatives relate to Reference Emission Levels being created for the UNFCCC? (6) What reference period, reference region, and forest definition should be used to determine historical emissions? and (7) How should national circumstances be reflected in the relationship between historical emissions and the reference level?

All the issues discussed during the workshop and more information can be found at the following website: http://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/sites/fcp/files/2013/April2013/Key%20consideration%20for%20the%20Methodological%20Framework%20FORUM1_FINAL.pdf.

In Indonesia, many communities depend on the forest. Photo credit Wayne Walker

Making Progress on my PhD: Characterization of Forest

Structural Diversity in Mexico using Remote Sensing

Isabel Trejo, National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO)

I am preparing a PhD thesis project on “Characterization of forest structural diversity in Mexico using remote sensing,” which was inspired by my friends at WHRC and the work we have done together at various workshops.

I am now studying at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and I am in the process of preparing the theoretical development and methodologies pieces of my project.

This month, I began working in earnest with open source software, like Grass and Quantum GIS, which I discovered while at WHRC. They will help me with implementing radiometric and atmospheric calibration of the Landsat images that I am planning to use for my study.

I am also eager to have access to the new Landsat 8 imagery to advance my work.

I would be very happy to visit WHRC again. In addition to the topics we have already learned, such as modeling forest cover change and mapping biomass, I would like to learn more about general remote sensing tools and techniques.

MexicoAMNH

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane . . . No, It’s Ned’s Kite-Mounted Aerial Camera!

Ned Horning, AMNH

I’ve been busy again putting together outreach material for public distribution on the WHRC web site. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback to improve the material. For me, the highlight of that work was advancing the random forest segmentation exercise to use open source segmentation software and starting (hopefully) long term development of a more sophisticated set of methods. The development version of the scripts and guides for the segmentation and other R-focused resources can be found at: https://bitbucket.org/rsbiodiv. As always feedback is welcome.

With Spring on the way here in Vermont, I’m starting to fly my kites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and other platforms to experiment with low-altitude photo monitoring and mapping. Some of this work will be posted on the Research Notes section of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science web site: http://publiclaboratory.org/. If any of you are interested in this type of photo monitoring please feel free to contact me, or better yet, join some Public Labs discussion groups.

We are currently moving forward with the implementation of phase 2 of the UN-REDD programme, which assists the Vietnamese government in preparing to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

Additionally, we in Vietnam are receiving support from other donors, such as USAID, JICA, Finland government, World Bank, and others for REDD+ readiness in the country. Recently, our Prime Minister approved the National Action Programme on “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, Sustainable Management of Forests, Conservation of Forests and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks,” or REDD+, in the 2011-2020 period. This action provides a major legal framework for REDD+ implementation in Vietnam in upcoming years, and Vietnam has drafted and approved its National REDD+ Action Programme (NRAP).

National Reference Emission Level (REL) establishment for Vietnam is one essential piece of the REDD+ puzzle that was identified in the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework; we need baseline estimates of greenhouse gas emissions in order to measure and monitor our progress in the future. We are developing Vietnam’s RELs under the framework of a number of projects, such as UN-REDD, National Forest Assessment (funded by Finland government), and JICA’s project. We are developing reference levels for all carbon related activities within the scope of REDD+.

We have completed the following activities to contribute to REL establishment in Vietnam:

• Historical forest cover change in Vietnam between 1990-2010 under support of Japan and Finland. Recently, our government initiated the national forest inventory programme, which will be used as baseline data (or a benchmark map) for Vietnam to consider in REDD+ negotiations in the future.

• A forest ecological stratification study has been completed under the framework of the UN-REDD phase one. In this study, we stratified Vietnam into 8 main ecological regions that were used for development of allometric equations for carbon stock calculations.

• We have also completed Allometric Equation studies for all types of forest in each ecological region using destructive sampling and measurement methods. The study was completed with support of the UN-REDD program phase 1. In support of this study, we participated in Allometric equation training for Vietnamese technicians and foresters. Other countries in the ASEAN region were invited to participate as well, like: Indonesia, Malaysia, and others. The training had several foci: Data analysis and model development; Statistical analysis and accuracy assessment for biomass and carbon stock assessment; Institutional issues and roles (development, QC and, data management); and to identify gaps and future steps.

Further, we have signed with the Norwegian government to continue working on UN-REDD phase 2, which will involve implementation of Province-level REDD+ action plans for 6 pilot provinces, including: Lam Dong, Ca Mau, Binh Thuan, Bac Kan, Ha Tinh, Lao Cai.

Check further information from: http://www.vietnam-redd.org/

REDD+ and REL in Vietnam

Vietnam Forest. Photo courtesy of Dr. Wayne Walker

Catching Up:To learn more, please visit our Pantropical Education and Capacity Building page at http://www.whrc.org/education/capacitybldg.html

Virni (Indonesia) has shared with us some very exciting news! In September 2013, she will be starting a new adventure when she comes to the US to pursue a PhD. She has been accepted by Oregon State University to study forest ecology, and her dissertation will investigate carbon emission measurements in the mangrove forests of East Kalimantan.

From all of us, congratulations, Virni! Please keep in touch and keep us updated on your exciting work.

Quyen Accepts New Position in Bangkok

We recently heard from Quyen (Vietnam) that she has accepted a new position with the Environmental Operation Center (EOC) of the Asian Development Bank. During 2011 and 2012, she worked with fellow scholar, Giang, on a USAID-funded project called REDD for LEAF (Lower Emission from Asia’s Forests). In the last year, she accepted a new position with the EOC in Bangkok, Thailand. She will be working on the “Core Environmental Program and Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative,” a project launched in response to increasing concerns about the environmental impacts of rapid economic development in the greater Mekong Subregion.

Congratulations, Quyen. We are really excited to hear about your new work! For now, we can visit http://www.gms-eoc.org/ to keep up with your progress.

Vietnam Launches its First Remote Sensing Satellite

As planned, Vietnam’s first Earth observation satellite – VNREDSat-1 (Vietnam Natural Resources, Environment, and Disaster monitoring Satellite 1) was successfully launched into space on May 7, 2013 from Guiana Space Centre. Two days later, the first images were captured and transmitted to the ground station in Vietnam.

The VNREDSat-1 program represents a commitment by the Vietnamese government to create a space infrastructure that will enable the country to better monitor and study the effects of climate change, predict and take measures to prevent natural disasters, and optimize the management of its natural resources.

VNREDSat-1 is capable of capturing images of anywhere on the Earth’s surface. It carries a five-band optical sensor that captures panchromatic images at 2.5 m spatial resolution and four bands of multispectral images at 10 m resolution.

Congratulations to Vietnam from all of us at WHRC. Your new satellite represents a huge advance in your earth observation capabilities, and we cannot wait to see more images.

VNREDSat-1 Photo of Red River, Hanoi

Program Director: Nadine Laporte, PhD Program Coordinator: Tina Cormier, MS Editors: Tina Cormier

Design: Ian Vorster, Director of Communications and Denise Kergo, Web Developer

www.whrc.org

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.

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.