SERVIR Profile of Trilochana Basnett

Learn more about the Land Cover, Land Use Change, and Ecosystems service area campaign.

Name: Trilochana Basnett
Affiliation: SERVIR-HKH
Role/Title: Intern
Year you joined SERVIR: 2017

Please introduce yourself. What are you passionate about?
Born in a Himalayan state in India, I have always associated myself to be a tree-hugger. Lifelong learning and contributing to change are important to me, as are accepting new ideas and thoughts as they bring in new perspectives. In my current role, learning about new technologies, adapting and implementing them to get desirable outcomes has been highly motivating.

What initially attracted you to this field of work?
I opted for geography as my vocation as I wanted to expand my knowledge on the effect of human interventions on nature. By joining an institution like ICIMOD that focuses on the wellbeing of mountains and people, I hope to make a meaningful contribution.

What SERVIR activity are you currently working on?
As an intern with SERVIR-HKH, I work closely with the Capacity Building Lead. I have been conducting research on biomass estimation using remotely-sensed data, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in particular, in a small watershed in eastern Nepal. This methodology of tracking biomass carbon would be useful for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) for the REDD+ (reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) community. I have also been contributing to a few different capacity building activities being conducted at ICIMOD and in Afghanistan.

How does your work generate positive change?
My ongoing research uses SAR as one of the sensors and uses freely available data and open source software. I hope that this methodology will help quantify tracking biomass and forest carbon. I hope this work will further conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources in Hindu Kush Himalaya.