SERVIR Applied Sciences Team results helping endangered great apes in Africa
Results of a SERVIR Applied Sciences Team (AST) project are helping to identify areas where reforestation will help endangered species of great apes.
8 results
Results of a SERVIR Applied Sciences Team (AST) project are helping to identify areas where reforestation will help endangered species of great apes.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, over 2 billion people rely on forests for shelter, livelihoods, water, food, and fuel security. Forests even help renew our air supply, as they take in large amounts of carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Countries need accurate land cover data and methods for national-level monitoring of land cover changes and forest loss to inform forest management and policy.
Monitoring land cover change over time is essential to understanding ecosystem health, biodiversity, forest carbon cycling, and much more. Land cover/land use (LCLU) data and maps are critical components for climate monitoring applications such as Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reports.
Business Daily Africa recently featured an article about the land use and crop cover maps developed by RCMRD/SERVIR-Eastern and Southern Africa and available on their open data web portal.
The crucial role forests play in our world cannot be underestimated. To enhance preservation and monitoring of this natural resource, SERVIR and SilvaCarbon launched a series of global workshops this year in West Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, Hindu-Kush Himalaya, and the Lower Mekong region on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) applications.
Rwanda is among the smallest countries in mainland Africa, roughly the size of Maryland with twice the population. Less land area means harder decisions, such as balancing land allocated for agriculture versus areas designated for forest conservation.
To sustainably manage forest landscapes, governments and decision makers need accurate and up-to-date information on the extent of the forests they manage and the ways they are changing.