Project:BB|4256

Title
Development of Belgian REDD Information Systems (BE REDD)
Acronym
 
URL
StartDate
2010-01-01
EndDate
2012-01-01
Amount
 

Abstract

This project aims to use the existing Belgian Remote Sensing and related knowledge in a new, but topical application domain: REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). Techniques for measuring frontier deforestation exist several decennia. Quantifying forest degradation is far less obvious. Much depends on how the legal definition of "forest" is different to that in the field or with international definitions. The impact of deforestation and degradation on the greenhouse gas emission balance is characterized by a wide margin of uncertainty. Besides these "measurement problems" there is also an attribution problem: what are the driving factors behind this deforestation and what are potential avenues for policy (and donors) to curb this deforestation. Payments for avoided deforestation offer an attractive track for post-Kyoto international agreements. The development of sustainable mechanisms to lower "transaction costs" is complicated by issues of additionality, impact on deforestation in other places (known as leakage) and the permanence of reduced deforestation.These issues can not be dissociated from the local circumstances in which the local population, and whether or not interest in preserving forests. So-called co-benefits (in terms of living conditions, biodiversity and forest where access to water them often associated) will be of crucial importance.Prior to the initiation of large scale project interventions, it is important to evaluate the impacts at a smaller scale. The members of the cluster (VITO, KUL, UCL and Ghent University) have committed themselves to their diverse disciplinary knowledge sharing and connecting with each other's results. This cluster has developed a number of relevant case studies selected from very different conditions (dry vs. wet tropics, Africa vs. Asia, lowland vs. highlands) that build on previous projects.In Indonesia, 2 REDD studies will be investigated in collaboration with ICRAF, the World Agroforestry Centre. In Vietnam past work has focused on deforestation and its driving factors. In Kenya detailed research was carried out to use high and low resolution imagery for the classification of vegetation. In Ethiopia not only land use change studies were carried out, but also above-ground biomass and underground carbon measurements.The insights obtained in this project are relevant not only from a scientific, but also from a policy perspective. The newly established KLIMOS O * platform will play a crucial role in this.

Keywords

deforestation

Classifications

National {Cooperation status}
With High Priority Countries {Cooperation status}
Terrestrial {Geographical scope}
Forest {Habitat type}
Ecosystem Services {Tags}

Fundings

Name Role Amount
Science for Sustainable Development unknown

People

Name Role Start End
Muys, Bart member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01
Verbist, Bruno member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01
Lambin, Eric member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01
Nyssen, Jan member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01

Orgunits

Name Role Start End
Forest Ecology and Management member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01
Vision on technology member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01
Ghent University member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01
Université Catholique de Louvain member 2010-01-01 2012-01-01

Collaborations

Name Role Start End
(FOMO) Remote sensing of the forest transition and its ecosystem impacts in mountain environments. partner

created:2011-12-14 14:18:59 UTC, source:web

© 2012 by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform