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Monday, May 30, 2011

Remote Sensing of the Forests of Belize

CATHALAC and NASA in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of Belize have completed a remote sensing-based assessment of deforestation and forest cover dynamics of Belize (1.26MB PDF). The study has been validated, and covers 1980 through 2010 (it includes mapping of 1980, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2004, and 2010).

The abovementioned technical paper provides pretty detailed instructions on how to go about doing such a study, and the source and the output data as well as the spectral signatures generated and used in this study are also available. Theoretically, if the forests of other parts of the Caribbean reflect light in similar ways to Belize's forests, the self-same spectral signatures can be used for mapping elsewhere in the Caribbean, for instance.

CATHALAC intends to continue collaboration with Belize's Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (specifically specialists at the Land Information Centre and the Forest Department), to catalyze regular, sustained space-based monitoring of Belize's forests. CATHALAC also hopes that the technical paper stimulates the interest of other folks in the Caribbean to pick up something like this - they show that the barriers to conducting such studies are small. Thanks E. Cherrington.

Update: (Thanks K. Lance) Based on this analysis of Landsat satellite imagery for 1980, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2004, and 2010, the validated, national-level assessment indicates that Belize's forest cover has declined from 75.9% in 1980 to 62.7%. Average annual deforestation was estimated at 0.6%, equaling the clearing of some 24,835 acres (9,982 hectares) of forest per year.
Posted byVijayat1:51 AM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google BuzzLabels:Belize,Forest,Land Use Change,Remote SensingReactions: 2comments:

Dr. Edward Wallingtonsaid...

This is excellent. It is great to see a wide ranging study, and commitment to future research, and providing management information for operational use.

For interest, we undertook a study in the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area in Belize, using SAR to map vegetation, and to estimate height. See here for further info: http://www.rics.org/site/download_feed.aspx?fileID=3493&fileExtension=PDF

Will read your paper in more detail!

Best regards,

Ed Wallington

8:13 AM, August 10, 2010

Dr. Edward Wallingtonsaid...

8:13 AM, August 10, 2010

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ContributorsAlan MDarrenVijayAndrea MahammadRajEricPeter RableyNads

Mangroves in Belize

An authoritative remote sensing study of (4.53MB PDF) has published its results. The authors have provided a report and data online. One of the things I like in the report is the unvarnished assessment of previous work and the plain description of the pros, cons and choices made when conducting this remote sensing study, e.g. in terms of choice of imagery and techniques. It provides a realistic account of doing such work and this, in addition to the scientific results and data, make this a highly-recommended read for students, professionals and decision-makers in the Region. Further details below. Thanks E. Cherrington.

October 14, 2010 – Panama City, Panama - CATHALAC study, financed by WWF and facilitated by SERVIR system, provides crucial glimpse into important component of the world’s second largest barrier reef complex

The Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC), recently completed a World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-financed study of the mangrove ecosystems which are a crucial part of the Belize Barrier Reef Complex – the world’s second largest coral reef system – and part of the broader Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion. The study, “Identification of Threatened and Resilient Mangroves in the Belize Barrier Reef System,” found that Belize’s national mangrove cover had remained at 3.4% over the 30-year period from 1980-2010, even as mangrove cover declined from 76,250 to 74,684 hectares during that period. The assessment made use of the Regional Visualization & Monitoring System (SERVIR, see www.servir.net), which is jointly implemented in Mesoamerica and the Dominican Republic by CATHALAC, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, and other partners.

Belize’s mangroves have been protected since 1989 under the country’s Forests Act, which requires legal permission for altering areas with mangroves. The clearing of some 1,566 hectares of mangrove from 1980-2010 translated to an average loss of 53.6 hectares per year, or an annual rate of loss of 0.07%. Based on a previously determined baseline, it was also estimated that as of early 2010, Belize’s mangroves covered 96.7% of their original domain. An analysis of the ‘hotspots’ of clearing showed that almost 90% of all mangrove clearings occurred in four zones near major coastal settlements: Belize City, the Placencia peninsula, San Pedro Town, and Dangriga. Destruction of mangroves – largely for the development of urban- and tourism-related infrastructure – was also found to have caused the fragmentation of 2.1% of the country’s mangrove ecosystems.

While the assessment examined all of Belize’s mangroves – i.e. not just the ones which interface with the coral reefs and seagrass which are also a part of the barrier reef complex – it was found that over 90% of mangroves lost over the 30-year period possessed connectivity with coral and seagrass. Those types of mangroves were also estimated to contribute US $3-4 million per year to Belize’s fisheries sector alone and a total of US $174-249 million per year to the national economy, according to a 2009 World Resources Institute assessment.

Belize’s low rate of mangrove clearing nevertheless stands in stark contrast to recently published estimates of global mangrove destruction. The 2010 World Mangrove Atlas, for instance, indicates that a fifth of the world’s mangrove ecosystems have been destroyed since 1980. The findings of a recently released USAID-supported study of deforestation in Belize, implemented by CATHALAC and NASA in collaboration with Belize’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, also contrasts with the WWF-funded mangrove study. Over the last 30 years, Belize’s annual rate of mangrove clearing was merely one-ninth of the country’s annual deforestation rate of 0.6%.

The study utilized Landsat satellite imagery from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, and ASTER imagery from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and NASA. This work also complements a European Commission-funded regional-level study that CATHALAC is currently undertaking of land cover change across all of Central America, and which will also examine changes in mangrove cover. The results of this study have also been integrated into an index of coastal development which is included in the soon to be released 2010 “Report Card for the Mesoamerican Reef.”

Belize’s only previous effort at specifically mapping the country’s mangroves is a national map of mangroves’ cover in 1990. The present effort thus provides decision-makers with a current panorama of the situation of the country’s mangroves. In terms of follow-up, while it is anticipated that the study’s results are highly accurate due to the image processing approach used, in the next few months WWF and its local partners will conduct intensive field verification activities as well as with comparisons to aerial photography that has recently been taken of Belize’s entire coastline. They will also undertake biological surveys to assess both ecosystem health of and the biodiversity within Belize’s mangroves.

Posted byVijayat4:53 PM

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Archive ► 2011(6) ► May(1)CarryMap - Belize Forest Fires ► April(2)CarryMapTrinidad Earthquake ► March(1)Disaster Relief 2.0 ► February(1)WARP Speed 0.5 ► January(1)Fellowships for BZ, CR, GT and HN▼ 2010(36) ► December(2)Atlas of ChangeSuccess in GIS ► November(7)Caribbean Marine AtlasLessons from HaitiBelize Savannah Ecosystem MapRadar & Carbon StorageRecovery in Saint LuciaPhD Scholarship in Marine & Coastal ManagementLast Chance▼ October(4)Mr. T?Water WorldUp In The Air ► September(2)LandX Games ► August(3)How to find a Hurricane (again)Caribbean GIS Conference - Updated Call for Presen...Remote Sensing of the Forests of Belize ► July(1)Disastrous Questions ► June(7)Caribbean GIS Conference - Call for PresentationsGIS and CensusesWho Are You?Remember DecemberMarine GIS in the GrenadinesWhere Are You?Risky Business ► May(2)NOAA GOES to South AmericaNGOs of the World Unite! ► April(1)OS OpenData ► March(2)Coastal Management Special IssueOcean Bathymetry Training ► February(2)GIslands 2010Open Source Rolls On Again ► January(3)Earthquake Real-Time DataHaiti GIS ViewerEarthquake in Haiti via GeoRSS feed ► 2009(25) ► December(1)GIS for Carbon Accounting & Tropical Forest Manage... ► November(3)Training in PanamaMSc Scholarships in Geospatial TechnologiesCaribbean Youth Poster Competition ► October(1)Eyes in the Sky ► August(2)How to find a HurricaneBelize NSDI ► July(2)Caribbean Challenge endorsed by Caribbean Leaders ► June(4) ► May(4) ► April(2) ► March(2) ► February(1) ► January(3) ► 2008(15) ► December(1) ► September(1) ► August(1) ► May(4) ► April(1) ► March(3) ► February(1) ► January(3) ► 2007(26) ► November(1) ► October(3) ► September(3) ► August(4) ► July(4) ► June(3) ► April(1) ► March(1) ► February(1) ► January(5) ► 2006(11) ► December(1) ► November(4) ► October(6)

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ContributorsEricDarrenPeter RableyAndrea MahammadAlan MNadsVijayRaj

Belize Savannah Ecosystem Map

A project by Edinburgh University, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the University of Belize, Belize Botanic Gardens, Programme for Belize and other institutions is completing a Map of Savannah Ecosystems in Belize. The team combined SPOT and ALOS PALSAR data together in a Definiens workflow and also utilised IKONOS and LandSat imagery. Field checking is still ongoing and the final revision is expected out in Mar 2011, but the 1st and 2nd links mentioned above provide details of the work and results. The project is also building up local capacity in GIS in Belize, and a variety of resources should also become available for GI professionals to access in the coming year. This project follows one by the EEO in 2008 estimating carbon sequestration using radar imagery. It bears repeating that these EEO projects and those by CATHALAC on mangroves and forests are going to provide a Belleza body of current, quantitative work on remote sensing in the neotropics. Thanks Neil Stuart.
Posted byVijayat9:31 AM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google BuzzLabels:Belize,Remote Sensing,SavannahReactions: 2comments:

Emil A. Cherringtonsaid...

Hi VJ,

This is great. So two questions:

1. How do we ensure that this sort of research occurs across all of the Caribbean?

2. How do we set up some sort of mechanism (maybe via Caribbean GIS) to make sure we're aware of the various RS-related studies occurring?

Emil

8:05 AM, November 21, 2010

Vijaysaid...

1. The first question is a big one. This sort of research needs the enabling environment. Clearly funds are needed to support the persons who want to pursue this kind of work. However I think that this could be preceded by politicians and decision-makers putting GIS and remote sensing on their country's development agenda, e.g. as tools to achieve more informed, sensible and profitable development.

2. The Caribbean GIS blog will certainly back and promote any effort to distribute results and increase awareness about GIS/RS studies.

12:45 AM, November 23, 2010