Develop country by country demonstrators for use of CEOS products in their national reporting
[Ref. GST Strategy Paper v3.1, Recommendation #6]
AFOLU group is engaged in country-level transfer actions
THre have been several efforts lead by the USGS SilvaCarbon program aimed at testing global datasets and using in-country data to validate and claibrate products made with satellite information. Overall, the efforts demonstrate the importance of working with countries to improve the accuracy of global products. By incorporating local data and expertise, the products can better serve the needs of decision-makers and contribute to sustainable development.
SilvaCarbon has tested three global biomass products in four countries to evaluate their accuracy and usefulness for national-level monitoring. The program found that the accuracy of these products varies depending on the country and foresty type, highlighting the importance of country validation.
One success story for the SilvaCarbon program is its partnership with the Paraguayan Forest Institute (INFONA). To improve national forest inventories, the US Forest Service has developed a tailored methodology that uses space Lidar data. the methodology called GEDI is being adapted and applied in Paraguay to increase the reached the number of plots with carbon measurements targeted by the National Forest Inventory Objectives.
SilvaCarbon has also tested 5 different land cover products in 7 countries. The global product most used for developing deforestation baselines and to be included in the National Forest Monitoring System is the forest/non-forest map developed by Dr. Matt Hansen lab at the University of Maryland.
Silvacarbon is planning 4 regional workshops in 2023. At the end of February 2023 USGS will have better results from the upcoming of the regional workshop in Thailand in collaboration with GISTDA.