1. Mapping forest loss &
degradation using
satellite imagery
Paul Gager
Technical Director
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2. Drivers of Deforestation and
Degradation
Logging
(Mechanized)
Agro-Forestry
Plantations
Infrastructure and
Land Development
Logging
(Artisanal/RIL –
reduced impact
logging)
Swidden
Agriculture
Wildfires
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3. Why monitor ?
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Land use management
Protected area management
Forest resource management
Forest Carbon assessment
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4. Platforms – UAV
• User can own the system
– Coverage of large areas difficult
– Operational expenses; vehicles, staff, spare
parts
– Need to train and manage skilled staff
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5. 5

6. Platforms – VHR Satellite Imagery
• Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery
– Very effective, but high cost
– Some expertise required to process
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7. Platforms- Mid resolution satellite
• Good trade off between cost and coverage
• Can detect changes in canopy,
construction of roads, skid trails
• May not identify individual tree loss
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8. RapidEye – 5m pixels
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9. One year later
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10. Mid res compared to Aerial Photo
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11. Platforms – Low and Mid-res
• Often free or very low cost
• Mainly useful for land conversion mapping
or mapping very large areas
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12. Mapping Techniques
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13. Manual Approaches: Inconsistent
Mapping Between Years
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14. Another example..
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15. Segmentation and Classification
Original Image
Image Objects
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Classified Image

16. Ground Truth Data
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17. Ground Truth Data
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18. Mapping Change
Year 1
Year 2
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Change Image

19. Classification of Change
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20. Natural Deforestation
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21. Questions ?
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