Improving estimation of deforestation rates for REDD+ in Mexico: comparison of new approaches using remote sensing data
Abstract
Some of the requirements to participate in the different results-based payment programs for the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the forestry sector include the development of Forest Reference Emissions Levels and having robust Forest Monitoring Systems that Affects deforestation detection reliably and accurately. In Mexico, the estimation of GHG emissions in the forestry sector has been reported through the overlaping of land coverage maps generated at a 1: 250,000 scale and with a minimum mapping unit of 50 hectares, which has represented important limitations to access REDD + financing mechanisms due to the limitations of cartographic inputs used. However, new approaches to forest monitoring have recently been developed and implemented using remote sensors. This new approaches implemented include (i) the estimation of deforestation rates through sampling approach using the Collect Earth tool and images of very high, high and medium resolution and (ii) the development of land cover maps of changes using the IMAD-MAF algorithm through an analysis of multitemporal composite Landsat satellite images. Preliminary estimates of deforestation rates using these new approaches show significant changes in the magnitude and trends of deforestation at national and sub-national levels in Mexico, in particular, estimates of annual deforestation rates obtained through the new methods are lower than previously reported, and in some states and / or regions, the new estimates may reach up to 1/3 of the deforestation rates that had been reported historically. To communicate these new results represents a challenge that goes beyond the technical field, so it is important to expose and compare transparently the new methodologies used and their differences. The new estimates obtained through these methodological improvements represent important advances in terms of moving towards more precise monitoring of deforestation in Mexico in the framework of REDD +; however, there are still important challenges to improve the efficiency of the approaches used due to the diversity of vegetation types in the country, the predominance of dry forests and the physiographic that the country has.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMGC43K1423C
- Keywords:
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- 1622 Earth system modeling;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1632 Land cover change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1640 Remote sensing;
- GLOBAL CHANGE