Colombian president welcomes country’s first high resolution
carbon map
(July 26, 2012) Scientists have created high-resolution carbon maps for
165,000 square kilometers (64,000 square miles) of forest across roughly 40
percent of the Colombian Amazon, greatly boosting the ability of the South
American nation to measure emissions from deforestation and forest degradation,
reports the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, which led
the effort.
The study area has been
designated as a REDD+ pilot project area by the Colombian Institute for
Hydrological, Meteorological, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM). REDD+ is a
program that aims to compensate developing countries for reducing emissions
from deforestation and forest degradation; worldwide such emissions accounted
for 10-13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2005. For its
part, Colombia hopes to capitalize on REDD+ as a means to finance conservation
of its extensive forests, which generate important services for the country.
The research, which is described
in the journal Biogeosciences, used a combination of satellite data and
advanced airplane-based sensors to assess the carbon content of the remote
region, which is about four times the size of Switzerland. On-the-ground field
studies in the area are difficult due to lack of navigable rivers and security concerns.