Detection of Deforestation & Degradation using Earth Observation Time Series Data

SERVIR is a joint development initiative of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), working in partnership with leading regional organizations around the globe, to help developing countries use information provided by Earth observing satellite data and geospatial technologies for managing natural resources and environmental risks. 

Webpage: https://sustainabledevelopment.gov.bz/forestry-department/

Looking back at the settlement and growth of Belize as a nation, takes us back to the exploitation of Belize’s forest resources. History shows that some of the first settlers were logwood cutters.  Logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum) became a targeted species due to its bright red dye that was utilized in the textile industry. Logwood exports to England date back to 1655.

The increase in demand for timber, led to the harvest of Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), quickly replacing logwood as the main export product (Weaver & Sabido, 1997). Mahogany became a targeted timber specie as it was easy to work with, making it popular for furniture, doors, windows and other items (Nickerson, 1963).

The first records of logwood extraction laws go back to 1655 and included extraction in unsurveyed areas. For instance, loggers would build a hut along the river shoreline, with the property encompassing an area of 1,000 paces on either side of the hut. By 1684, similar agreements were being made for the harvest of mahogany (Hooper, 1884).

A Forest Trust was initiated in 1923, with Mr. Hummel being appointed as the first Conservator of Forests. By 1924, a deputy and two assistant Conservators were appointed, with the aim of improving forest harvest and management (Gill 1931, Hummel 1925).

The Forest Trust was replaced by the Forest Department in 1935. By this time, the Forest Department’s work on mahogany regeneration and the use of girth limits in mahogany harvest, slowed the deterioration of mahogany resources within the country (Furley, 1968).

Currently the legal mandate of the Forest Department includes the protection, management and conservation or natural resources. Presently, the scope of management has changed forest exploitation and administration to biodiversity management and social and community forestry. Forest management now promotes participatory forest governance, value added products, and the diversification of forest use. This approach involves stakeholder participation and inclusion in management, promotes income generation from forest products and the diversified use of multiple timber species.

A Forest Trust was initiated in 1923, with Mr. Hummel being appointed as the first Conservator of Forests. By 1924, a deputy and two assistant Conservators were appointed, with the aim of improving forest harvest and management (Gill 1931, Hummel 1925).

• Support the ongoing updating of Belize’s Forest Reference Level process by introducing the team involved with that process to cloud-based land cover classification and automated change detection techniques (e.g., CCDC-SMA, LandTrendr) that could potentially streamline the data collection process

• Discuss how the proposed SERVIR forest monitoring proto-service for Belize could be integrated into Belize’s future biennial transparency reports,

• Explore additional synergies between SERVIR and the Belize Forest Department and associated stakeholders

• Generate and conduct expert review and accuracy assessments of (i) a preliminary national land cover map for 2023, and (ii) a preliminary national mangrove cover map for 2023 [including mangrove change data for 2019-2023]

• Conduct limited field data collection activities to support review and revision of the preliminary land cover and mangrove cover data

• Review Belize-specific outputs from the SERVIR-CArbon Pilot (S-CAP) activity

• Facilitate an interchange of experiences between the teams implementing the national forest monitoring systems in Belize and in Guatemala

This training will reach an anticipated audience of 25 environmental specialists, as well as fostering an exchange with 3 members of Guatemala’s Inter-Institutional Forest and Land Use Monitoring (GIMBUT) team. This work is being done in the context of a pre-implementation (proto-service) activity for the anticipated SERVIR-Central America hub.

• Specialists in forest and natural resource management

• Specialists in GIS, remote sensing, and earth observations

• (Optional) SilvaCarbon e-learning for LandTrendr / Google Earth Engine and OpenMRV tutorial for CCDC   

• Bring a laptop computer 

• Register for a Google Earth Engine Account

• Add the LandTrendr repository in GEE

• Add the CCDC-SMA repository in GEE

• Add the repository for this workshop in GEE 

• Register for access to Planet NICFI data