Supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Development Loan Corporation (KFW), WWF Germany and partners will map the forest carbon stock in in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This national forest carbon storage mapping is the largest effort of its kind, providing the DRC with all the necessary components and capacities to develop an accurate map of forest biomass. The map will be used to estimate the quantity of deforestation and degradation-related greenhouse gas emissions, thus providing useful tools for climate conscientious planning and assessments, developments in infrastructure and scenario building among others things.
This project will pilot new technologies to estimate forest carbon storage, while strengthening local capacities in forestry, remote sensing and REDD-related activities (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation).
The integration of innovative, areal methods such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) with hyperspectral cameras using multiple satellites (optical and radar) provides optical and radar data of a high quality. This data provides the basis to estimate the biomass at the national level and to evaluate regions subject to current deforestation and degradation.
This project demonstrates a new approach in the mapping of forest carbon in various forest types through the use of different types of images, an estimation of errors and uncertainties for future improvements and the estimate for the baseline greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and degradation for REDD projects and carbon payment initiatives. Additionally, the task aims to evaluate the accuracy and costs associated with the listing of surface biomass at the national level.