Kinshasa (RDC), 24-25 September 2013 – a workshop was held to launch the project “Carbon map and model”. 

The Carbon Map Component: 
A national biomass map for the DRC will enable quantitative assessments of carbon stocks and emissions in the largest forest of the Congo Basin to support the national REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) program in DRC, which plays a major role in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. This map will be developed from field data, complemented by airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and up-scaled to satellite images to accurately estimate carbon content in all forested areas. The second component of the project is to develop specific approaches for model REDD projects in key landscapes. The Carbon

Model Component:
The carbon model component will assist the jurisdictional stakeholders to go ‘full circle’ with REDD+, by: developing a REDD+ mitigation strategy following feasibility studies for conservation concessions, improved forest management and reduced impact logging, reduction of unsustainable shifting cultivation and improved grazing management; developing a benefit sharing and distribution scheme for compensation; providing technical support to the development of a jurisdictional programme in Mai Ndombe district / province; lessons learned to feed into to the national / international REDD+ strategies.

The workshop which brought together REDD +partners in the DRC aimed to enhance the participants’ understanding of how to implement the project and knowledge of activities planned under this project as well as the implementation schedule for these activities. Participants will also be familiarized with the modalities for sharing information about the project to be defined later.  The different partners were equally informed of the start of the project, its objectives, schedule, and expected outcomes while, at the same time, expressing their commitment to the materialization of project activities. Furthermore, the workshop will also enable participants to understand various recommendations arising from the work groups, the carbon model and map development.

"WWF expects all stakeholders to be involved in a constructive dynamic in which we strive to develop activities for the implementation of this project. That everyone should have a clear understanding of the role he is to play, "said the WWF conservation director, Bruno Perodeau, stressing that the project would last four years and expressing the hope of seeing some concrete results within two years, such as a first draft of the map (according to le Potentiel).

With the support of the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Nuclear Security, the implementation of the German Development Bank KfW, the "Carbon Map and Model (CO2M&M)" project, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Germany and local partners will produce a national scale biomass map for the entire forest coverage of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along with feasibility assessments of different forest protection measures within the framework of a REDD+ model project.

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♦ Project description which generally outlines the project, both the mapping component and the REDD model projects.

 Rainfor plot methodology, which Sassan is using in Gabon

 DRC Carbon Map and Model Project – GEO Project, June 2012

♦ Q&A Carbon Map and Model Project

♦ The DRC launches the project "Carbon map and model " (Carbon Map and Model)
In the DRC to date, there is little reliable information on measures of deforestation emissions as well as the feasibility, impact and efficiency of implementation of emissions-reducing interventions, even though the country has long been involved in the process of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). With a view to evaluating and calculating national carbon emissions, it will be necessary to conduct an inventory to get a detailed and accurate estimate of carbon stocks in the entire country. This involves carbon mapping, that is, accurate quantitative assessments of carbon lost through deforestation and carbon gained through forest preservation with a view to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Read more...

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♦ Amazon rainforest locks up 11 years of CO2 emissions - Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com - May 8, 2007 :  The amount and distribution of above ground biomass (or the amount of carbon contained in vegetation) in the Amazon basin is largely unknown, making it difficult to estimate how much carbon dioxide is produced through deforestation and how much is sequestered through forest regrowth. To address this uncertainty, a team of scientists from Caltech, the Woods Hole Institute, and INPE (Brazil's space agency), have developed a new method to determine forest biomass using remote sensing and field plot measurements. The researchers say the work will help them better understand the role of Amazon rainforest in global climate change.  Find more…

♦ First imagery from Landsat 8: Good news for the detection of deforestation, but what are the implications of changes in sensor characteristics compared to previous satellites? The series of Landsat satellites has provided a unique archive detailing changes in the land surface since 1972. The 8th satellite was launched successfully on February 11th 2013, and with on board checks and calibration complete, NASA handed it over to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in May. Its first images have now been processed and are available to download free of charge via GLOVIS: http://glovis.usgs.gov/ . I’m very excited because I’ve just downloaded and processed my first scene, over Sierra Leone and Liberia, including one of my study sites, the Gola Rainforest National Park – Find more...

♦ Education for Nature (EFN) grants program fellowship advertisement - More information is available on the EFN site:  worldwildlife.org/initiatives/russell-e-train-education-for-nature