Mesoamerica - 950 A.D.

Credit: Office of Biological and Environmental Research of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

Myers et al. (2010) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature

How can we keep an eye on these important forest resources?

Credit: Airbus Defence and Space

There is a lot of data

Overall objectives

• Take advantage of this large data diversity to map forest state and dynamics
• Combine ground based ecological measurements with satellite data

Chapter 1: Mapping forest attributes

Chapter 1: Mapping forest attributes

Chapter 1: Mapping forest attributes

Species diversity

Density of Palm tree

Chapter 2: Deforestation mapping

Chapter 2: Deforestation mapping

Chapter 3: Slash and burn agriculture

"Land use intensity in slash and burn agriculture systems strongly influences the capacity of the forests to regenerate"

Chapter 3: Slash and burn agriculture

We "reconstructed" the land use history of the past 30 years

Chapter 3: Slash and burn agriculture

Chapter 4: How fast do forests recover?

Can remote sensing help?

Chapter 4: How fast do forests recover?

Conclusion

Remote sensing has a big potential for monitoring forest resources and ecological processes

Conclusion

Taking advantage of all the remote sensing dimensions is required to better capture ecological processes

Thank you!