The INFORMS Project in Central Africa

The INFORMS project, An Integrated Forest Monitoring System for Central Africa, was designed to monitor land-cover and land-use changes in the tropical rain forests of Central Africa through the mapping of forest types, extent, spatial distribution, and biomass using an integrated approach of remote sensing and field observations.

The Congo Basin in Central Africa contains approximately 90% of Africa's remaining productive forests. The high diversity of both floral and faunal life and the abundance of natural resources underscore the inherent ecological, cultural, and economic importance of this region. However, the accelerating pace of land-use change and degradation has become a serious threat to the ecological integrity of the Congo Basin's forests. The INFORMS prioject aims to document and track the rate and extent of tropical forest degradation in order to aid in the development of improved forest management strategies at both the local and regional scales.

Approaches

The process of mapping changes in land-cover and land-use in the tropical rain forests of Central Africa is complicated by the diversity of land uses and the lack of continuous, cloud-free coverage by any single remote sensing insturment. In order to improve vegetation mapping and forest monitoring techniques for the region, we have focued on developing an analysis based on the following procedures:

1. Integrating ex-situ multi-sensor remote sensing observations with in-situ field data;
2. Evaluating regional maps for the application of forest monitoring;
3. Focusing on high biodiversity sites;
4. Establishing a network of international and regional contacts to exchange relevant data and consolidate efforts of mapping and monitoring; and
5. Distributing satellite imagery and remote sensing products to partners for applications in forst monitoring and conservation.

Study Sites

The work of the INFORMS project in Central Africa focuses primarily in and around protected areas including national parks, national forests, and wildlife reserves.  Many of the sites investigated here have also been designated as landscapes of interest under the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), an international effort comprised of over thirty national governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

Central Africa's protected areas and landscapes of interest as designated by the CBFP. Please use the links below to learn more about the INFORMS project in each of these parks or protected areas.

Study sites investigated under the INFORMS project include:

• The Sangha Tri-National Park in northern Republic of Congo;
• The Ituri Forest Reserve and Salonga National Park, both in the Democratic Republic of Congo;
• Lopé National Park in Gabon;
• The rainforest of southern Cameroon; and
• The Albertine Rift region in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.  This area is also the focus of WHRC’s Protected Areas Watch for the Albertine Rift (PAWAR) project.  More information about this project and the region can be found at the “Albertine Rift ” portion of this website.

Please use the links above or the navigation pane at left to access more information on each study site.

©Woods Hole Research Center, 2008