The INFORMS Project in the Sangha Tri-National Park

Using remote sensing product for forest managementObjectives

  • Provide remote sensing and GIS products for wildlife conservation and forest management
  • Monitor logging progression, deforestation, and forest degradation
  • Develop remote sensing tools for forest monitoring

Activities

  • Mapping vegetation types using Landsat satellite imagery
  • Developing indices of logging intensity using satellite imagery
  • Evaluating the impact of selective logging on forest canopy for different forest types using very-high-resolution satellite imagery (i.e. 4-m IKONOS & QuickBird)
  • Conducting Leaf Area Index (LAI) study of different forest types and logged vs. unlogged forest

Please see the list of products below for further activites in this region.

 

Products & Applications

  • Assessing the accuracy of vegetation mapping using aerial videography—poster (1.8 MB PDF)
  • Assessing the rates of deforestation in logging towns—poster (4.5 MB PDF)
  • Monitoring the progression of logging through the mapping of logging roads—poster (4.5 MB PDF)

Below is a collection of maps produced by the INFORMS project for northern Congo and the Sangha Tri-National Park.  These products have been used by the WCS to model wildlife habitats and conservation threats as well as to support forest management activities and land use planning carries out by CIB and WCS.  These products have also been used as base maps by various scientists conducting ecological and socioeconomic research projects in the region.

Select a product to view an enlarged version of each browse image. To obtain the full resolution products and their metadata files, please contact Dr. Nadine Laporte.

 

Landsat mosaic of N. Congo & the Sangha Tri-National Park Trinationl Park vegetation map

Landsat satellite image mosaic of the 2000's

Tri-National Park vegetation map

 

Forest stratification map for CIB concessions Deforestation assessment for various logging towns

Forest stratification for CIB concessions

Deforestation mapping in logging towns

 

Road expansion in Northern Congo since 1970s
Progression of logging roads in Northern Congo

 

Future Outlook

In addition to our current activities, we will continue to develop remote sensing tools for forest monitoring and forest management. Specifically, in collaboration with CIB, we plan to use very-high-resolution satellite imagery (i.e. 4-m IKONOS & Quickbird) to assess its newly installed reduced impact logging (RIL) operation. Other anticipated activities include (1) integrating commercial forest inventory with remote sensing data and (2) improving forest mapping using a multi-sensor approach.