Field Notes
March 2011: Updates from the WHRC Participatory Mapping Expedition to the Congo
Many of the mapping and monitoring efforts associated with REDD focus on the big picture of carbon stock and of deforestation trends throughout the tropics. This research expedition is focusing on the third piece necessary to inform a global REDD mechanism – namely, how do people use the land? Through a series of participatory mapping workshops with indigenous peoples in the Congo Basin, Associate Scientist Nadine Laporte, Assistant Scientist Glenn Bush, Senior Scientist Scott Goetz, and Consultant Ian Gray are partnering with local stakeholders to discuss land tenure, forest inventory techniques, and baselines that could help secure lands for local populations.
This trip is part of a multifaceted effort. WHRC scientists conduct research and foster collaborations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to build capacity for satellite image mapping of deforestation and to explore the potential for international climate change agreements, particularly REDD mechanisms, to incentivize local populations to maintain tropical forests while also sustaining their livelihoods.
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A Congolese man paddles a pirogue (dug out canoe) on the Rukie River near its confluence with the Congo River.
Customary Chief is holding a staff, whereas the Chief of the Locality is holding a baby. Ian Gray is standing at the far right.
Center field staff Clement Botefa and Frido Bosulu walk through a small cacao forest in Ikalanganya
A healthy serving of palm grubs: a serious source of forest protein!
Photos Courtesy of Nadine Laporte, Glenn Bush, Ian Gray, and Paola Mekui Biyogo
