OBSERVER: Copernicus supports forest monitoring for the benefit of the climate, the environment and natural resources
Forests offer a wide range of societal benefits which directly impact global health, the environment, ecosystems, economies and food and supply chains. With a total area of 4.06 billion acres, forests cover 31 percent of the global land area. In Europe, forests cover 43 percent of the European Union’s land area. Unfortunately, forest degradation continues to advance at an alarming rate putting in jeopardy these tree-based systems humans depend on. Well aware of this risk, the EU is pushing an ambitious policy framework, aligned with international standards, to guarantee climate resilience and harness the environmental and economic value of forest products. Earth Observation (EO) is an irreplaceable tool within the realm of policy implementation. EO’s global reach, transparent and independent nature and timely and precise data collection capabilities help policy makers, farmers and companies monitor the state of forests, as well as stakeholders’ compliance with legal obligations.
Legislative backdrop
Forests represent a significant global carbon stock accumulated through tree growth and soil carbon increase. In the context of climate change, they are highly beneficial as they can offset emissions generated by greenhouse gases. However, such climate benefits have been negatively impacted by unsustainable forest management and illegal logging. These intensive practices contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and can have additional physical effects on the regional climate. Legislative initiatives have been implemented in order to curb the deleterious effects of such actions and instead capitalise on the climate benefits of forests.
International reporting and accounting of LULUCF activities under the Kyoto Protocol
Acutely aware of this challenge, global efforts targeted protecting forests have been in play for almost two decades. The Kyoto Protocol (adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005) operationalised the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) by committing industrialised countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce GHG emissions in accordance with agreed-upon individual targets. Under the Kyoto Protocol, parties are required to annually report emissions by sources and removals by sinks of CO2 and other greenhouse gases resulting from land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) activities— namely afforestation, reforestation and deforestation.
The EU elevates its commitment to sustainable land use and forestry in the fight against climate change
In 2021, building on the Kyoto Protocol, the European Commission has adopted a series of legislative proposals to help the block achieve climate neutrality by 2050 as well as deliver on the EU Green Deal and its 2030 climate targets. Among the relevant proposals are the review of the Land Use, Forestry and Agriculture Regulation, the EU Forest Strategy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Renewable Energy Directive. These revamped strategies consciously set out a policy framework to increase the quality, quantity and resilience of forests located in Europe and across the globe. Consequently, Member States, regional and local actors will adopt greener and more sustainable farming and forestry practices, ensuring the continued delivery of forests’ socio-economic and environmental functions. Copernicus data and services are ideal for monitoring progress on these targets.
EO applications for environmental monitoring and forestry
The EU’s climate objectives provide an opportunity for the EO industry to showcase its capacities and help the EU deliver on its policy objectives. The ambitious goals call for advanced and innovative capacities to monitor and analyse any changes to the state of forests. Together with in-situ knowledge and models, Copernicus data is a powerful operational instrument that helps monitor the evolution of the environment and measures progress towards the targets set by the Green Deal. Furthermore, new IT capabilities like cloud computing and AI enable large scale, dense time series analyses of the high-quality Copernicus data which are available on a full, free and open basis. The following sections demonstrate how Copernicus data is being used to support government as well as non-governmental organisations in monitoring land and forests for the benefit of the environment and in the support of the sustainable management of natural resources.
Copernicus for GHG emissions monitoring
In accordance with the Paris Agreement and the EU climate law, the EU is determined to dramatically lower its carbon footprint and ensure that the natural systems sustaining and serving as catalysers to this process are protected. In order to track progress towards this goal, a transparent system to monitor and report emissions is required. Thanks to its watchful eye, Copernicus is perfectly positioned to carry out this task. In particular, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) provides products and analyses on emissions and surface fluxes. Together with in situ observations, satellite data can estimate GHG concentrations. While in situ measurements are more accurate, satellite data provide more extensive observational coverage (throughout the entire world) and can updated much more rapidly than the fluxes relying on ground-based observations. Moreover, higher quality data gained by satellites can provide robust flux estimates for large countries to help them monitor their impact on the climate. Furthermore, in the coming years they will be leveraged by countries during their carbon accounting process. For example, methane flux estimates are measured by identifying anomalies in local methane concentrations anywhere in the world. Such anomalies can be detected by comparing CAMS’ up-to-date model simulations of methane with observations from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite. This methane anomaly detection system is expected to be implemented operationally towards the end of 2023.
Copernicus for advanced forest monitoring: resource mapping to ensure sustainable supply chains
Deforestation is an activity that puts pressure on the environment as it reduces the number of trees available to absorb increasing GHG emissions. REDD+, a UN framework, activated the monitoring of parameters such as land/forest cover and forest type to combat this phenomenon. The time series of Copernicus satellite images can create highly accurate forest mappings which allow authorities to detect change in forest areas. In particular, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2’s ability for clear-cut and partial-cut detection, through forest type classification, biomass estimation and disturbance detection, support forest management and the monitoring of illegal timber harvesting worldwide, which in turn helps with the validation of forest strand for wood purchasers. For example, Starling, a global forest monitoring service, is actively helping companies working in the food supply chain all over the world with their commitment to not contribute to deforestation. A reliable and near real-time monitoring tool, Starling detects changes to forest cover over time by comparing a reference land use map for a targeted region with Copernicus Sentinel-2 images acquired over the year. Changes to forest cover can be observed up to 0.5 ha. Even though the service mostly monitors regions that produce palm oil, Starling is planning to expand the monitoring activity to other commodities.
All this information supports the implementation of EU policies aimed at cutting down on deforestation, as well as sustainably managing and safeguarding forests worldwide, and Copernicus plays a crucial role. Not only it helps forest authorities to address pressing issues from an environmental and ecological standpoint, but also from an economic one. Commercial and sustainable interests are not mutually exclusive; quite the opposite, they are complementary. Long term forest management strategies that ensure the health and vitality of forests will ensure an annual sustained yield of timber which is necessary for the wood/paper based industries. Moreover, these sustainably sourced products made of carbon-capturing raw materials help reduce negative environmental impact thanks to their small carbon footprint.
Conclusion
Forests provide numerous social, economic and environmental benefits we have come to rely on. Acknowledging the importance of forests, the international community and the European Union have taken concrete steps to protect this resource for current and future generations. The holistic and complementary policy framework rolled out by the Commission aims to combat climate change, protect the environment and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, all while taking into account economic considerations. Indeed, creative solutions and applications are needed to help meet such policy needs. Thanks to its long-term data availability, precision, frequent revisit rate and high-quality data and products, Copernicus has been recognised as an invaluable tool to monitor land and forests by governmental and non-governmental entities alike. From helping monitor wood supply chains to carbon accounting and afforestation efforts, EO has and will continue to play a significant role in helping the EU deliver on its climate and sustainability goals as well as continue to foster a responsible and dynamic economic forestry sector.