![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]() by Staff Writers Washington DC (SPX) Dec 07, 2017
About 40 percent of northern Malaysian Borneo's carbon stocks exist in forests that are not designated for maximum protections, according to new remote sensing and satellite mapping from Carnegie's Greg Asner and his colleagues. Asner's flying laboratory, the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, was able to map carbon stocks that - together with satellite imaging and other geospatial data - will guide conservation efforts undertaken by the Sabah Forestry Department in Malaysian Borneo, the Southeast Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), the PACOS Trust, BC Initiative and other organizations. "We are proud to be part of this groundbreaking endeavor in the state of Sabah, which sets us apart in accelerating the quest and capacity to protect, restore, and conserve more high-conservation and high-carbon forests in this country," said Sam Mannan, Chief Conservator of Forests. "We shall apply the information gathered for the common good of society, particularly, in mitigating against the worst effects of climate change. This project is of immense value to tropical forest management."
Why is measuring carbon stocks so important? So, figuring out which segments of Sabah's forests contain the most carbon in the form of biomass is an important first step in helping the government of the Sabah meet its goal of increasing protected forests from 1.8 to 2.2 million hectares. "The nearly 4 million hectares of Sabah's forests are a kaleidoscope of many different habitats and management histories, which required a wall-to-wall mapping effort to truly quantify the amount of carbon they contain," Asner explained. Using the Carnegie Airborne Observatory's signature technique, called airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy, integrated with satellite imaging, and other geospatial data, Asner and his team were able to provide high-resolution maps of Sabah's forests. In addition to finding 50 trees of the tallest tropical trees ever measured, the CAO team pinpointed important targets for conservation efforts. They found that about 40 percent of the state's carbon is contained in forests that are not protected at the highest designation. What's more, they discovered that Sabah could double carbon stocks by allowing previously logged forests to regenerate--a process that they estimate would take about a century. SEARRP's Glen Reynolds said: "it's a rare opportunity to work with state-wide datasets of this quality. By integrating the CAO maps with ground-based biodiversity data and information on the use of forests by local people, we should be uniquely well placed to identify hundreds of thousands of new conservation areas in Sabah that not only protect key habitats, but also the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities". "Forest carbon is an important factor in locating places where conservation efforts could make the greatest impact," Asner added. "But other data on canopy biodiversity and animal habitats, such as our work on Bornean orangutans, will also help inform decisionmakers."
![]() Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 29, 2017 The equivalent of 85 billion tons of carbon dioxide - a huge amount equal to three-quarters of the carbon stored in forests across the contiguous United States - is locked in the living vegetation of one African country that holds much of the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, according to new research. The study conducted by NASA, UCLA and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Germ ... read more Related Links Carnegie Institution for Science Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application
![]()
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |