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Regional training on
MENRIS
Kathmandu, Nepal (Hybrid)
14 November 2022 to 18 November 2022
We are organising a five-day training on forest carbon assessment using Earth observation (EO) and geospatial information technology (GIT) for early- and mid-career professionals from national organisations in our Regional Member Countries from the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.
The training will cover topics in EO and GIT applications for forest carbon stock monitoring, assessment, and reporting using a blended learning approach – presentations and guided practical exercises on vector and raster data visualisation and spatial analysis, forest area mapping, forest cover change analysis, carbon stocks calculation, and map production.
We are organising this training under the AOGEO Regional Centre for Capacity Development (RCCD), in collaboration with the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIRCAS) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and with support from the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO).
The main objective of this training is to build capacities of national agencies in the HKH region in the application of EO and GIT for monitoring forest carbon stock and to build networks and partnerships for future collaborations in research and geospatial product/service development.
Upon completion of the training, the participants will have a better understanding of the applications of EO and GIT in monitoring forest carbon stocks, enabling them to apply this knowledge in their working areas.
We will organise the training in hybrid mode (virtual and in-person) with 30 participants from national agencies in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Birendra Bajracharya, Regional Programme Manager, MENRIS
Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, Senior Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Specialist
Kabir Uddin, GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist
Poonam Tripathi, Geospatial Training Analyst
Sudip Pradhan, Programme Coordinator, Regional Database System Initiative
Sajana Maharjan, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Analyst, SERVIR-HKH
Nabin Bhattarai, Consultant – Forest Land Restoration, and REDD Research Associate
Xiang Zhou, Professor, AIRCAS
Qiangzi Li, Professor, AIRCAS
Liangyun Liu, Professor, AIRCAS
Guoqing Li, Professor, AIRCAS
Sunil Babu Shrestha, Vice Chancellor
Anthropogenic drivers and climate change pose immediate threats to the well-being of mountain communities and to environmental sustainability in the HKH region. National and regional actions are urgently needed to address these threats, with an emphasis on substantially increased investments for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services is a key climate action, where forest carbon stocks are an important indicator and precursor to carbon emissions and should be accounted for in national reporting on SDGs. Geospatial approaches and EO information can facilitate forest conservation through monitoring of canopy cover and quantification of loss/gain in above ground biomass and carbon.
Countries in the HKH region have limited capacity for assessing forest carbon stocks using EO and GIT. Capacity strengthening of national agencies including universities is important to gain access to more relevant EO data and locally calibrated methods. This training targets building capacities of key national institutions and individuals from the HKH region on innovative technologies and to disseminate the methods for monitoring forest carbon stocks. The training will also support the efforts to strengthen the AOGEO RCCD being initiated in collaboration among ICIMOD, AIRCAS, and NRSCC, and achieving the targets of SDG 15.
Capacity-building efforts in the HKH region and training overview – Birendra Bajracharya, ICIMOD
Welcome remarks – Pema Gyamtsho, ICIMOD
Introduction of AOGEO RCCD – Xiang Zhou, AIRCAS
Remarks – Sunil Babu Shrestha, NAST
Group photo
Pre-training assessment – Poonam Tripathi, ICIMOD
Lecture: Progress and frontier issues in the applications of remote-sensing technology in agriculture – Qiangzi Li, AIRCAS
Hands-on exercises
QGIS setup and installation – Poonam Tripathi, ICIMOD
Demonstration of Regional Database System and GIS data access – Sudip Pradhan, ICIMOD
Hands-on exercises session (continued) – Poonam Tripathi and Sajana Maharjan, ICIMOD
Introduction to QGIS
GIS data exploration and visualisation in QGIS
Reflections on previous day – Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, ICIMOD
Lecture: Remote sensing for forest monitoring – Liangyun Liu, AIRCAS
Exploring spatial analysis tools
Lecture: Space technology applications in Nepal: Efforts and strategy – (TBC), NAST
Lecture: REDD + and forest carbon stock – Nabin Bhattarai, ICIMOD
More on raster/vector data analysis in QGIS, information extraction, tables, charts, visualisation, results interpretation, etc.
China’s efforts in EO and data sharing – Guoqing Li, AIRCAS
Time series land cover data visualisation and analysis
Lecture: Efforts in land use land cover monitoring and the Regional Land Cover Monitoring System – Kabir Uddin, ICIMOD
Forest cover change analysis
Hands-on exercises session – Poonam Tripathi and Sajana Maharjan, ICIMOD
Calculating forest carbon stocks
Hands-on exercise: Map production – Poonam Tripathi and Sajana Maharjan, ICIMOD, NAST (TBC)
Post-training assessment – Poonam Tripathi, ICIMOD
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight Regional Member Countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Globalisation and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people. ICIMOD aims to assist mountain people to understand these changes, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream–downstream issues. We support regional transboundary programmes through partnership with regional partner institutions, facilitate the exchange of experience, and serve as a regional knowledge hub. We strengthen networking among regional and global centres of excellence. Overall, we are working to develop an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem to improve the living standards of mountain populations and to sustain vital ecosystem services for the billions of people living downstream – now, and for the future.
Since the early 1990s, ICIMOD has been working on strengthening the capacity of national institutions in the region on EO and geospatial technologies. ICIMOD is a GEO Participating Organisation and has been actively engaged in AOGEO as the lead of Himalayan GEOSS. It is a collaborating organisation of AOGEO RCCD.
The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) is an autonomous apex body established in 1982 with the goal of advancing science and technology in the nation. The academy is entrusted with four major objectives: advancement of science and technology for all-round development of the nation; preservation and further modernisation of indigenous technologies; promotion of research in science and technology; and identification and facilitation of appropriate technology transfer.
The Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was established in July 2017, following the approval for consolidation of three CAS institutes: the Institute of Electronics (IECAS), the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), and the Academy of Opto-Electronics (AOE). The merger is the outcome of CAS efforts towards reformation of its research and development system to meet future R&D challenges and to better meet the national demands.
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