FAO/Agreenium/ESCAP is happy to announce the second installment of its international technical webinar series in 2021. This session will cover "Forest data for climate action: the importance of legal and institutional frameworks." This free webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 17 at 14:30 Rome time and is now open for registration!

✅ Register: http://bit.ly/3c7Wqz1

Learning Outcomes:
*Clarify why legal and institutional arrangements are paramount to implement robust and sustainable National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS);
*Launch of the FAO paper on “Institutionalisation of forest data: Establishing legal frameworks for sustainable forest monitoring in REDD+ countries;”
*Share experiences and lessons learned.

A milestone achievement has been reached for the Papua New Guinea (PNG) national government, development partners and stakeholders with the launch of the country’s second Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

The PNG NDC outlines key targets and climate actions that PNG is taking under the Paris Agreement as part of the global fight against climate change. 

The Hon. Wera Mori, Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change officiated at the launch of Papua New Guinea’s Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions 2020’’,on Monday 21^stDecember 2020, in Port Moresby, said: “PNG can be very proud that we’re taking proactive steps in mitigating impacts of Climate Change”.

PNG is one of six countries out of 196 that are signatory to the Paris Agreement. 

“My Government, and through successive leaderships, have shown commitment to fulfilling PNG’s obligations under the UNFCCC through mainstreaming climate change into development priorities as per the Vision 2050, the National Development Strategic Plan 2010- 2030, and the Medium-Term Development Plan III”, said Minister Marape on behalf of Prime Minister Hon. James Marape.

Papua New Guinea, as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), ratified the Paris Agreement in New York during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. PNG is a member of the Small Islands Developing State (SIDS) and aligns itself with the Alliance of Small Island Developing State (AOSIS) within the UNFCCC negotiations. PNG is also fortunate to be the current Chair of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN). 

Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Lance Bonneau, said there is no greater single-issue facing PNG’s national development than climate change.

“Taking urgent action on climate change requires a collaborative effort by all stakeholders from affected communities, Governments, civil society organisations, the private sector and development partners,” said Mr Bonneau.

Mr Bonneau said Papua New Guinea has always been at the forefront of climate action in the Pacific Region.

“This is a key milestone, and we are proud to be part of this great achievement. The enhancement of NDC with concrete targets to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, within the Forestry and Energy sectors, reflects PNG’s continued commitment to reduce emissions. To building resilient communities, PNG has also included adaptation targets of NDCs,” Mr. Bonneau said.

The NDC commitments were offered from the National Climate Compatible Development Management Policy (NCCDMP), under which PNG aims to reduce its emissions to 50 percent by 2030 - and to be carbon neutral by 2050, while also maintaining a vibrant economy, and that the targets are conditional. The commitments for emission reductions are focused on the energy and forestry with targets of a carbon-neutral energy industries sector, a reduction by 10,000Gg of emissions from the forest sector through delivering a 25% reduction in levels of deforestation and degradation.  

Minister Mori congratulated the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) NDC Technical Team with support from various key stakeholders, the development partners in particular UNDP, FAO, USAID, GGGI, NDC Partnerships, GIZ, IRENA; UNEP, DFAT and the NDC Regional Pacific Hub, who worked tirelessly on revising NDC and providing support throughout the process.

The Department of Lands and Physical Planning has brought together stakeholders from relevant national and provincial government agencies, incorporated landowner groups, and the private sector in the stakeholder consultation meeting on the review of PNG’s National Sustainable Land Use (NSLUP) for Southern Region from 28 to 30 October 2020. 

This is the last regional consultation workshop to share experiences and lessons learned, and to contribute to the revision of the NSLUP in the country. 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) within its project on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) supporting the Government of PNG to harmonise land use sector based legislations in line with the National REDD+ Strategy 2017-2027 which was endorsed by the Government back in 2017. 

Honourable John Rosso, Minister for Lands and Physical Planning acknowledged the support of all stakeholders and development partners to sustain and advance economic growth, and to promote responsible stewardship of land resources and social well-being in the country.

“Land is critical for Papua New Guinea as more than 90 percent of lands belong to people and having views of respective government agencies and landowners are important for us to streamline our efforts towards sustainable future of the nation,” said Honourable Minister Rosso. 

The UNDP Chief Technical Advisor Mr. Mirzohaydar Isoev, on behalf of UNDP, appreciated the Department of Lands for its leadership to ensure sustainable and green growth development in the country.

“UNDP as a longstanding partner of the Government is pleased to be part of the process, and to assist PNG moving toward the greener and more sustainable country. Whilst, we are also supporting other lead agencies to review the climate change and forestry policies – to align all sectoral legislations with the national and international commitments,” he said.

UNDP in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been supporting the Department of Lands and Physical Planning (DLPP) to revise the National Sustainable Land Use Policy (NSLUP) with participation of an inclusive group of key stakeholders. 

The importance of NSLUP and planning is recognized under two key action areas of the PNG’s National Strategy on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). 

It is to strengthen and coordinate the National Level Development and Land Use Planning through development of climate and REDD+ relevant development indicators within the national development framework and strengthening of development of national land use policy, planning and legislation. The other one is to integrate Subnational Planning through strengthening Ward Level (district council) and Local Level Government (LLG) planning, and strategic development planning at provincial and district levels, and the linkages between levels of planning. 

Stakeholders at the New Guinea Islands Regional Consultation Workshop on 7-9 October in Kokopo. Photos: FCPF

The DLPP is leading the revision of the NSLUP, and currently undertaking stakeholder consultations across all regions of the country. 

More than 100 stakeholders from relevant national and provincial government agencies, incorporated landowner groups, and the private sector, came together for the New Guinea Islands Regional Consultation Workshop on 7-9 October in Kokopo, to share experiences and lessons learned, and to contribute to the revision of the NSLUP in the country. UNDP and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) in PNG jointly supported this organization. 

Deputy Secretary of the DLPP, Mr. Oswald Tolopa said his department acknowledged the support of the development partners to sustain and advance economic growth, and to promote responsible stewardship of land resources and social well-being in the country. 

“Increasing awareness and potential benefits to sectoral agencies, subnational governments, and land-owner groups is crucial to the success of the policy, and requires sensitization and engagement over a period of time,” said Mr. Tolopa. 

The UNDP Chief Technical Advisor Mr. Mirzohaydar Isoev, on behalf of UNDP, appreciated the Department of Lands for its leadership to ensure sustainable and green growth development in the country. 

“UNDP as a longstanding partner of the Government is pleased to be part of the process, and to assist PNG moving toward the greener and more sustainable country. Whilst, we are also supporting other lead agencies to review the climate change and forestry policies - to align all sectoral legislations with the national and international commitments,” he said. 

The Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) with support of UNDP’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) REDD+ Project facilitated a validation of Papua New Guinea’s first Summary of Information (SOI) and Safeguards Information Systems (SIS) on 25 September 2020, participated by all relevant stakeholder agencies at the Inter-Agency Technical Working Committee meeting. 

The development of a SIS is one of the three safeguard-related requirementsoutlined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is linked to the delivery of results-based payments from REDD+ Policies and Measures (PaMs). The SIS will be working in alignment with the National REDD+ Strategy to have an effective SIS in place that will provide information on the application of the Cancun REDD+ Safeguards in PNG, which has to be in compliance with the guidance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Whereby,the first SOI is presented on how safeguards listed in decision 1/CP.16 Appendix I, are being addressed and respected in accordance with decisions 12/CP.17, 12/CP.19, 17/CP.21.

Participants at the SOI & SIS validation workshop. Photo: FCPF Project	Presentation at the SOI & SIS validation workshop. Photo: FCPF Project

Mr. Terence Barambi, the CCDA REDD+ Manager during his opening remarks on behalf of the Managing Director said, “The CCDA will closely work with partners across government sector and civil society to strengthen existing and new systems of safeguards within PNG to further preventing negative impacts, and striving to maximize positive effects of REDD+ actions on the development in PNG.”

Initially, the development of the social and environmental safeguards relating to REDD+ in PNG was started in 2012 with support from the UN-REDD Programme, when the draft of the Guidelines on National Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for REDD+ and formation of a technical working group on SES relating to REDD+ were developed. Later in 2014, after various reviews and analysis of existing policies, laws, and regulation (PLRs), a SIS Roadmap was developed. 

In 2015-2016, with the support of the FCPF Project, PNG adopted a Country Approach to Safeguards (CAS) with a view of meeting multiple international REDD+ Safeguards requirements, especially those of the UNFCCC and the World Bank/FCPF, during which a scoping exercise was also undertaken to evaluate and assess the safeguards related activities previously undertaken in PNG, and several outputs and activities were carried out.

“I hope that with all of these more inclusive systems and required policies, PNG will be in a better position for incentives from REDD+ implementation so to continue taking more effective actions in conserving and sustaining their forests for the next generations to come,” said Mr. Mirzohaydar Isoev, the UNDP’s Chief Technical Advisor on REDD+, adding that, “I also encourage all key stakeholders’ inputs to promote a greater exchange of knowledge, expertise and skills, which then the systems will be well applied and accessed more effectively.”

At the workshop, participants were invited from different stakeholder groups, including academia, non-government organizations, partners, private sector, and other key government institutions from Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA), Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority (CEPA), Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), Department of Lands and Physical Planning (DLPP), Prime Minister and National Executive Council (PM&NEC), Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG), Papua New Guinea Constitutional Law Reform Commission (CLRC), Department of Community Development (DCD), Department of Provincial and Local Level Government (DPLLG), Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA), Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), and National Statistical Office (NSO).

Papua New Guinea has the third largest tropical forest in the world and is at the forefront of working towards fostering conservation and sustainable management of its forest.

The first group of the Zoom Call Training on SIS Database Reporting System

UNDP is working closely with government partner, the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) to look at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, also known as REDD+. Deforestation increases greenhouse gas emissions thus contributing to climate change. How do we promote conservation and sustainable management of forests? Can the introduction of incentives help promote this cause?

Despite the current global COVID-19 pandemic, CCDA with support of the UNDP’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s REDD+ Project, held an online certification course on “REDD+ Safeguards Database Reporting System. 

Over 30 representatives from the government, civil society and private sector organisations benefited from this training and strengthened their knowledge on how to use the digital platform to protect the social and environmental safeguards. 

Mrs. Gwen Sissiou, CCDA General Manager for REDD+ and Mitigation said, “Drawing on information from the safeguards information system (SIS) can strengthen the quality, reliability and credibility of the summaries, particularly when it comes to demonstrating improvements in reducing carbon emissions from deforestation in PNG.”

Mr. Mirzohaydar Isoev, UNDP’s Chief Technical Advisor on REDD+ said, “The online training is an example of how digitalisation can be introduced to add value to national efforts to protect natural assets.”

Fecha: 13 de octubre

Hora: 10 a.m. hora de Panamá; 11 a.m.hora de Nueva York; 5 p.m. hora de Roma; 10 p.m. hora de Bangkok

Por favor regístrese aquí

URL de la reunión: https://fao.zoom.us/j/98867103022?from=msft (Código de acceso: 377368)

Idioma: Español

Los bosques son el hogar del 80 por ciento de la vida en la tierra, y con una asombrosa variedad de criaturas, grandes y pequeñas. Incluso las criaturas más pequeñas juegan un papel crucial para sostener la vida, permitiendo que los árboles y todas las demás plantas remarcables crezcan. Hoy en día esta biodiversidad sufre serias amenazas. Millones de hectáreas de bosques se pierden cada año.

Es en este contexto, que el manejo forestal comunitario entendido como una de las opciones más promisorias para resolver el gran dilema de la conciliación entre la preservación de la naturaleza y el desarrollo económico, ha cobrado importancia en las últimas décadas. Hoy por hoy, el manejo forestal comunitario es visiblemente reconocido como una de las opciones estratégicas que se deben promover para conservar, manejar y usar sosteniblemente los recursos, pero además, para mejorar las condiciones de vida de las comunidades rurales que dependen o viven cerca de ecosistemas boscosos.

El manejo forestal comunitario persigue un uso planificado de diferentes tipos de bosque por parte de las poblaciones locales; entre ellas, comunidades indígenas, campesinas, afrodescendientes, asentamientos de colonos, poblaciones ribereñas y pequeños agricultores o finqueros en general.

Actualmente, en el marco de la situación que el mundo afronta ante la pandemia por COVID-19 y los efectos críticos, no solo en la salud, sino a en temas socioeconómico, que la misma dejará en el mundo, el Manejo Forestal Comunitario es una de las soluciones basadas en la naturaleza que se ven promisorias para revertir en la medida de lo posible estos efectos. Se considera que el Manejo Forestal Comunitario podría hacer parte de las intervenciones que combinen la mitigación de la pobreza y la protección del medio ambiente (e.g. restauración y el monitoreo de los bosques, PSA, facilitar un mejor acceso y uso de alimentos silvestres, conocimiento tradicional).

En este contexto, el presente webinar se busca tener un intercambio de experiencias de manejo forestal comunitario en Latino América, entre Panamá, Ecuador, Perú y, Colombia, con el fin de dar a conocer los principales avances en cada país, pero además, tener una discusión sobre cuáles son los principales retos que se afronta en la sostenibilidad de estos procesos.

OBJETIVO

• Intercambiar experiencias de manejo forestal comunitario en Latino América, entre Panamá, Ecuador, Perú y, Colombia, con el fin de dar a conocer los principales avances, y retos que se afronta en la sostenibilidad de estos procesos en cada país.

RESULTADOS

• Fortalecer los lazos entre los grupos llevando a cabo manejo forestal comunitario en Latino América
• Establecer la importancia del manejo forestal comunitario en las acciones para reducir la deforestación y degradación de los bosques

PRÓXIMAS ACCIONES

• Generación de memorias del espacio y nota de prensa con los principales resultados. Para ello se coordinará con los especialistas en comunicaciones de cada país.

Fecha: martes 13 de octubre a las 10 hora de Panamá/Colombia

Duración: 1h 45 minutos

Moderación: José Díaz, FAO

Facilitación: Maricarmen Ruiz, Adriana Yepes, Maryia Kukharava, Andrés Bolaños

Plataforma: Zoom (500): https://fao.zoom.us/j/98867103022?from=msft

Contraseña: 377368

AGENDA

PONENTES

Rafael Valdespino – Panamá. Es técnico en la Empresa Forestal Bálsamo de Marranganti S.A, en donde apoya en capacitaciones y la implementación de los Planes Operativos Anuales, y otros temas administrativos de la Empresa Forestal comunitaria.  Rafael es de la etnia Embera de la Comarca Embera Wounaan, localizada en el este de Panamá. Rafael también, ayuda a sus líderes tradicionales en temas de monitoreo comunitario de bosques, veedurías forestales y delimitando territorios.  Adicionalmente, ha apoyado con éxito capacitaciones técnicas en monitoreo satelital y terrestre a otras comunidades indígenas de Panamá y ha intercambiado lecciones aprendidas en monitoreo comunitario de bosques con comunidades indígenas en Paraguay.

Información contacto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Carlos Pozo – Ecuador. Carlos se desempeña como presidente de la Asociación Kallari, empresa comunitaria que inició con el emprendimiento de rescatar el cacao fino y de aroma amazónico en Ecuador, y que actualmente integra la Red de Asociaciones de la Chakra amazónica de Napo. Cuenta con importante experiencia en procesos organizativos y de fortalecimiento de las cadenas de valor para productos que se comercializan en mercados especiales, lo que involucra proceso de certificación agroecológica, normas de manufactura, trazabilidad y establecimiento de acuerdos comerciales. Ha trabajado como especialista en proyectos para la Cooperación Técnica Alemana (GIZ), en la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura FAO, y en empresas nacionales como PACARI.

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Graciano Caicedo Arroyo– Colombia. Graciano es ingeniero topográfico, egresado de la Escuela de Ingeniería Civil y Geomática de la Universidad del Valle. Es además, líder comunitario y docente de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas de la institución Educativa “Esther Etelvina Aramburo García”. Graciano cuenta con experiencia en identificación, formulación, y evaluación de proyectos de desarrollo comunitario con metodología participativa y enfoque de Marco Lógico. Actualmente lidera y acompaña procesos de derechos colectivos y monitoreo comunitario de fauna y bosque, y es el delegado por el Consejo Comunitario del Río Yurumanguí para la dirección del equipo técnico de manejo forestal comunitario, encargado de la autorización forestal expedida por la autoridad ambiental para tal fin.

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Marcelo Odicio – Perú. Marcelo es Jefe de la Comunidad Nativa Yamino (ubicada en Ucayali, en la zona de amortiguamiento del Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul), es de la etnia Kakataibo, región Ucayali. Como jefe de la comunidad, Marcelo participa activamente en las actividades de manejo forestal y monitoreo del territorio comunal, siendo  el nexo de coordinación entre las autoridades vinculadas a bosques, áreas protegidas, empresa , federación y los miembros de su comunidad. Ha participado en una alianza voluntaria para apoyar y fortalecer las acciones de control, vigilancia y monitoreo de 30,537 hectáreas de bosque comunales, a fin de reducir los impactos en el Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul, Área Natural Protegida conexa a su comunidad.

Contacto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

MODERACIÓN

José Díaz – FAO. José cuenta con amplia experiencia en manejo forestal comunitario, cambio climático y organizaciones productoras agrícolas y forestales. Ha trabajado en los sectores público, privado y cooperación internacional. Actualmente es Oficial Forestal para Organizaciones Productoras de la División Forestal de la FAO, con sede en Roma. Sus responsabilidades en la FAO incluyen promover el desarrollo de políticas habilitantes y de fortalecer la capacidad de las Organizaciones de Productores forestales, especialmente de los pequeños propietarios, comunidades y pueblos indígenas para mejorar su gobernanza, igualdad de género e inclusión, y desarrollar empresas sostenibles y mejorar el acceso a los mercados, en el contexto general del programa estratégico de la FAO para reducir la pobreza rural.

Información contacto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PALABRAS DE APERTURA

Adriana Yepes Quintero - Asesora Regional REDD+ y Manejo Forestal Sostenible FAO. Adriana es Ingeniera Forestal y Master Science en Bosques y Conservación Ambiental de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín. Ha trabajado en conservación, manejo y uso sostenible de los bosques y cambio climático desde hace 15 años en varias instituciones nacionales e internacionales. Desde 2015, trabaja en la oficina de País de FAO en Colombia y actualmente coordina varios procesos de Manejo Forestal Sostenible en Colombia como parte de la asistencia técnica de FAO en el marco del Programa UN-REDD.

Información contacto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LANZAMIENTO CURSO e-learning “Bosques y transparencia en virtud del Acuerdo de París”

Rocío Cóndor - Oficial Forestal (Marco de Transparencia Mejorado) FAO. Rocío coordina el proyecto FAO / GEF “Fomento de la capacidad global para aumentar la transparencia en el sector forestal (CBIT-Forest)”, con el objetivo de fortalecer las capacidades de los países en desarrollo en la recopilación, análisis y difusión de datos relacionados con los bosques para cumplir con los requisitos del Marco de Transparencia Reforzado (MTR) del Acuerdo de París. Rocío tiene 20 años de experiencia trabajando a nivel nacional e internacional en medición, reporte y verificación (MRV). Se unió a la FAO en el 2012 y ha liderado actividades de fortalecimiento de capacidades en África, Asia y ALC, además ha apoyado iniciativas de cooperación sur-sur como redes en América Latina y el Caribe, Mesoamérica y África Occidental, así como redes regionales relacionadas con MRV/MTR.

Información contacto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PALABRAS DE CIERRE

David Kaimowitz – Consultor FAO. David es consultor de la FAO en materia de inclusión social y manejo sostenible de recursos naturales, y asesor del Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA). Previo a eso, fue el Director de Recursos Naturales y Cambio Climático de la Fundación Ford y Director General del Centro Internacional para la Investigación Forestal (CIFOR). Se especializa en políticas que afectan los bosques, con énfasis en la deforestación, tenencia de la tierra y forestal, manejo forestal comunitario e indígena y descentralización. Ha ocupado cargos profesionales en varias instituciones de Nicaragua, cuenta con un PhD en economía agropecuaria de la Universidad de Wisconsin – Madison, y es autor o co-autor de más de cien publicaciones científicas.

Información contacto: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The XV World Forestry Congress Secretariat invites you to submit abstracts for papers, posters and videos as well as proposals for side events. 

The submissions should address the Congress theme Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests. The deadline for submissions of abstracts for papers and posters and side event proposals is 5 October 2020, and the deadline to submit videos is 18 November 2020.  The Congress will be held from 24-28 May 2021 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Registration for the Congress is now open. Register now to take advantage of the early bird discount!

For more information about the Congress, visit https://wfc2021korea.org/index.html

We would like to invite REDD+ practitioners to the FAO/Agreenium/UNESCAP technical webinar on open and transparent forest data for setting the course for green future under the Paris Agreement. This webinar is the fifth in a series of technical webinars and participants are welcome to make comments and ask questions as this webinar is designed to be an interactive session.

Objectives of this session:

• Discuss the importance of the Enhanced Transparency Framework under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement and the contribution of forests
• Introduce the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) to support the Paris Agreement implementation
• Present the CBIT-Forest global project and launch of three brand new E- learning modules of the elearning course “Forests and transparency under the Paris Agreement”

Speakers:

This technical webinar will be delivered by Ms Lisa Hanle (UNFCCC), Ms Milena Gonzalez Vasquez (GEF), Mr Pascal Martinez (GEF) and Ms Rocío Cóndor-Golec (FAO). The event will be moderated by Mr Khalil Walji (FAO) and by Ms Cristina Petracchi, Leader of the FAO eLearning Academy.

Date/Time:

Wednesday 15 July 2020 | 14:30 - 16:00 CEST

How to attend:

The webinar is free and open to everyone, provided you have the link to the platform.
To join the webinar session on Zoom, kindly register here.
We suggest you to use Google Chrome in order to join the webinar.
We also recommend you to check your time zone here.

Groundwater Monitoring using Observations from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Missions (June 25, 2020)

Bilingual (English and Spanish)

Groundwater makes up roughly 30% of global freshwater. It also provides drinking water for the world’s population, and irrigation for close to 1/3rd of global agricultural land. Because of this level of reliance, monitoring groundwater is crucial for water resources and land management. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE-Follow On (GRACE-FO) missions from NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) provide large-scale terrestrial water storage estimation from mid-2000 to present. The mission uses twin satellites to accurately map variations in the Earth's gravity field and surface mass distribution.

GRACE observations have been used for detecting groundwater depletion and for drought and flood predictions. This lightning-style training is designed to answer the demand and interest from the applications community in technologies that can be used to support water resources management. The webinar will provide an overview of the GRACE missions, groundwater data availability, and their applications in the monitoring and management of water resources. This lightning webinar will also serve as the foundation for the upcoming advanced webinar: Using Earth Observations to Monitor Water Budgets for River Basin Management II.

Course Date and Times: June 25, 2020

• Register Here: English (11:00-12:30 ET)
• Register Here: Spanish (14:00-15:30 ET)

Learning Objectives: By the end of this training, attendees will be able to access GRACE data and analyze regional groundwater changes

Course Format: A single, 1.5-hour webinar that includes a lecture and a question & answer session; One session offered in English (11:00-12:30 ET) and one in Spanish (14:00-15:30 ET)

Audience: The content of this training was developed for local, regional, state, federal, and international organizations engaged in the management of water resources, irrigation, and agricultural management.

Understanding Phenology with Remote Sensing (June 30, July 7, 14, 2020)

This training will focus on the use of remote sensing to understand phenology: the study of life-cycle events. Phenological patterns and processes can vary greatly across a range of spatial and temporal scales, and can provide insights about ecological processes like invasive species encroachment, drought, wildlife habitat, and wildfire potential. This training will highlight NASA-funded tools to observe and study phenology across a range of scales. Attendees will be exposed to the latest in phenological observatory networks and science, and how these observations relate to ecosystem services, the carbon cycle, biodiversity, and conservation.

Course Dates: June 30, 2020. July 7,14, 2020

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT (UTC-4)

Register Here

Learning Objectives: By the end of this training series, attendees will be able to:

• Summarize NASA satellites and sensors that can be used for monitoring global phenology patterns
• Outline the benefits and limitations of NASA data for phenology
• Describe the multi-scalar approach to vegetation life cycle analyses
• Compare and contrast data from multiple phenology networks
• Evaluate various projects and case-study examples of phenological data

Course Format: Three, one-hour sessions

Audience: This training is designed for individuals and organizations interested in using satellite imagery for mapping vegetation health and seasonal patterns. 

Advanced Webinar: Using Earth Observations to Monitor Water Budgets for River Basin Management II (July 21, 28,August 4, 2020)Rivers are a major source of freshwater. They support aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, provide transportation, generate hydropower, and when treated, provide drinking and agricultural water. Estimating and monitoring water budgets within a river basin is required for sustainable management of water resources and flooding within watersheds. This advanced-level webinar series will focus on the use of NASA Earth observations and Earth system-modeled data for estimating water budgets in river basins.Past ARSET trainings on monitoring water budgets for river basins focused on data sources relevant for river basin monitoring and management, and provided case studies for estimating the water budget of a watershed using remote sensing products. This advanced webinar will include lectures and hands-on exercises for participants to estimate water budgets for a given river basin.Course Dates: July 21, 28, and August 4, 2020.Times: 10:00-12:00 & 16:00-18:00 EDT (UTC-4); There will be identical sessions at two different times of the dayRegister HereLearning Objectives: By the end of this training, attendees will be able to:

• Identify and access remote sensing and Earth system-modeled data for estimating water budgets in a river basin
• Explain the uncertainties involved in estimating water budgets for river basins
• Replicate the steps for estimating water budgets for a river basin and sub-watersheds using remote sensing products and GIS

Course Format: Three, two-hour parts that include lectures and demonstrations, exercises, and question and answer sessions. Each webinar will be broadcast in English with training materials available in Spanish.

Audience: The content of this training was developed for local, regional, state, federal, and international organizations engaged in the management of water resources, river basins, floods, droughts, land development, river transportation, hydroelectric power, and reservoirs.

Join ARSET - NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Programme for a series of open webinars on the utility of satellite radar data in English and Spanish.