Forest degradation and deforestation in west africa are widespread and the lack of information about the extent, magnitude and rate has contributed to inadequate development planning, and an inability…

The Trustees of Boston University received a $661,527 research grant from the Shared Services Center (a civilian federal agency) awarded on November 1, 2019, with an ultimate completion date of October 31, 2024. This grant supports capacity-building efforts to address forest degradation and deforestation in West Africa by providing participating countries with advanced landscape monitoring capabilities. The project leverages time-series analysis of Landsat satellite observations and sample-based estimation techniques through Google Earth Engine to generate comparable and accurate land cover and land change assessments. The initiative aims to equip West African decision-makers with the monitoring tools and data necessary for effective land management planning and compliance with international frameworks such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation).

The award includes comprehensive support for developing consistent land classification systems and area estimation methodologies, addressing a critical gap in the region's capacity to track and respond to environmental challenges. Boston University's research team, in collaboration with organizations including SilvaCarbon, GOFC-GOLD, and the SERVIR Eastern and Southern Africa Hub, will provide direct access to advanced science and technology for environmental monitoring. The grant carries no set-aside designation and reflects Boston University's established track record in capacity building within tropical regions and its expertise in leveraging emerging computing platforms for scientific research and societal impact.

Forest degradation and deforestation in west africa are widespread and the lack of information about the extent, magnitude and rate has contributed to inadequate development planning, and an inability of decision-makers and society to curb and mitigate the associated negative effects on land and people. A lack of access to the techniques and data required for production of comparable area estimates combined with a lack of consistent land classification systems prevent the generation of information on land dynamics required by decision-makers to arrive at effective decisions. For example, effective land monitoring and unbiased estimation of area are mandatory when reporting within international frameworks such as redd+ but being able to compare estimates in space and time is a necessity also for the local decision-maker. Of importance to the lack of access to more advanced monitoring and estimation techniques are algorithm complexity and demands on data processing and storage with the emergence of computing platforms such as google earth engine, we are now at a position where we can alleviate such obstacles by providing direct access to the science and technology required for addressing the environmental challenges in the region. With this proposal, we aim to provide to a set of countries in west africa the capacity for landscape monitoring based on the analysis of time series of landsat observations, comprehensive support for sample-based estimation of map accuracy and area of land cover and land change in google earth engine. Both the PI, CO-i, and collaborators have a proven record of capacity building in tropical countries collaboration and coordination with silvacarbon, gofc gold, and the AST for servir s eastern and southern africa hub will increase the likelihood of proposed effort having societal impact.