Carbon mapping in Portugal forest and agroforestry systems using direct remote sensing and combine assign approaches
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Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD and REDD+) recommend
specific approaches for quantifying and spatializing ecosystem services (ES). In the
context of climate change, REDD recommends the mapping of carbon stocks and its sequestration
by vegetation cover to implement more appropriate environmental management
practices and policies against global warming. Forest carbon mapping is a current and important
environmental tool for a better land management as successful implementation of
climate change mitigation (Saatchi et al., 2011). This study presents the mapping of carbon
sequestration using two different approaches.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD and REDD+) recommend
specific approaches for quantifying and spatializing ecosystem services (ES). In the
context of climate change, REDD recommends the mapping of carbon stocks and its sequestration
by vegetation cover to implement more appropriate environmental management
practices and policies against global warming. Forest carbon mapping is a current and important
environmental tool for a better land management as successful implementation of
climate change mitigation (Saatchi et al., 2011). This study presents the mapping of carbon
sequestration using two different approaches. Firstly, the direct Remote Sensing (DRS) approach
using MODIS images (product MOD17) (Running & Zhao, 2015). Secondly, the indirect
approach named Combine and Assign (CA) Approach (Goetz et al., 2009). MODIS images
allow the accounting of Net Primary Productivity (NPP) which presents the quantity of carbon
absorbed by vegetation cover during a period as a key indicator of ecosystem performance.
The CA Approach combines remote sensing and field data in GIS environment to assess the
yearly carbon sequestration for each ecozone and the carbon losses by fires in 2010, using
the atmospheric flow proposed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Both
CA and DRS mapping approaches show that the forest stands, generally, Pinus pinaster and
Eucalyptus stands, in central and coastal areas have the higher CO2 sequestration potential.
However, these two species contribute significantly to CO2 emissions comparing to all other
species. The comparison between IPCC methodology and the MODIS product (MOD17) used
to follow the carbon dynamic in terrestrial ecosystems has demonstrate that IPCC method can
be used as a perfect method to validate MOD17 product.
