Forest cover and erosion
Romania
Copernicus components
Objectives:
Leveraging high-resolution Earth Observation and remote sensing data to i) support monitoring deforestation and sustainable use of wood resources and ii) estimate the magnitude of potential rainfall-induced soil erosion.
Expected results:
A web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) will enable the users to visualise maps of changes in forest cover and causes of change, maps of potential soil loss and the factors influencing soil erosion. In addition, users will be able to perform spatial and temporal analysis on the available maps through user-friendly tools.
SDGs-EYES partners:
- Leader: Forest Design
- Partners: CMCC, SISTEMA, MEEO, SATCEN, PEFC Romania
Stakeholders:
Romanian authorities and local decision-makers managing land and natural resources. International or national associations outside the Pilot leveraging the proposed methodology for research, monitoring, decision-making and land-planning purposes.
- Romanian authorities, such as Green Energy Romanian Innovative Biomass Cluster, ICAS, IFN, MMAP, WWF
- International associations that might exploit the methodology outside the Pilot, such as the Confederation of European forests owners (CEPF), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), CI, World Business Council For Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
- National associations outside the pilot, such as ISPRA and Connecting Natural Values and People Albania (CNVP)
Forests cover almost one-third of Romania, while croplands more than half. Romania ranks among the top 5 EU countries facing substantial losses and costs due to soil erosion, especially in agricultural areas (Panagos et al., 2015). In this context, the value of forests is not only hosting biodiversity but combating land degradation. The Olt River is the longest river flowing solely within Romania. Within its catchment, changes in forest cover due to different causes, from wildfires to logging, often occur, making it a suitable site for monitoring forest cover change, soil erosion and their interplay
Panagos, P., Borrelli, P., Poesen, J., Ballabio, C., Lugato, E., Meusburger, K., Montanarella, L. & Alewell, C. (2015). The new assessment of soil loss by water erosion in Europe. Environ. Sci. Policy, 54, 438–447. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
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The SDGs-EYES project is funded by the European Union | Credits