View source for CRC990 EFForTS

[[file:hornbill.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Hornbill]]
__NOTOC__
*'''Title:''' Sub-project B05 - Methodological approaches to the assessment of all tree resources in transition systems in forested tropical landscapes
*'''Funding:''' DFG Collaborative Research Center
*'''Duration:''' 2012-2015
*'''Link:''' [http://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/310995.html CRC990 (EFForTS)]
*'''Coordination:''' Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleinn
*'''Project researcher:''' Dian Melati (PhD)
*'''Study sites:''' Harapan landscape and Bukit Duabelas landscape, Jambi Province, Sumatra


[[file:secondary_forest.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Secondary forest]]
[[file:rubber.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Rubber plantation]]

==Background==
The decrease of natural [[Estimating forest area|forest area]] in the tropics is alarmingly high as  a result of  forest over-utilization and land use changes. The reasons  are manifold, including increasing demand for forest products and  transformation of natural forests into high yield tree or agricultural  crops for food, fodder and biofuel. It is a challenge for research and  development to develop approaches that contribute to conservation and  enhancement of the forest resource and the functions and services that  forests provide. Forest transition systems cover wide areas in many  tropical regions, in particular where population pressure is high. An  example is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambi Jambi Province] on Sumatra in Indonesia, where forest  transition through deforestation and land conversion has proceeded at a  rapid pace, resulting in a land cover dominated by rubber and oil palm  plantations, with few remaining forest areas left. 

This research is part of Scientific Project B05 (SP B05) of the  [http://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/310995.html Collaborative Research Centre 990]. SP B05 is on methodological  approaches to the assessment of all tree resources in the study areas,  focusing on the estimation of [[Biomass functions and carbon estimation|above ground biomass]] and [[Estimating number of species|species richness]]  (biodiversity) using an integrated approach of both field sampling and  remote sensing. Numerous studies have been done on South East Asian  vegetation types for the estimation of above ground biomass and various  biomass models for tropical forest have been produced. However,  application of these models to specific situations like the one in the  CRC990 study area is frequently hampered by a number of uncertainties  about the applicability, provenance and [[Accuracy and precision|
precision]] of these models and  the lack of specific reference information. Regarding species richness  estimation, there is the expectation that remote sensing may yield  valuable information that allows improving the field sample based  observations.

==Project goals==

This project establishes a  sample-based system of long term [[Fixed area plots|observation  plots]] (inventory) over a  landscape that includes ecological core plots and  villages where  interviews take place. Planning of a suitable [[sampling design and plot design]]  in regard to defined target variables will be done based  on  statistical considerations and is an integrated research question in   this context. Field observations on measurable variables are taken in   order to derive estimates on biomass (above ground biomass, dead wood,   litter, and soil samples for C) and structure (biodiversity relevant  attributes,  including regeneration, species composition, crown cover).  Together with  findings from other sub-projects, regional estimates of  biodiversity  characteristics and carbon pools will be produced. 

Specific research questions in this context are analysis and improvement  of the error structure of biomass models and of approaches for the  sample-based estimation of the total [[estimating number of species|number of tree species]] in the area  of interest. Remote sensing imagery (the German vegetation-optimized  satellite RapidEye system and the new Indonesian satellite system from  2013 onwards) serve as carrier data to regionalize carbon and habitat  characteristics. These maps allow a second (not independent, however)  estimation of carbon pools and biodiversity characteristics and serve as  input for spatial analyses for other scientific projects, including  those which research into use and perception of natural resources within  villages. The project will provide spatially predicted information  about the resource around those villages up to a distance to be defined.  In addition, it allows extrapolating process-oriented findings from the  core plots to the landscape and allows comparisons of the approach of  ecological plots (small [[sample size]] & larger plots) to that of  observational studies (larger [[sample size]] & smaller [[fixed area plots| inventory plots]]). The  permanent installation of the sample plots allows for repeated  measurements at later project phases and offers an excellent option for  the assessment of vegetation structure and [[estimation on changes]] over time.
Depending on the imagery available, this project will  yield input information to other scientific projects. Furthermore,  depending on input from other projects, regionalization may also be done  for other carbon pools than above ground biomass only (i.e. for soil  carbon and below ground biomass).

==Work plan==
*Evaluate the application of biomass models on landscape level in transformation systems, including error analysis.
*Estimating biomass and species richness for study  sites in lowland rainforest, jungle rubber, intensive rubber and oil  palm plantations within the study region and optimize the integration of  field sampling and remote sensing analysis.
*Analyze and evaluate the applicability of remote  sensing in Jambi Province, in particular with respect to cloud cover,  topography and the particular spatial pattern of a transformation  landscape.
*Optimizing field sampling for integration with remote sensing for biomass estimation and estimation of biodiversity components.


==Partners==
'''German project partners:'''
*Different sub-projects in context of the CRC990

'''Indonesian project partners:'''
*[http://www.ipb.ac.id/ Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)]
*[http://www.unja.ac.id/ University of Jambi (UNJA)]






[[Category:Research projects]]
[[Category:projects]]