This week’s guided exercise will look at deforestation and how EO data can be used to help enforce programmes such as REDD+.

For this exercise, we will use the Earth Explorer tool from USGS and the Global Forest Watch interactive map from the World Resources Institute.

Follow the steps below and then join the discussion to compare results and discuss ideas with other learners. Once you feel confident with the tool, you can explore other locations and data sets of your choice.

You may find it helpful to open the exercise in a separate window.

Exercise 1

This exercise will allow you to explore the extent of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon over time.

1. Go to the USGS Earth Explorer tool. (This is a professional tool routinely used in EO data analysis).

2. On the left hand side of the screen under the ‘Search Criteria’ tab find the blue button labelled ‘Add Coordinate’. In the pop up box that appears type in the following coordinates for latitude 11 32 01 South and longitude 063 35 19 West and click ‘Add’. This should place the marker in Rondônia, Brazil.

3. Click on the ‘Data Sets’ tab in the box on the left hand side of the screen, and scroll down to ‘Landsat Legacy’. Click on the plus symbol to expand and select the box next to ‘TM Mosaics (1984 - 1997)’ then click on ‘Results’ at the bottom of the page, this will take a moment to generate the results.

4. Now zoom in on the map generated, which shows a region of the State of Rondônia in Brazil that has been heavily deforested. If you zoom in again you can immediately see large areas of extensive deforestation. (The deforested areas are the paler green areas).

Exercise 2

This exercise provides an alternative method of exploring deforestation using the Global Forest Watch tool.

1. Go to the ‘Global Forest Watch’ interactive map. This is a very user friendly interface allowing easy exploration of a range of data sets on an interactive map. Explore some of the menus, particularly under ‘Forest Change’ and ‘Forest Cover’ and zoom in on specific areas. Use the time slider tool to explore change in land cover over time.

2. For example, use this link to explore Brazil’s changing forest cover over time.

3. You can also use the ‘Stories’ menu to explore the impact of deforestation in specific areas. To find out more about the data used and other interactive tools from Global Forest Watch click on the home icon in the top left hand corner of the screen.

You can also explore other EO tools to help enforce deforestation policy at InfoAmazonia.