Geo-spatial mapping of chestnut forests
Remote sensing for the monitoring of changes in land cover and for tracking forest health status
Description
FAO, with the support of Albanian State Authority for Geospatial Information, is developing a geo-spatial map of chestnut forests in the Tropoja region using high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor changes in land cover and forest health status over time. The initiative forms part of the “Sustainable Chestnut Value Chain Development” component of FAO’s “One Country, One Priority Product” (OCOP) programme.
Technology
The solution relies on FAO’s remote sensing technologies, particularly satellite imaging, Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping and machine learning to distinguish between chestnut vs non-chestnut areas, and to monitor changes over time, such as the results of FAO’s biological disease and pest control interventions targeting the protection of Tropoja’s chestnut forests. Furthermore, Albania’s State Authority for Geospatial Information (ASIG) has been approached to obtain higher resolution satellite images that will be used to support the project efforts to identify and map chestnut forest areas using advanced image interpretation techniques, and will be backed up by verification activities for the validation of the results.
Target
The solution targets primarily chestnut producers, chestnut forest managers, forest advisors and public authorities at different governance levels (national, regional, local).
Business model
The solution has benefitted from donor support provided by FAO.
Impact
The project was launched in 2023, and so at the time of writing in November 2024 the project can still be considered too young for an impact assessment. The use of geospatial data in decision-making processes is expected to empower farmers and improve the management of chestnut resources. The utilization of such technologies as satellite imaging and GPS mapping helps in the precise measurement of chestnut cover in Tropoja, allowing the effective monitoring of large chestnut areas, the tracking of chestnut health, which is important given the presence of the Asian Chestnut Gall Wasp in the region, and the assessment of changes in land cover to climate change.
Four Betters
Better production
Better environment
