Land Cover, Land Use Change & Ecosystems

Earth observation and geospatial information and analysis are critical for ecosystem monitoring and management. In Amazonia, geospatial information is regularly used to monitor terrestrial ecosystems, such as deforestation early alert systems. However the use of geospatial information to monitor water resources and aquatic/wetland ecosystems is much less developed. Geospatial and Earth observation services can provide information for planning and management at multiple scales. The relative importance of certain areas for biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, analysis of potential impacts of human activities, and options for sound management and conservation decisions are examples of information needs for key aquatic ecosystems affected by seasonal and longer-term changes in hydro-meteorological cycles, land use change, and development activities such as hydropower, roads, mining and others.
Contact: Karis Tenneson ktenneson@sig-gis.com

Drought and Fire Risk

Extended dry seasons and drought are a threat to agricultural food systems and create a different kind of disaster, including that of fire, one of the greatest threats to tropical forests. The Amazon has a long history of fire detection work, including Brazil’s fire monitoring system, which provides fire hotspot data and risk analysis for all of South America. However, drought/fire forecasting tools and their impacts on reducing food insecurity in the region are produced at coarse scales not always applicable for subnational management needs, and capacity at these levels is also sometimes lacking. Geospatial data and modeling, and associated capacity building, can create decision support services related to drought and fire risk that are relevant on regional, national, and subnational levels and that allow stakeholders to allocate resources more efficiently and effectively. Contact: Kátia Fernandes kdfernan@uark.edu

Water & Water Related Disasters

Both flooding and drought in Amazonia can cause multiple severe impacts on human and natural systems, and both can be exacerbated by climate variability, land use change, and poor land management practices. In the Amazon, many areas flood seasonally. As such, variation in river levels and accompanying floods or lack of flooding can dramatically affect population centers, agriculture, food systems and transportation, as well as natural ecosystems. Improvements in the timeliness of flood and low flow warnings, using local river- and stream-flow observations combined with remotely sensed precipitation, can improve disaster response and management/planning tools.
Contact: Brian Zutta bzutta@sig-gis.com

Weather and Climate

Weather and climate data are key to effectively inform water and ecosystem management, disaster preparedness, food security, energy provision and management, and land use planning. Successful risk management in these sectors requires climate and weather information to be provided at the right time and in useful formats. In the Amazon region, such data are not always collected, managed, shared, and analyzed to produce information needed for decision making at appropriate scales. Tailoring climate information appropriately for national to local scales is critical, as well as aligning the timescales of information with the timescales of decision-making.
Contact: Lou Verchot l.verchot@cgiar.org