Amazonia Biodiversity Estimation
using
Remote Sensing
and
Indigenous Taxonomy
ABSTRACT
Measuring and monitoring biological diversity is a priority for safeguarding life on Earth.
Measuring species richness is the most popular method to assess biodiversity. It is however laborious and expensive. To obviate this problem many studies of biodiversity use higher taxon richness (using genera and families) as a less data demanding surrogate for species richness, or select some taxa as "indicator groups" to act as surrogates for the whole of biological diversity. Also, according to the "ecosystem approach", as stipulated by the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), an accurate biodiversity assessment would require other measures, such as ecosystem richness and data about the structure, processes and interactions of ecosystems.
This calls for the application, encouraged by the CBD, of the knowledge and know-how of indigenous and local communities in the assessment of biodiversity. For this purpose appropriate sampling methodologies will be developed yet still employing the standard biodiversity measures like the alpha, beta, gamma, Shannon and Simpson measures.
This would lower the costs of biodiversity surveys and benefit the indigenous and local communities.
The technique of remote sensing, using spectral data from reflected sun radiation and back-scattered radar data, can also provide surrogate measures for biodiversity, such as diversity of terrain, habitat and vegetation. Thus spectral data (LANDSAT TM, ENVISAT MERIS) can provide chemical-physical information, while backscattered radar data (ERS SAR, JERS SAR, ENVISAT ASAR) can provide morphological information. The two types of remotely sensed data can be processed synergistically to provide significant information (such as vegetation indices and habitat patches) of use in the generation of map layers.
This project aims to set-up and test a methodology for the assessment of the biological diversity of Amazonia, by applying the knowledge and know-how of the local communities of the region and integrating the outcome with information obtained by remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, appropriate to the requirements of the indigenous and local communities.
It also intends to provide ground truthing for the remote sensing of Amazonia and contribute to the baseline data sets of pristine or near pristine biotopes against which "trouble spots" can be monitored
It the same time this project is an exercise in sustainable development: it aims to create new jobs, raise the living conditions of the local communities encouraging them to remain in the forest.
This project will contribute to environmental education and in particular to the view that protection and sustainable utilization of biodiversity has economic returns. Moreover it will also help towards the establishment of Leap-frog Technology (Computers, GIS, GPS, Internet ) in the Amazonia region.
Finally, it intends to help towards capacity building for bioprospecting, believing that bioprospecting will be the natural evolution of "Extractive Reserves".