State of the art for tropical forest monitoring by remote sensing A review carried out for

Norway has undertaken a large initiative for reducing deforestation, in particular in tropical forests which represent a significant carbon store in the Earth system. However, measuring the effects of reducing deforestation, and hopefully also achieving some degree of reforestation, requires effective means of quantifying the results of the measures and giving quick warning if counteractions to negative results are needed. Infrastructure is almost absent in vast regions covered by tropical forests, and the only means to achieve something close to monitoring, with a counteractive and preventive effect, is by using remote sensing. Due to the significant extent of the rainforest areas, particular the Amazon rainforest, even airborne remote sensing can be insufficient, leaving satellite remote sensing as the only effective solution. This report gives an overview of the current state of the art of remote sensing techniques, detailing current relevant sensors and algorithms, usable datasets and information on the leading institutions for R&D on techniques that might lead to operational monitoring of tropical forests.