This seminar is organised by the Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests, an Oxford Martin School Centre

Speaker: Professor Dr Martin Herold, Chair of Remote Sensing, Center of Geo-Information, Department of Environmental Science, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Summary: Information on where and how change is happening is in high demand in particular on issues related to tropical forests. Prominent policy processes and land-based activities are causing or trying to influence how forest changes occur for many societally relevant areas. The world of Earth Observations is aiming to deliver some of that information: thematically rich, accurate and consistent in space and time over large areas. Significant parts of remote sensing scientist’s interests remains in field of sensor and technology-driven approaches, evolving tools for signal processing and image analysis, and developing fields of application. However the field is evolving in particular since it is trying to better track dynamics and changes, and works more closely with policy processes and through engagement of wider communities. Monitoring tropical forest change is such a worldwide issue of broad relevance since both the drivers causing forest loss and the resulting impacts are related to both local and global scales and linked to major policy and societal engagements (i.e. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - REDD+). This is driving also the Earth Observation community and I will try to highlight five of the factors that change the way that related science and impacts.

OCTF seminar followed by drinks. All welcome - to book a place please go to https://bookwhen.com/octf