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Mugabowindekwe M, Brandt M, Chave J, Reiner F, Skole DL, Kariryaa A, Igel C, Hiernaux P, Ciais P, Mertz O, Tong X, Li S, Rwanyiziri G, Dushimiyimana T, Ndoli A, Uwizeyimana V, Lillesø JPB, Gieseke F, Tucker CJ, Saatchi S, Fensholt R. Nation-wide mapping of tree-level aboveground carbon stocks in Rwanda. Nat Clim Chang 2022; 13:91-97. [PMID: 36684409 PMCID: PMC9845119 DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01544-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Trees sustain livelihoods and mitigate climate change but a predominance of trees outside forests and limited resources make it difficult for many tropical countries to conduct automated nation-wide inventories. Here, we propose an approach to map the carbon stock of each individual overstory tree at the national scale of Rwanda using aerial imagery from 2008 and deep learning. We show that 72% of the mapped trees are located in farmlands and savannas and 17% in plantations, accounting for 48.6% of the national aboveground carbon stocks. Natural forests cover 11% of the total tree count and 51.4% of the national carbon stocks, with an overall carbon stock uncertainty of 16.9%. The mapping of all trees allows partitioning to any landscapes classification and is urgently needed for effective planning and monitoring of restoration activities as well as for optimization of carbon sequestration, biodiversity and economic benefits of trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Mugabowindekwe
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Centre for Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Martin Brandt
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jérôme Chave
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, CNRS, UPS, IRD, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Florian Reiner
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David L. Skole
- Global Observatory for Ecosystem Services, Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI USA
| | - Ankit Kariryaa
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Igel
- Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Philippe Ciais
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA/CNRS/UVSQ/Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Ole Mertz
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xiaoye Tong
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sizhuo Li
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Université Paris Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Gaspard Rwanyiziri
- Centre for Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Department of Geography and Urban Planning, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Thaulin Dushimiyimana
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alain Ndoli
- International Union for Conservation of Nature—Eastern and Southern Africa Region, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Valens Uwizeyimana
- General Directorate of Land, Water, and Forestry, Ministry of Environment, Kigali, Rwanda
- Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Fabian Gieseke
- Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Information Systems, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Compton J. Tucker
- Earth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA
| | - Sassan Saatchi
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
| | - Rasmus Fensholt
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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