Inventory, Monitoring, and Analysis

Research indicates that tropical forest degradation from selective logging, fire and edge effects is much greater than previously estimated, and the effects of more frequent or intense severe weather events are unknown. To better plan and mitigate for the impact of these changes, the International Institute of Tropical Forestry performs long-term monitoring of multiple environmental, biological and social parameters which serve to track changes in forest conditions, human settlements and other landscape characteristics. A portion of these monitoring activities are done in collaboration with Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program personnel from the Southern Research Station who maintain and measure long-term forest plots in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Monitoring methods implemented by our scientists and collaborators include the use of remote sensing, environmental sensors, long-term vegetation plots, censuses and surveys. These approaches generate multiple types of data; from environmental parameters such as stream flow and chemistry, soil biogeochemistry, precipitation, litterfall, throughfall, atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, etc., to other key social attributes such as land ownership, rates of urbanization, income, etc. Trends detected by our scientists after analyzing these continuous, multi-year and openly available datasets help create tools that improve our understanding of human impacts on tropical forests. They also inform forest policy and facilitate the design of conservation strategies aiming to protect these important ecosystems.