Technology and field expertise for restoration projects
To accelerate and extend the implementation of high-quality Nature-based Solutions (NbS), robust tools are needed to monitor the stability and health of ecosystems, as well as their impacts on the environment and populations. Reforest'Action's Impact Unit relies in particular on modeling, remote sensing and geomatics (GIS) to prepare, reinforce or complement monitoring carried out in the field, as part of a solid process for assessing the stability of restored forest and agroforestry ecosystems, and the impacts they generate.
Field data collection
Data from satellite imagery
Artificial Intelligence
Modeling
Projection tools to put impact at the heart of project design
Projection tools are based on data analysis and modeling. Their purpose is to :
- assess the quality of the project's design, taking into account its context and the needs and capabilities of the project owner.
- suggest, where relevant, areas for improvement in project design.
- provide companies with a quantified impact estimate prior to project implementation.
Remote sensing for exhaustive and frequent examination of the project and its area of influence
Remote sensing and geomatics enable projects to be monitored remotely, regularly (once or several times a year) and exhaustively (over their entire surface area and zone of influence). These technologies are used to define the project context, analyze risks, monitor ecosystem health and assess impacts. The results provide spatial and temporal trends, which are used to frame field missions (for example, targeting an area showing water stress).
Exploration and field surveys to refine and complete remote analyses
Monitoring projects in the field is essential. Indeed, only the field can confirm the ecosystem's state of health, its capacity for regeneration, and many impacts that can only be measured on site. For this reason, Reforest'Action has a range of field protocols that can be applied to projects according to their main objectives and risks, and carried out by our own teams or by specialized service providers. Field missions also provide calibration data for remote sensing tools.
Ecosystem monitoring
Field mission guided by geospatial data analysis to verify ecosystem health and stability and provide adaptive management recommendations where necessary.
Biodiversity monitoring
Field monitoring techniques for animal biodiversity (environmental DNA, bioacoustics, photographic traps, naturalist inventory) to improve the quality of wildlife habitat within the project.
Carbon measurement
Field measurements of actual tree growth (from which the carbon stored in their biomass can be calculated), which can be accompanied by measurement of soil carbon stock by laboratory analysis.
Soil-related measures
Soil samples analyzed in the laboratory to study the soil's textural balance, nutrient availability, mineralization capacity and biological activity - the foundation of its natural fertility.
Measuring socio-economic impacts
A set of tools to assess and monitor the project's impact on communities, through employment, training, community projects or food production, for example.