The ReCaREDD project : Colombia and Ecuador workshops, Bogotá and Quito, 1st - 8th June 2016

The workshop was held at the Colombian National Institute for Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) in Bogotá, from 1st - 3rd June under the aegis of the ReCaREDD project, funded by DG DevCO. IDEAM is the Colombian REDD focal point. The goal of the workshop was to discuss Colombian forest degradation processes and possible remote sensing - based assessment methods. This debate had already been started at the ReCaREDD South America workshop in Ispra (2015) with a limited number of invited local experts. At IDEAM, some 30 people attended the workshop, including several researchers from the Colombian Amazon Research Institute (SINCHI), from the National University at Bogotá (UNAL), and from Rutgers University (USA), and thus composing a broad audience to discuss with. During the workshop, the latest research findings at the JRC with respect to tropical forestry and remote sensing were presented. Different concepts and drivers of forest degradation in Colombia and the possible role of remote sensing were presented by and discussed with the participants of the different institutions. One workshop day was dedicated to the introduction and the training of the newest version of the JRC IMPACT Toolbox, with an emphasis on Sentinel-2 data processing and forest degradation assessment. The training followed by a general discussion on the possible developments of IMPACT and the way forward regarding forest degradation assessment, and on the relation of the assessment with the ongoing Colombian National Forest Inventory. In practical terms, the next steps were discussed with respect to the ReCaREDD project.