1. www.le.ac.uk 20 years of Tropical Forest Research at the University of Leicester Sue Page, Kevin Tansey, Heiko Balzter, Agata Hoscilo, Matthew Waldram, Milton Romero-Ruiz, Pedro Rodriguez-Veiga, Bashar Dahdal, James Wheeler, Sarah Owen, Narissara Nuthammachot, Outi Lahteenoja, Wayne Murphy et al.

2. An impressive track record of research > 50 peer-reviewed publications >£3 million in income from current projects > 30 PhD students > 50 conference papers Impact and Esteem –GCOS Climate Panels –Contribution to GEO activities –European Space Science Committee –GMES Land Monitoring Core Service –Consultancies for ESA, Australian Government etc. –Influence on policy (esp. biofuel policy)

3. Focus of NCEO collaboration Tropical forest degradation – implications for C cycle Use & applications of remote sensing – optical & radar (ALOS-PALSAR – Matt Waldram) Focus on tropical peatlands – especially peat swamp forest in SE Asia Scale of GHG emissions Implications for REDD, land-use planning, biofuel policies etc.

4. Tropical peat carbon pool Best estimate 89 Gt Range 82 - 92 Gt 69 Gt (77%) in Southeast Asia 65% 10% 11% 8% 3% Equivalent to: 3.5% global vegetation & soil carbon pool 15-19% global peatland carbon store (Page et al. 2011. Global Change Biology ) Page et al. 2011 Global Change Biology

5. SE Asia Amazonia Africa? Congo Basin ~ 10,000 km 2 with depths up to 60 m?

6. Peatland typology & extent – Pastasza Fan, Peruvian Amazonia Lahteenoja & Page 2011 Journal of Geophysical Research

7. Impacts of disturbance

8. Modeling carbon emissions from drainage of tropical peatlands (peat oxidation emissions) Current tropical peat drainage emissions equivalent to 1.4 – 3.5 % of global emissions from fossil fuels (25,000 Mt CO 2 yr -1 ) (excluding initial biomass loss & fire) [based on 91 t ha -1 y -1 CO 2 at 1 m & 46 t ha -1 y -1 at 0.5 m drainage] (Hooijer, Page et al. 2010, Biogeosciences) Near-current (2005): 355-874 Mt CO 2 yr -1 (100–240 Mt C yr -1 ) Projected (2015-2035): 557-981 Mt CO 2 yr -1 (150-270 Mt C yr -1 )

9. Modeling carbon emissions from drainage of tropical peatlands Constraints Scale of unit heterotrophic CO 2 emissions Usefulness of published data limited by low data amount in individual studies i.e. data sets too small to describe the phenomenon both spatially & temporally CO 2 emissions from heterotrophic (decomposition) processes and autotrophic (root) respiration not separated poor method description and data collection procedures Extent of drained peatlands Lack of objective up-to-date information on the extent of drained peatlands – in particular industrial plantations

10. Confirming scale of unit CO 2 emissions: Study in plantation on peatland in Sumatra, Indonesia Study sets a standard for greenhouse gas flux studies from tropical peatlands under agricultural management. First to purposefully quantify heterotrophic CO 2 emissions. Provides most scientifically- and statistically-rigorous study to date of CO 2 emissions. (Jauhiainen, Hooijer & Page (2012) Biogeosciences Mean heterotrophic CO 2 emission (±SE) 1053±88 mg m -2 h -1 at 0.78 m average water table depth = 92 t ha -1 y -1 After correction for diurnal temp fluctuation  ~80 t ha -1 y -1 Carbon loss still considerable even at highest water levels theoretically possible in plantations; loss of forest canopy, higher peat surface temperature, fertilisation all enhance CO 2 emissions

11. (From: Hooijer, Miettinen, Tollenaar, Page, Malins, Vernimmen, Chenghua Shi, Soo Chin Liew (2012) ICCT White Paper No. 16) Mietinnen ….. & Page (accepted) Global Change Biology-Bioenergy

12. Policy impact Two white papers for International Council on Clean Transportation White Paper 15 – Review of GHG emissions from oil palm plantations on peat White Paper 16 – Historical, current and projected future extent of oil palm plantations on peat  EU, EPA & CARB biofuel policies

13. Peat swamp forest disturbance Paper published in Nature First estimates of carbon losses as a result of El Nino fires in 1997 Multi-sensor approaches 1992-

14. Forest fire severity EC funded Mapped land cover change and forest disturbance Fire severity indicators established Consultancy projects 2006-2009

15. Other consequences of peat oxidation & fire Change in organic geochemistry + formation of black carbon Change in surface water-repellency Increased fluvial C losses (esp. DOC) Surface subsidence (~5 cm/yr)*  flooding 28 yrs *(Hooijer, Page, Jauhiainen et al, Biogeosciences, in press) *Hooijer, Page & Jauhiainen (2012-in press) Biogeosciences

16. InSAR observations of peat swamp forest Surface subsidence following disturbance mapped Implications for C loss estimates 2007-2011

17. Aboveground forest biomass carbon maps LIDAR XVV-LIDAR Dual-wavelength InSAR L-band PolInSAR 5..........................400 tC/ha LIDARXVVXVV- LHH POL- INSAR rmse [tC/ha] 34.954.552.054.4

18. Research themes: Forest monitoring Land cover and change Coastal zone and freshwater monitoring Geohazards and emergency response Climate adaptation and emergency response GIONET: A European Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation research training

19. Forest Monitoring of the Congo Basin EC funded Mapping forest loss using spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical sensors 2011-2014 ALOS-PALSAR 10-m dual polarised RGB composite Source JAXA-METI, 2009 Landsat 5 mosaic (1984, 1986) RGB composite (bands 4, 5, 7 ) Source CARPE-UMD, 2006 Forest /non forest land cover map (derived from SAR data) Source JAXA-METI, 2009 Central Congo Basin Data Comparison

20. The next ideas... Pollution mapping using hyperspectral data – e.g. in Ecuadorean rainforest Forest biomass mapping across Thailand using multi-sensor EO data sets for REDD+ MRV Global peat swamp forest mapping & degradation analysis Biofuels on peat – current & future trends & drivers Impacts of peatland subsidence on flood risk in SE Asia Extend C & GHG emission studies (DOC, CH 4, N 2 0) Develop landscape-scale C models (hydrology+fire+vegetation+peat oxidation etc)  REDD Peat swamp forest ecosystem rehabilitation

21. Aims: Established in 2012, the new Centre for Landscape and Climate Research has the mission to advance research excellence by providing a forum for postgraduate research students, post-doctoral researchers and academic staff to undertake cutting edge research projects. Centre for Landscape and Climate Research Director: Prof. Heiko Balzter, hb91@le.ac.uk The research in the centre is investigating how and at which scales change in the water cycle affect ecosystem services such as drinking water supply, carbon uptake and food security. The centre director, Professor Heiko Balzter, is also Coordinator of the European Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation Research Training GIONET (www.gionet.eu). The concentration of research activity through the close links between the Department of Geography, the Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, GIONET and SPLINT provides a truly outstanding research environment. Whether you are thinking of a PhD degree, a Masters by Research (MRes) or a taught MSc/MA course, we provide an intellectually creative and innovative home for your postgraduate degree.

22. To develop successful partnership The science underpinning the applications Interested in high-frequency observations Interested in large area coverage Validating observations with field measurement Accurate monitoring and reporting of deforestation and degradation Compiling biomass information systems