Scientific Data (Apr 2024)
LiDAR-based reference aboveground biomass maps for tropical forests of South Asia and Central Africa
- Suraj Reddy Rodda,
- Rakesh Fararoda,
- Rajashekar Gopalakrishnan,
- Nidhi Jha,
- Maxime Réjou-Méchain,
- Pierre Couteron,
- Nicolas Barbier,
- Alonso Alfonso,
- Ousmane Bako,
- Patrick Bassama,
- Debabrata Behera,
- Pulcherie Bissiengou,
- Hervé Biyiha,
- Warren Y. Brockelman,
- Wirong Chanthorn,
- Prakash Chauhan,
- Vinay Kumar Dadhwal,
- Gilles Dauby,
- Vincent Deblauwe,
- Narcis Dongmo,
- Vincent Droissart,
- Selvaraj Jeyakumar,
- Chandra Shekar Jha,
- Narcisse G. Kandem,
- John Katembo,
- Ronald Kougue,
- Hugo Leblanc,
- Simon Lewis,
- Moses Libalah,
- Maya Manikandan,
- Olivier Martin-Ducup,
- Germain Mbock,
- Hervé Memiaghe,
- Gislain Mofack,
- Praveen Mutyala,
- Ayyappan Narayanan,
- Anuttara Nathalang,
- Gilbert Oum Ndjock,
- Fernandez Ngoula,
- Rama Rao Nidamanuri,
- Raphaël Pélissier,
- Sassan Saatchi,
- Le Bienfaiteur Sagang,
- Patrick Salla,
- Murielle Simo-Droissart,
- Thomas B. Smith,
- Bonaventure Sonké,
- Tariq Stevart,
- Danièle Tjomb,
- Donatien Zebaze,
- Lise Zemagho,
- Pierre Ploton
Affiliations
- Suraj Reddy Rodda
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Rakesh Fararoda
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Rajashekar Gopalakrishnan
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Nidhi Jha
- College of Forestry, Oregon State University
- Maxime Réjou-Méchain
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Pierre Couteron
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Nicolas Barbier
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Alonso Alfonso
- Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
- Ousmane Bako
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Patrick Bassama
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Debabrata Behera
- Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry
- Pulcherie Bissiengou
- Institut de pharmacopée et de médecine traditionnelle (Herbier National du Gabon), CENAREST
- Hervé Biyiha
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Warren Y. Brockelman
- National Biobank of Thailand (NBT), National Science and Technology Development Agency
- Wirong Chanthorn
- Department of Environmental Technology and Management, Faculty of Environment, Kasetsart University
- Prakash Chauhan
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Vinay Kumar Dadhwal
- National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)
- Gilles Dauby
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Vincent Deblauwe
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), BP 2008 (Messa)
- Narcis Dongmo
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Vincent Droissart
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Selvaraj Jeyakumar
- Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry
- Chandra Shekar Jha
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Narcisse G. Kandem
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- John Katembo
- Institut Supérieur d’Etudes Agronomiques de Bengamisa, République Démocratique du Congo
- Ronald Kougue
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Hugo Leblanc
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Simon Lewis
- Department of Geography, University College London (UCL)
- Moses Libalah
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Maya Manikandan
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Olivier Martin-Ducup
- Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes (URFM), INRAE
- Germain Mbock
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Hervé Memiaghe
- Institut de pharmacopée et de médecine traditionnelle (Herbier National du Gabon), CENAREST
- Gislain Mofack
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Praveen Mutyala
- Forestry and Ecology Group, National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO
- Ayyappan Narayanan
- Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry
- Anuttara Nathalang
- National Biobank of Thailand (NBT), National Science and Technology Development Agency
- Gilbert Oum Ndjock
- Dja Wildlife Reserve, Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife
- Fernandez Ngoula
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Rama Rao Nidamanuri
- Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST)
- Raphaël Pélissier
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- Sassan Saatchi
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
- Le Bienfaiteur Sagang
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Patrick Salla
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Murielle Simo-Droissart
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Thomas B. Smith
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles
- Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Tariq Stevart
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Africa & Madagascar Program
- Danièle Tjomb
- Ecole Nationale des Eaux et Forêts de Mbalmayo, Ministère Des Forêts Et De La Faune
- Donatien Zebaze
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Lise Zemagho
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047
- Pierre Ploton
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03162-x
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 11,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 15
Abstract
Abstract Accurate mapping and monitoring of tropical forests aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial to design effective carbon emission reduction strategies and improving our understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle. However, existing large-scale maps of tropical forest AGB generated through combinations of Earth Observation (EO) and forest inventory data show markedly divergent estimates, even after accounting for reported uncertainties. To address this, a network of high-quality reference data is needed to calibrate and validate mapping algorithms. This study aims to generate reference AGB datasets using field inventory plots and airborne LiDAR data for eight sites in Central Africa and five sites in South Asia, two regions largely underrepresented in global reference AGB datasets. The study provides access to these reference AGB maps, including uncertainty maps, at 100 m and 40 m spatial resolutions covering a total LiDAR footprint of 1,11,650 ha [ranging from 150 to 40,000 ha at site level]. These maps serve as calibration/validation datasets to improve the accuracy and reliability of AGB mapping for current and upcoming EO missions (viz., GEDI, BIOMASS, and NISAR).
