Drones play a pivotal role in the 3LD-Monitoring system, complementing other data collection methods.Drones are essential tools in partner countries to fortify technical skills among local staff. These skills encompass flight planning, navigation and image evaluation. The drone monitoring aims to empower project staff to capture data tailored for photogrammetric analyses, from which crucial geoinformation emerges.

The drone mapping methodology encompasses five stages, with the first two focusing on drone operations:

1. Mapping mission preparation (desktop work)
2. Mapping mission execution (fieldwork)
3. Development of Digital Surface Model (DSM) & Orthomosaic generation (desktop work)
4. Data analysis and refinement (desktop work)
5. Integration into the prevailing data system (desktop work)

Drone data aids in evaluating indicators linked to carbon/biomass, such as mortality rates and forest types. Notably, with the application of allometric equations and proper characterization of the land type, above-ground biomass estimations of trees can be determined.

Satellite data forms the bedrock of the 3LD-Monitoring system, harnessing the capabilities of open-source imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 and LANDSAT satellites. An algorithm, meticulously developed by Remote Sensing Solutions (RSS) GmbH, revolutionizes this process. Users can seamlessly submit the shapefile of their area of interest, prompting the algorithm to automatically fetch and analyze relevant data. A spectrum of robust analyses are conducted including the 5-year vegetation trend using NDVI for assessing vegetation gains or losses, 5-year vegetation moisture analysis through NDWI, and a nuanced 5-year rainfall trend evaluation. Additionally, the algorithm facilitates the visualization of vegetation changes since the inception of the project, bolstering the monitoring framework with dynamic insights. Satellite data, a vital component of the 3LDM-Monitoring system, leverages open-source imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission and LANDSAT satellites. For predefined areas, this data is automatically fetched and analyzed for specific parameters. Key analyses include a 5-year vegetation trend using NDVI as a proxy for vegetation gains or losses, a 5-year vegetation moisture trend through NDWI, and a 5-year rainfall trend. In addition vegetation changes from project start can be visualized.

Satellite and drone images, despite their undeniable contribution for monitoring, they are limited in the initial years of FLR efforts. Data collection at field level is crucial in the first projects years.

Data collection at field level is further divided into three participative approaches:

• Permanent sampling plots: Fixed plots, where tree height, DBH, and tree survival rates will be estimated. Permanent sampling plots will be assessed in 3-year interval, due to their high labor and time input.
• Land use planning: discussion rounds for the assessment of information, as well as identification of endangered species according to the Red List of Threatened Species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). It is integrated into other land use planning processes, and thus, has not a defined assessment interval.
• Transects: Identification of floristic and faunistic species, as well as forest structure composition, in an assessment interval of three months

All relevant indicators included in the three participative approaches are collected using the KOBO Toolbox. This software offers suitable conditions and is easy to operate, aligning with the monitoring objectives of the project.

Through participatory Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM)assessments in Guinea Bissau’s three geographical zones, Cacheu, Quinara, and Tombali, TRI was able to identify mangrove restoration opportunities in ten sites (five in the Cacheu, two in Quinara, and three in Tombali) and confirm the 1200 ha of mangrove landscape to be restored during the project’s implementation. The ROAM processes, which took place between 2020 and 2021, included all parts of the community discussing what the village priorities are, especially in regard to rice farming, one of the main competing priorities for mangrove restoration. Additionally, the processes also facilitated the development of the definition of intervention zones and the initiation of mangrove and rice field restoration. The implementation of the ROAM assessments ultimately contributed to the development of the project’s policy tools such as the National Mangrove Law and National Mangrove Strategy by enabling the actors and stakeholders involved in mangrove landscapes to move away from singular sites and consider the landscapes as a whole. Providing community input into village priorities and what a buffer zone in the law should look like, localized information was able to help develop the national policies.  

To further facilitate the implementation of FLR, TRI DRC worked to integrate major policies and restoration in general into the local development plans of the Kabre and Ngweshe Chiefdoms in South Kivu province. Though the local development plans were supported by GIZ without technical input from TRI DRC, the team successfully worked to add annexes to the plans that incorporate data received from the ROAM assessments and restoration caveats. Additionally, TRI DRC has also worked to integrate the Provincial Strategy for the Restoration of Forest and Landscapes in South Kivu as well as the two legal documents (one on bushfires and one on FLR) into the local development plans to help upscale restoration on the ground. These local development plans will be finalized at the end of September, 2023 and with the new inclusion of FLR, will be instrumental in the strengthening of FLR frameworks on the ground.