Mapping for natural heritage conservation
About
Description
In 2011, GIZ supported the establishment of a buffer zone development plan for the Phong Nha Khe Bang National Park (PNKB NP) in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that protects the world’s two largest karst regions with 300 caves and grottoes, as well as the limestone forest ecosystem of the Annamite Range region on the north-central coast of Vietnam. The overall objective of the project was to “contribute to the conservation of the northern Annamite region, its biodiversity and ecological services in close relation to sustainable socio-economic development.“
CartONG supported the preparation of the spatial component of the conservation-oriented socio-economic development master plan for PNKB NP. This included assessing the available spatial data, ensuring that sufficient data was collected and producing a series of thematic maps showing the situation concerning the following aspects: reference map, population density and resettlement, poverty, physical infrastructure, economic promotion, health services, education services, agricultural production and irrigation, land use zones, forestry and NTFPs (Non Timber Forest Products), main development potentials, development priorities.
In 2012, CartONG was asked to document the whole process, analyze it and develop a step-by-step guide. A secondary task was to describe potential REDD+ activities and assist in kick-starting the process.
In 2012, CartONG also launched an e-learning module on these issues to facilitate the training of potential actors in similar projects around the world. It could also enable potential actors to plan and implement a REDD+ project with local communities. This e-learning platform consists of four modules: Forest Inventory, GIS (using QGIS), Remote Sensing (GRASS) and Carbon Model. All of these modules were open source so that they could be easily used by grassroots community organizations.
In 2013, CartONG organized several field mission to Vietnam to assess carbon stocks and establish a reference level. This required documenting the steps, supporting the development of a roadmap and reviewing the technical deliverables of the project partners.
