Efficiency of radar images for near realtime monitoring of tropical forests in Guyana

Abstract

Deforestation is one of the greatest threats to human life since forests help maintain ecological balance and biodiversity, which is why many scientists today have taken on the task of trying to solve this problem. In the present study, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used as effective tools and with great potential for near-real-time monitoring (TCR) using optical images (Landsat 7 and 8, Rapid Eye and Sentinel 2). and Radar (sentinel 1) for the study of an area of tropical forest inserted between the Cuyuni and Mazaruni rivers in Essequibo County, Guyana. The deforestation study is carried out in two moments: from 1990 to 2016 with optical images, taking into account the study of the two environmental factors that affect the area, which is: deforestation due to open-pit mining and the construction of roads. ; and from 2017 to 2018 with radar images, since until that moment the optical images were not very efficient due to the cloudiness present in them, showing that after the treatment carried out to the radar images, the information obtained from these was very accurate, after field verification.