National Workshop on the Development of the National Land Cover Monitoring System for Afghanistan

Date 24 Jan 2019 to 25 Jan 2019
Venue Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Contact Persons servirhkh@icimod.org
Type Workshop
Programmes Mountain Environment Regional Information Systems (MENRIS), SERVIR-HKH

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), theUnited States Forest Services (USFS), and SilvaCarbon are co-developing a flexible regional land cover monitoring system(RLCMS).

The system will generate high-quality land cover/land use datato monitor land cover/land use and conduct change analysisusing a consistent regional classification scheme compatiblewith different national requirements. The system is beingdeveloped under SERVIR – a joint initiative of the United StatesAgency for International Development (USAID) and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

During the Policy and Planning Workshop on Regional LandCover Monitoring System for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)held from 4 to 6 April 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, participantsfrom Afghanistan suggested developing consensus on a nationalland cover schema for Afghanistan.

To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock(MAIL) – Afghanistan and ICIMOD are organizing a two-dayworkshop to discuss and finalize a national land coverclassification scheme suitable for monitoring land cover changein Afghanistan.

Objectives

The main objectives of the training workshop are as follows:

  • Upgrade the “land cover representation system” legendswith inputs derived from a country perspective and localknowledge
  • Define the land cover terminology for the national level
  • Prepare and finalize national legends (typologies) whichare harmonized at the regional level
  • Establish a work plan for the production of the finalnational land cover datasets
Expected Outcomes
  • The participants will review the existing land coverscheme used by various agencies in Afghanistan.
  • A national classification scheme suitable for variousstrategic and management purposes will be developed.
  • Consensus will be reached on the national classificationsystem developed, which will contribute tostandardizing/harmonizing land cover legends at theregional level.
Expected Participants

Participants will include senior management and policy-levelrepresentatives from concerned ministries and departments.