Abstract: Major national development schemes in India have components that address SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), net zero solutions, and nature-based solutions. The CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) is one of the country's primary flagship programmes, and it is a notable initiative to integrate geospatial technology via a web-enabled GIS platform. The primary data sources have historically transferred from government records and forest surveys to spatial data. The government intends to use geospatial technology and data to meet the SDGs through the new National Geospatial Policy (2023). This geospatial data can be used to geo-visualize large temporal and spatial scales for monitoring, evaluating and programme implementations. As a result, geospatial data must be analysed to assess government transparency and accountability via e-governance and its potential applications. This will provide a better understanding of the government's natural resource management regulations. Geospatial technology can provide important clues into LULC (Land Use Land Cover), vegetation, forest dynamics, and socioeconomic aspects. Utilizing CAMPA information as well as EO (Earth Observation) sensor and data analysis technologies, this talk will highlight the drivers of various forest and LULC dynamics in the country.
About the speaker: Dr. SK Vazeed Pasha received his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences with a specialisation in Remote Sensing and GIS from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, and Andhra University in 2017. He has held positions as a researcher, research associate, and project scientist at prestigious research organisations such as NRSC (ISRO), IIT-Kharagpur, and the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD&PR). He joined NIAS as Post-doctoral Associate in September 2021. He has more than 10 years of research expertise in remote sensing, GIS, forestry, biodiversity, biomass, and land change modelling. He is a member of the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI). He received three best presenter awards and recognition from NRSC, IIT-Kharagpur, Kerala Digital University, and Alia State University, West Bengal. He co-authored over 30 research articles in international journals with 600 citations. He is continuing his research at NIAS with Prof. Vinay Kumar Dadhwal on the quantification and modelling of India's terrestrial carbon cycle.