Feasibility study of the Satellite Observation of Central and West African forests project Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, République centrafricaine, Congo, République démocratique du Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinée, Libéria
ENVIRONMENT 
FORESTRY 
TRANSVERSAL
Services: Diagnostics and feasibility studies
Countries: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, République centrafricaine, Congo, République démocratique du Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinée, Libéria
Dates of intervention: 2015/04 - 2015/05
Amount executed: 17 500 €
Total amount of the service: 17 500 €
Main backer: Agence française de développement - Client
Main beneficiary: Agence française de développement
Other beneficiaries: ASTRIUM (groupe Airbus), Institut national de l’information géographique et forestière – Branche internationale
Support provider: SalvaTerra
Experts: Olivier BOUYER
Certificate of satisfactory executionEtude de faisabilité du projet d’Observation Spatiale des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale et de l’Ouest (OSFACO)
Context of the service
The OSFACO project is a follow-up to the Tropical Forest Space Observation (OSFT) and Capacity Building and Access to Satellite Data for Forest Monitoring in Africa (GEOFORAFRI) projects.
The general objective of the OSFACO project is to improve knowledge of recent and current land use dynamics and land use change in eight target countries in Central and West Africa and to strengthen capacities in terms of space observation in these countries, in order to contribute to land use planning, the development of the agricultural and forestry sectors, and sustainable management of natural resources.
Services provided
The services were as follows:
- State of play of satellite observation in the target countries;
- Reminder of good practices in terms of satellite land monitoring;
- Assessments of projects already financed on the subject by AFD (OSFT and GEOFORAFRI): achievements, successes, points of improvement, etc. ;
- Proposal of a logical framework for the project: Provide quality SPOT satellite imagery, in archive and acquisition; Support the local production of UTCAF maps at the national level and strengthen the capacities of local services; Popularize the use of satellite imagery through research and development projects;
- Proposal for institutional set-up and budget (total: €6.18 million).
The OSFACO project document was finally approved and contributes to the implementation of REDD+, FLEGT, climate-smart agriculture, land degradation neutrality, etc. initiatives.
Summary of the service
Feasibility study of the Central and West African Forest Satellite Observation Project (OSFACO): State of play of satellite observation in the target countries; Reminder of good practices in terms of satellite monitoring of land; Reports of projects already financed on the subject by AFD (OSFT and GEOFORAFRI); Proposal of a logical framework (provision of SPOT satellite images, support for the local production of UTCAF maps, research and development projects); Proposal for institutional set-up and budget.