GLAD Team’s Collaboration Helps Nepal Achieve Major Milestone in Land Monitoring
Launch of the National Land Cover Monitoring System marks a new era for Nepal’s environmental sustainability efforts.
The University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) team, led by Research Professor Peter Potapov, has partnered with Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment to co-develop the National Land Cover Monitoring System (NLCMS). This new system will enhance Nepal’s ability to track and manage its land resources. GLAD provided critical support by boosting the Ministry's technical capacity and offering essential hardware and data inputs.
The NLCMS, which is now fully owned and operated by the Ministry, was officially launched on Dec. 20, 2024, marking a major step in Nepal's efforts to monitor environmental changes.
This launch follows the release of a report showing that Nepal's forest cover increased by 0.75% in 2022 compared to 2019. Conducted by the Forest Research and Training Center (FRTC) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the study revealed that in 2022, 46.08% of Nepal’s land area was covered by forests and other wooded lands, a slight increase from 45.33% in 2019.
FRTC Director General Dr. Rajendra KC explained that the increase in forest cover resulted from a transformation of other wooded and cultivable land into forests. The study provides valuable, real-time data on land-cover changes, offering insights that will be useful for national and international organizations, policy development and strategic forest planning.
Image: FRTC Director General Dr. Rajendra KC launches the National Land Cover Monitoring System on Dec. 20 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Courtesy of UMD's GLAD.
Published on Mon, 01/13/2025 - 16:17