GIZ Update

SPARC: Leveraging Geospatial Intelligence and Remote Sensing to Restore India’s Forest Landscapes

Igniting India’s Restoration Revolution with SPARC

Under the project Restore, Conserve, and Protect Forest and Tree Cover for NDC in India (RECAP4NDC), the Spatial Potential Assessment for Restoration and Conservation (SPARC) approach provides an integrated methodology to select degraded landscapes for Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). This combines geospatial technologies, ground-truthing, and multi-parameter assessments to make data-driven decisions in order to zoom into areas with restoration potential across critical ecosystems in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Delhi NCR. This methodology combines certain aspects of the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM)[1] with local ecological knowledge, stakeholder perspectives and sociopolitical situations on the ground.

Precision Planning: The SPARC Approach to Landscape Selection

SPARC integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with field verification based on a comprehensive assessment matrix. This multi-layered approach ensures that every restoration effort is strategically planned and scientifically validated, setting a new benchmark for landscape restoration in India.

1. Geospatial Analysis with GIS and Multi-Parameter Assessment:
    The process kicks off with advanced geospatial analysis, utilizing GIS tools to map landscapes based on topographic features, land use, and degradation status. By overlaying data from the national agencies such as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on land degradation and the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the project identifies areas most in need of intervention. This spatial intelligence lays the foundation for targeted FLR efforts.
2. Layering Insights with Ground Verification:
    Data from space is powerful, but nothing beats boots on the ground. To ensure accuracy, SPARC undertakes rigorous field verification, visiting selected sites to validate the geospatial maps against real-world conditions. Whether it’s confirming the presence of a forest patch or verifying the existence of a water body, this aids in fine-tuning the intervention plans. Any discrepancies or additional findings are incorporated, ensuring that the maps reflects the state of the landscape more truthfully.
3. Stakeholder Engagement and Multi-Parameter Evaluation:
    Restoration planning doesn’t stop at mapping; it’s a collaborative process. SPARC engages with key stakeholders, including State Forest Departments (SFDs), local communities, government officials, and other regional organizations. Together, they evaluate the identified degraded landscapes using a multi-parameter assessment matrix. This matrix considers critical factors such as the willingness of local stakeholders to participate, financial resources, infrastructure impacts, and ongoing development projects within the landscape.
4. Ranking and Final Selection of Landscapes:
    After thorough evaluation, landscapes are ranked based on their potential for successful restoration. The highest-ranked sites are presented to decision makers (SFDs in this case) for final selection, ensuring that restoration efforts are not only scientifically sound but also aligned with local priorities and capacities. This systematic ranking process makes SPARC’s approach highly adaptive and effective.

Regional Highlights: State-Specific Landscape Selection

• Delhi National Capital Region (NCR): Using GIS and stakeholder feedback, SPARC has identified 25,000 hectares within the Aravalli landscape, prioritizing areas that balance ecological restoration with urban pressures.
• Uttarakhand: In this mountainous region, GIS mapping and ground verification have pinpointed 30,000 hectares of critical watersheds for restoration, addressing degradation factors unique to the Himalayas, such as forest fires, overgrazing, invasive species and uncertain climate regime.
• Gujarat: By combining geospatial data with field insights, approximately 40,000 hectares have been identified across the Aravali, Vindhya, Satpuda, and Sahyadri ranges, focusing on areas with the highest need and restoration potential.
• Maharashtra: Across ten districts, 80,000 hectares are set for intervention, selected through a comprehensive analysis that blends remote sensing data, field checks, and stakeholder input.

The Power of Geospatial and Ground-Based Decision Making

SPARC stands at the intersection of technology and community, leveraging geospatial intelligence and on-the-ground validation to drive impactful, sustainable restoration. By involving local stakeholders at every step, SPARC ensures that restoration efforts are not only ecologically viable but also socially inclusive, making it a model for landscape restoration across India and beyond.

Be part of SPARC—where geospatial intelligence and remote sensing are redefining restoration and conservation.

Project: RECAP4NDC (Restore, Conserve, and Protect Forest and Tree Cover for National Determined Contribution)
  Contact: Dr. Alejandro von Bertrab, Head of Project and Gautam Dadhich, Advisor
  Email: alejandro.bertrab@giz.de; Gautam.dadhich@giz.de

Learn more about the RECAP4NDC project

[1] Laestadius, L., Maginnis, S., Rietbergen-McCracken, J., Saint-Laurent, C., Shaw, D., & Verdone, M. (2014). A guide to the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM): Assessing forest landscape restoration opportunities at the national or sub-national level. IUCN, Global Forest and Climate Change Programme, The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR), World Resources Institute (WRI).