Barriers to Using Remote Sensing Data and Tools for Forest Governance in the Tropics

Abstract

Remote sensing is a critical element of forest governance in the tropics, from forest monitoring and biodiversity conservation to grassroots and counter-mapping, policy design, and law enforcement. Despite rapid advances in remote sensing technology, key actors who influence tropical forest governance such as subnational governments, local communities, and Indigenous peoples face challenges using these data and tools. To identify barriers to remote sensing use for forest governance, we conducted thirty-eight semi-structured interviews with remote sensing providers, facilitators, and users, with an emphasis on civil servants and Indigenous and local communities in the tropics. We also analyzed conceptualizations of the remote sensing value chain from scientific and online sources and evaluated them against empirical interview data to identify gaps in the representation of barriers, accessibility, and information transfer. We identified several institutional and technological barriers that significantly hinder the use of remote sensing technologies. Institutional barriers include bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles, the exclusion of certain actor groups from the remote sensing value chain, challenges in retaining technical staff and knowledge, resource constraints, and unclear institutional mandates. Additionally, a lack of expertise and insufficient data quality further limit the full utilization of remote sensing technologies. Barriers disproportionately affect under-resourced organizations, including government agencies, local civil society organizations, and Indigenous and local communities. Our analysis of value chain conceptualizations revealed gaps in the representation of unidirectional information flows, omission of diverse end users, lack of barriers to data utilization, and exclusion of facilitating actors. It is critical to acknowledge the impact of institutional and technological barriers alike on the use of remote sensing for forest governanceand upstream and facilitating actors – such as space agencies, private companies, development agencies, and international organizations – must work to reduce these constraints to expand the use of remote sensing tools and data for forest governance in the tropics.

Keywords: Remote Sensing, tropical forest governance, institutional barriers, stakeholder interviews, remote sensing value chain