Development and Applications of a Multi-purpose Environmental and Natural ResourcesInformation Base for Food Security and Sustainable Development

摘要

The renewable natural resources of many Asian countries have come under severe strain overrnthe past two or three decades and most indicators point towards a continuation of this trend.rnMain drivers for these developments are socio-economic factors such as population pressure andrnassociated changes in land use and environmental conditions. Whilst a large amount of datarnrelated to land cover and socio-economic variables and indicators exist in Asia, most are notrnconsistent over large geographic areas and therefore cannot be aggregated at regional and/orrnsub-regional scale, limiting the possibilities of proper planning, development and sustainablernmanagement of renewable natural resources in Asia. Aims of the first phase of thernASIACOVER (ASIACOVER-I) project, in which seven countries participate (Cambodia, Chinarn(Yunnan), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam), are the collection of national landrncover maps and their standardization for the preparation of a regional land cover map at a scalernof 1:250 000 or better, as well as the preparation of a regional socio-economic database andrnrelated maps and their integration into a Geographic Information System and database. Thisrnspatial database will facilitate the integrated analysis of biophysical and socio-economicrnvariables for the development of an integrated approach for environmental monitoring, foodrnsecurity, and sustainable development in South East Asia. Furthermore, the aim ofrnASIACOVER-I project is to promote regional cooperation as well as to improve cooperation ofrnvarious line ministries and stakeholders at national level.rnBased on the findings obtained so far, a detailed proposal is being drafted for a follow-up projectrn(ASIACOVER-II) which will focus on the remapping of areas where recent land cover maps atrnthe required scale, detail and accuracy do not exist as well as on the development of nationalrncapacities, where needed, to enable national institutions to map and monitor their naturalrnresources base and the environmental conditions on their own.