NAU, partner institutions selected for international sustainability award

Extent of forests with >25% tree cover (in yellow), forests with diverse canopy structure (in brown), and forests with high ecological integrity (in green).  Protected areas across Colombia are outlined in black.  Source:  Hansen et al. 2019 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0214-3

Northern Arizona University is a key partner in a project that has been recognized for its work in achieving one of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals, which are designed to protect and sustain all life on Earth amid a changing climate.  NAU’s contribution to this effort comes in the form of new satellite-derived datasets and indicators on high-integrity forest fragmentation and the extent and condition of riparian forests in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. GEODE lab members include Patrick JantzIvan GonzalezPatrick Burns and Scott Goetz.  Gonzalez coordinates activities with UNDP country offices and environment ministries in the three countries.

Read more about it here, including quotes from NAU’s President Cruz and the executive director of the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Initiative on Sustainable Development Goals. The award ceremony was held the week 22 November 2021.