David Coomes: Seeing the Forest through the Carbon

In this Smart Forests Radio episode, we speak to Professor David Coomes, Director of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute (UCCRI). David uses computational technologies, from lidar to machine-learning algorithms, to estimate differences in carbon storage over time and across vast landscapes in response to environmental changes. Reflecting on his forest ecology research practice as it intersects with digital technologies, he discusses the importance of maintaining traditional field surveys in the world of high-resolution remote-sensing technologies. David also reminds us that, beyond the monetary value associated with the carbon market, forests have multiple other values, including their role in combating climate change, increasing biodiversity, supporting local livelihoods, and more.

Interviewers: Jennifer Gabrys and Trishant Simlai

Producer: Harry Murdoch

Image: Zhenrong Du, Le Yu, Jianyu Yang, David Coomes, Kasturi Kanniah, Haohuan Fu, and Peng Gong, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10103610