Metria have for the World Bank and financed by the European Space Agency performed a land cover classification of two forest areas, approximately 738,500 ha in north-western Liberia. The work has been conducted together with the Austrian consultancy firm GeoVille to support the government of Liberia and the World Bank with data to implement monitoring of and management for sustainable use of forest resources. Sustainable forest use includes resource extraction, social- and cultural elements as well as nature conservation measures. The EO products of the project are very well suited for the identification of untouched forest areas, with presumably high biodiversity and conservation value. The products will set a benchmark for the level of accuracy, thematic as well as spatial, available for regional forest management and planning in Liberia and West Africa. The products delivered are land cover classification including density classes of the forest as well as land cover of the agricultural domain and a digital elevation model.
The project and the monitoring scheme was presented in November 2011 at the Masasi workshop, an annually occurring dialogue platform for government representatives and researches working with natural resource management in southern Tanzania.