The Valuation and Accounting of Ecosystem Services (VALUES) Lab has conducted the “Training on Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing on Natural Resources Assessment and Valuation” from January 31 to February 2, 2024, at the Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR), University of the Philippines Los Baños. The UP Resilience Institute Research and Creative Work Division (UP RI – RCW) was represented by Ramon Christopher A. Caballero, Junior Project Assistant, and GIS Specialist, during this leg of the VALUES Lab training.
The three-day training covered three insightful modules which consisted of lectures and hands-on exercises from Dr. Cristino L. Tiburan, Asst. Prof. Jayson L. Arizapa, Adrian Pablo V. Sasi, and Asst. Prof. Jan Joseph V. Dida. The first module focused on an introduction to natural resources assessment and valuation, the second module had an emphasis on remote sensing techniques and computations using QGIS, and the third module had a series of physical values modeling using the InVEST software.
Caballero said that his participation in the VALUES Lab training would help the UP RI – RCW to maximize GIS in determining the use and non-use value of forests, especially since the division will be engaging in forest-centered projects this year. These applications of GIS are deemed important for forest conservation as these will enable a sustainable and accessible resource assessment method that the researchers and communities can adapt to in the future.