Dr Javier Puig

Forest Engineer, MSc (NRM), PhD (rer. nat.)

• Research Interests
• Current Projects
• Students
• Publications
  • Papers
  • Book chapters

Research interests

Javier is a forest engineer/natural resources manager with strong experiences in tropical areas, especially in Latin America. For many years he worked assessing different issues in tropical forest areas using GIS and remote sensing. Recently he has become involved in climate change and nature conservation issues.

Prior to working at CDU, Javier completed his PhD at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) in Bonn. He conducted his research in East Amazon in Brazil on the topic “Carbon sequestration potential of land-cover types in the agricultural landscape of eastern Amazonia Brazil”. Meanwhile his Ph.D. research he worked for UNFCCC assessing methodology used by Annex 1 countries to report emission by the LULUCF sector. He also participated in a training workshop of scenario planning of a communal forest management project on the Ethiopian Highland. After finishing his PhD, Javier undertook a consultancy job for a UNDP project in Argentina (http://www.ambiente.gov.ar/?idarticulo=4499) and worked for The Conservation Land Trust in a conservancy project of a swamp area in North of the country (http://www.theconservationlandtrust.org/).

His research interests within the School for Environmental Research are:

• Modelling climate change impact in local environment and economy.

• Resilience and adaptation to climate change.

• Assessment of land cover and forest changes, ecosystem fragmentation, forest biodiversity and environmental impact.

• Estimation of carbon emission by different land cover types.

• Model and analyse of ecosystems and natural processes using GIS and remote sensing.

• Support biodiversity conservation and wildlife management activities.

• Sustainable forests management.

Current projects

Scenario planning for climate change in tropical landscapes  

Much of the Northern Territory (NT) prosperity, social character, and future development rely on the use of natural resources. Climate change is very likely to impact many aspects of the NT if careful planning and action is not taken to both mitigate and adapt to change. The NT by the Natural Resource Management Board is funding the project Scenario Planning - Climate Change to assess the implications of climate change on land use planning and management, sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.

Javier joined the School for Environmental Research in May 2008 as a scenario modeller to work on this project. His work involves the creation of several models of the way the landscape is lived in and used but also with the imagination to envisage a future twenty/thirty years hence that people can use to understand the possible consequences of climate change. The methodology tries not to predict the future, but rather explore how the future might look, so they can think how they might react. Scenario modelling is carried out in a participatory manner, with stakeholders from a wide range of sectors including business and economics, natural resource management, indigenous communities and organisations, government agencies, and the scientific community.

The work is executed across four different locations:
1. Top End of Northern Territory
2. Central Australia
3. Tiwi Islands
4. Dhimurru Indigenous Protected area in North East Arnhem Land.

Publications

Peer-reviewed papers

Puig, C.J. 2005. Carbon sequestration potential of land-cover types in the agricultural landscape of eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Ecology and Development Series, Cuvillier Verlag, Goettingen, Germany, No.33, 159 pp.

Book chapters

Conference Proceedings

Puig, C.J. 2005. The Potential carbon sequestration of secondary forest and agricultural land covers in the landscape of eastern Amazonia. Tropentag 2005: The Global Food & Product Chain – Dynamics, Innovations, Conflicts, Strategies, 11-13 October 2005, Stuttgart, Germany. 363 pp.

Puig, C.J. 2004. Looking for alternatives under the CDM to manage fallow vegetation in the landscape of Bragantina area, eastern Amazon, Brazil. Higher Education Forum: Capacity Building in Developing Countries, Bringing Renewable Energies to the People, 1-4 June 2004. Bonn, Germany.

Simpson, J., Puig, C.J., McAndrews, H., Willing, A. and Carvalho, A. 2002. CASSIOPEE – Environmental spacecraft. XXIX International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, 8-12 April 2002, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4 pp.

Hyman, G., Puig, C.J. and Bolaños, S. 2002. Multisource remote sensing and GIS for exploring deforestation patterns and processes in the Central Peruvian Amazon. XXIX International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, 8-12 April 2002, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4 pp.

Puig, C.J., Hyman, G. and Bolaños, S. 2002. Digital classification vs. visual interpretation: a case study in humid tropical forests in the Peruvian Amazon. XXIX International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, 8-12 April 2002, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Sánchez, S., Puig, C.J. and Ortiz, R. 2002. Multi-temporal analysis of satellites images. Training experience with AWA, Colombia indigenous community. XXIX International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, 8-12 April 2002, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 3 pp.

Puig, J., Leclerc, G y Eva, H. 2000. Metodología para análisis multitemporal de áreas con procesos de deforestación. Estudio de casos en América Latina con el proyecto TREES. IX Simposio Latinoamericano de Percepción Remota, Nov 2002, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. Pp. 395-405.

Leclerc, G., Beaulieu, N., Puig, J. y Jaramillo, J. 1988. Generación de Modelos digitales de elevación con RADARSAT por el método radargramétrico: nuestros primeros resultados en zona montañosa. GlobeSAR2 Mid-Term Symposium: RADARSAT Applications in Latin America, 20-24 April 1998, Cartagena, Colombia. Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. Pp. 374-383.

Puig, C., Leclerc, G. y Bell, W.C. 1997. La cromoesteroscopía aplicada en la percepción remota. VIII Simposio Latinoamericano de Percepción Remota, Nov, 1997 Mérida, Venezuela.

Bava, J.O. y Puig, C.J. 1992. Regeneración natural de lenga. Análisis de algunos factores involucrados. Seminario Manejo de Bosque de Lenga y aspectos ecologicos relacionados. 23-24 Junio 1992. Publicación Técnica Nº 8. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico, Esquel, Argentina.

Reports, other major works

Beaulieu, N., Puig, J., Fujisaka, S. and Veneklaas, E. 1999. The use of JERS-1 images in CIAT’s benchmark sites in Puerto López, Colombia, and Pucallpa, Peru. In: JERS-1 Science Program '99 PI reports, Global Forest Monitoring and SAR interferometry, March 1999. Earth Observation Center, National Space Development Agency (NASDA), Japan. Pp. 7 12.

Leclerc, G., Puig, J. and Bell, W.C. 1997. High-resolution remote sensing: getting information for participatory research. GIS in Agricultural Research: Awareness package. UNEP/DEIA/TR.97-9 (http://www.grida.no/prog/global/cgiar/awpack/highres.htm).