BlackBridge and RSS Collaborate with GIZ Germany in Ethiopia

BlackBridge, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and  Remote Sensing Solutions (RSS) have signed a 2-year agreement to strengthen earth observation capabilities at Ethiopian national institutions, through the develoPPP.de program, initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The purpose of this initiative is to support the implementation of a cost-effective, reliable, and transparent REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) system in the country.

This specific collaboration that BlackBridge is coordinating will:

• Enable Ethiopian stakeholders to continue establishing an MRV program.
• Build technical capacities and “training for trainers” using multitemporal satellite imagery from BlackBridge’s RapidEye system, to ensure knowledge transfer into working groups.
• Ensure a long-term sustainable cooperation beyond the project lifetime, which will result in improved protection of forest resources and better management of Ethiopia’s natural resources.
• Support GIZ and the BMZ toward their international development policies.
• BlackBridge and RSS will work closely with the national REDD+ Secretariat and the Addis Ababa University in order to best support the efforts of stakeholders. After two years, the National REDD+ Secretariat will fulfill the requirements to apply for funds to roll out a monitoring campaign at a national level.