Maximizing co-benefits from natural climate solutions between carbon sequestration and habitat restoration for a threatened species using Earth observation

Climate mitigation requires rapid and effective action to limit future warming. Natural climate solutions are climate mitigation strategies based on natural processes and are a readily implementable tool for climate mitigation. Tree planting is a natural climate solution that can sequester large amounts of carbon while also restoring habitat. Woodland caribou are an ecologically and culturally important species in Canada with declining populations. As tree planting can both restore habitat for caribou, as well as serve as a natural climate solution, there is potential for co-benefits between the two. To maximize opportunities for co-benefits, there is a need for a detailed understanding of disturbances affecting caribou range, and where restoration would have the highest impact for caribou. Additionally, climate change, and intensifying disturbances raise questions of where restored areas are likely to persist, how they will respond to climate change, and how much carbon they could sequester. Earth observation can provide synoptic, methodologically consistent data that is well suited to addressing these questions. The objective of this thesis is to identify opportunities for co-benefits between carbon sequestration and habitat restoration for woodland caribou in British Columbia using Earth observation data. To do so, I use satellite-derived datasets to characterize disturbance regimes affecting caribou within the province. To assess potential carbon sequestration, I couple the process-based forest growth model 3PG with satellite-derived datasets to evaluate the future productivity of planted trees under climate change. To determine priority areas for caribou habitat restoration, I apply recent advances in burn probability mapping to a caribou restoration prioritization framework. Lastly, I combine the above research with airborne laser scanning data to develop a framework to identify key opportunities for co-benefits between the two objectives, informed by disturbance recovery. My results indicate that for many caribou in BC, disturbance levels are increasing, that incorporating burn probability into restoration prioritization notably alters the distribution of high-priority areas for restoration, and that there are significant opportunities for co-benefits between carbon sequestration and caribou habitat restoration. The research presented in this dissertation enhances our understanding of how earth observation can be used to evaluate opportunities for co-benefits between conservation objectives.