The sentinel landscape network (SLN) is an initiative to set up long term socio-ecological research sites and to collect an integrated dataset (livelihood, institutions and environmental data) that support the strategic research framework of the CGIAR. The CGIAR is a global partnership that comprises 15 international research Centers engaged in development-oriented research on agriculture and natural resources. The mandate of the CGIAR’s is to conduct research in and for development, that supports significant progress towards four sustainability goals: a) reduced rural poverty, b) improved food security, c) improved nutrition and health, and d) sustainably managed natural resources. A particular important impact pathway for CGIAR research is to produce international public goods (IPG’s) in form of technologies and knowledge that are broadly applicable, such as the rigorous and systematic characterization of key farming systems and landscapes, to facilitate targeted scaling up and the production of baseline data from which to assess progress towards impacts. IPG’ SLN dataset will support the international environmental conventions (UNFCCC, UNCBD and UNCCD), as well as countries in the developing world in their efforts to develop climate mitigation and adaptation policies, and suitable technologies.
The ‘sentinel landscapes’ involves 200 research sites spread across 8 landscapes in 15 countries on 3 continents. The 8 sentinel landscapes are Nicaragua and Honduras, Western Ghats (India), the Mekong (China, Laos), West Africa (Ghana-Burkina Faso), Western Amazon (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia), Borneo-Sumatra (Indonesia), CAFHUT (Cameroon) and Nile-Congo (Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)). For each of the 8 sentinel landscapes, data was collected from 4 selected sentinel sites,, each measuring 10x10 km2 , and representing both the variation in tree cover as well as a variation in tree cover changed over a 10 year time period.