Das Projekt "INDFORSUS" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Freiburg, Forstwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Waldwachstum, Abteilung Forstliche Biometrie durchgeführt. INDFORSUS is an international research project which aims to develope ground and remotely sensed indicators of the sutainability of tropical forest exploitation systems in South East Asia. The project is funded by the European Commission and consists of four South East Asian partner countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam and four European Institutions: The University of Manchester, Southampton University, Swansea University in the United Kingdom and the University of Freiburg, Germany. Objectives and goals: 1. To achieve a holistic approach to the impacts of tropical forest exploitation systems in S.E.Asia with special reference to land degradation, forest recovery and sustainable soil and water resource use. 2. To develop relationships between remotely sensed response and forest economic (inventory) variables that may be used to monitor sustainble use. 3. To develop remotely sensed indicators of forest damage of relevance to hydrological/erosion components of the project. 4. To achieve better forecasts of the impacts of change in response to alternative strategies for sustainable land management in productive forests and adjacent agricultural systems. 5. To adapt research and new technology to the local socio-economic conditions of four S.E. Asian countries and increase its dissemination through local universities and research institutions.