Sarah Castle and Carlos Silva

For many years, remote sensing has been a critical tool in scientific research to map and quantify carbon in forests. Despite this, the use of these digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) tools in the carbon market remains limited, especially in reforestation projects where appropriate data and methods are applicable only after trees reach relative maturity. This talk will explore current opportunities and constraints to use remote sensing and dMRV in the nature-based carbon market. Castle and Silva will discuss the specific opportunities dMRV presents for more transparent and efficient carbon accounting, alongside the current technical, data, and policy challenges that must be overcome for its widespread market integration.

Speaker Biographies

Sarah Castle – Assistant Professor, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Sarah Castle is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to this role, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Yale School of the Environment after she received her Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois in 2024. Her research centers on forest governance and conservation policy, focusing on how to leverage cutting-edge digital technologies to monitor and assess ecological and governance outcomes on the ground. She will discuss her current work on the opportunities and challenges of integrating digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) into Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) carbon markets to ensure accountability and drive sustainable land management.

Carlos Silva – Head Remote Sensing Scientist, Pachama

Carlos Silva leads Pachama’s Research and Development science team, guiding the company’s efforts to integrate satellite and airborne monitoring into a platform for high-integrity, transparent, and scalable forest carbon crediting. He holds a Ph.D. in remote sensing and global ecology from Brown University and completed a post-doc with NASA’s GEDI mission. He also holds a master’s in economics and public policy from Princeton University. In his role at Pachama, he has sought to demonstrate how to rigorously incorporate satellite monitoring into carbon crediting, and advocated for market rules to evolve accordingly. He has developed forest carbon projects for both the voluntary and compliance markets.