The Philippines hosts diverse ecosystems such as tropical rainforests, grasslands, and pine forests. Home to a wide range of endemic species, over 700 of which are classified as threatened, the country is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot. The protection of this rich natural heritage plays a central role in maintaining ecological balance and supporting economic wellbeing.
In fact, the country’s land resources face growing pressure. Rapid urban expansion, infrastructure development, the expansion of farming into more areas, and deforestation are reshaping landscapes at an accelerating pace. Climate change compounds these pressures through stronger typhoons, prolonged droughts, and shifting rainfall patterns, all of which directly affect crop productivity and forest conservation.
The CopPhil Land Cover, Forest & Crop Mapping Service has been designed to support institutions in the Philippines in leveraging Copernicus open data for these topics. The service builds on existing systems in the country while helping to boost benefits for local communities and ecosystems. This article explores the Land Cover, Forest, and Crop Monitoring Service co-developed by CopPhil with local stakeholders, and how they benefit communities in the Philippines.
Copernicus for Land Monitoring
Copernicus, the Earth Observation component of the European Union Space Programme, provides free and open satellite data which enable comprehensive land monitoring worldwide. In the Philippines, Copernicus Sentinel-2 optical imagery supports the development of detailed mapping of land cover types, while Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), capable of penetrating cloud cover, ensures reliable observations even during the rainy season, when optical imagery alone may be limited.
With a revisit time of up to five days, the Copernicus Sentinel satellites allow for regular monitoring of seasonal and annual changes across the entire archipelago. By combining multi-temporal imagery captured throughout the year, analysts can distinguish between forests and plantations, identify different crop cycles, and track land-use conversion with greater confidence. Coupled with expertise from local government partners, CopPhil delivers EO Services tailored to the Philippine context.
Land Cover Mapping
Land Cover Mapping describes the world as we see it: forests, croplands, built-up areas, grasslands, and water bodies, providing a foundational layer for planning and policy across multiple sectors. In the Philippines, this information supports urban development monitoring, infrastructure planning, environmental management, and risk assessments.
The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) is the country’s primary map producer, currently publishing national land cover maps every five years. The Land Cover Service complements these efforts by developing a tool designed to increase update frequency from five to three years. To support this objective, three products are generated: The Land Cover Standalone Map produces a 10-metre resolution classification using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time series data combined with a reference dataset, allowing planners and policymakers to see how land is being used with sufficient detail to monitor urban expansion. The Land Cover Merge Map which integrates the Crop Type Map and Forest Type Map with the standalone land cover layer. Finally, the Land Cover Change Chain detects and updates only areas which have changed, using multi-temporal Sentinel data and a previous reference map to generate an annual land cover change product.
Example Land Cover Map of Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija provinces, complemented by insets providing close-up views of selected areas alongside corresponding satellite imagery for visual comparison and validation of mapped features.
Forest Mapping
Forests play a critical role in regulating water cycles, stabilising soils, storing carbon, and protecting biodiversity across the Philippines. Today, only around 24% of the country’s land area remains under forest cover, stressing the urgency of sustained monitoring and conservation efforts. Between 2001 and 2022, the country lost approximately 1.42 million hectares of tree cover, a 7.6% decrease, driven by urban expansion, agricultural conversion, illegal logging, and demand for timber and fuel. These pressures disrupt ecosystems, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and heighten vulnerability to flooding and droughts.
Example of the CopPhil Tree Cover Density (TCD) product over the province of Nueva Ecija, which provides the tree canopy density in percentage using high-resolution Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery.
In response, the CopPhil Forest Mapping Service supports Filipino authorities through a suite of satellite-derived products. These include Forest Area and Type maps, developed using country-specific forest definitions; Tree Cover Density maps, combining Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 optical imagery to quantify canopy coverage; and Forest Cover Change products which track loss and gain over time. Together, these regularly updated outputs strengthen sustainable land use planning, support afforestation and agroforestry initiatives, and provide a consistent basis for monitoring forest dynamics nationwide.
Crop Mapping
Agriculture remains central to the Philippine economy, employing roughly a quarter of the national workforce in 2023 and contributing significantly to rural livelihoods. Ensuring consistent, up-to-date crop information across a geographically dispersed archipelago is therefore crucial for food security, post-disaster impact assessments, and agricultural planning.
Example of Seasonal Crop Type Map delivering detailed classification of dominant crop types by growing season in Luzon. Crop classes were co-defined with national stakeholders.
The CopPhil Crop Mapping Service addresses this need by developing a nation-wide system which integrates satellite observations with in situ field data collected by institutions such as the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management. The following products have been co-developed with local government stakeholders: Seasonal Crop Type maps, which classify dominant crops such as rice, maize, and sugarcane based on EO-derived phenological signatures, and Annual Crop Land Extent maps, providing a clear overview of cultivated areas. Supported by PhilSA’s growing processing infrastructure, the service will enable harmonized, regularly updated crop baselines for planning, yield estimation, and post-disaster impact assessments.
Example of Annual Crop Land Extent mask showing the magnitude of crop coverage in Northern Luzon, highlighting areas with agricultural productivity.
Building national capacity for sustainable land governance
The Land Cover, Forest & Crop Mapping Service was co-developed with Philippine stakeholders and is delivered alongside CopPhil’s other thematic services on Ground Motion Monitoring and Benthic Habitat Monitoring. Throughout 2025, dedicated trainings were implemented to strengthen both technical skills and institutional understanding, ensuring that participating agencies can effectively interpret and apply Copernicus-derived products within their respective mandates.
The co-development process also required navigating practical challenges common in the Philippine context, including limited or outdated ground-truth data for validation and persistent cloud cover hindering the benefits of optical imagery. These constraints were addressed collaboratively with local stakeholders and will continue to be monitored throughout 2026 as the services are fully operationalized.
In 2025, CopPhil advanced the deployment of its Earth Observation Services and strengthened the technical and institutional capacity of Philippine stakeholders. With the core products now established, CopPhil is gearing up for mainstreaming them in 2026, focusing on integrating these services into agency workflows and supporting their sustained operational use. As partner institutions increase their ability to independently process, interpret, and apply Copernicus EO data, the Philippines will be better equipped to manage its forests, monitor agricultural landscapes, and plan for resilient and sustainable development.
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Background Information
As a flagship and unique program of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, CopPhil is designed to harness digital resources and space technology for sustainable development and to support innovations in research and business in close cooperation with government partners.
CopPhil is managed by the European Union Delegation to the Philippines. It is implemented by the European Space Agency (ESA) in partnership with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST). In addition to the development of the Earth Observation pilot services, the activities of CopPhil include the establishment of a Copernicus Data Center and IT infrastructure as well as awareness-raising and knowledge and skills transfer related to Copernicus data and information.
