Satellite-based primary forest degradation assessment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2000–2010

Abstract

Primary forest extent, loss and degradation within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were quantified from 2000 to 2010 by combining directly mapped forest cover extent and loss data (CARPE) with indirectly mapped forest degradation data (intact forest landscapes, IFL). Landsat data were used to derive both map inputs, and data from the GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimetry System) sensor were employed to validate the discrimination of primary intact and primary degraded forests. In the year 2000, primary humid tropical forests occupied 104 455 kha of the country, with 61% of these forests classified as intact. From 2000 to 2010, 1.02% of primary forest cover was lost due to clearing, and almost 2% of intact primary forests were degraded due to alteration and fragmentation. While primary forest clearing increased by a factor of two between 2000-2005 and 2005-2010, the degradation of intact forests slightly decreased. Fragmentation and selective logging were the leading causes of intact forest degradation, accounting for 91% of IFL area change. The 10 year forest degradation rate within designated logging permit areas was 3.8 times higher compared to other primary forest areas. Within protected areas the forest degradation rate was 3.7 times lower than in other primary forest areas. Forest degradation rates were high in the vicinity of major urban areas. Given the observed forest degradation rates, we infer that the degradation of intact forests could increase up to two-fold over the next decade.

Opportunities for implementing REDD+ to enhance sustainable forest management and improve livelihoods in Lombok, NTB, Indonesia

“…With global coverage, the regularly acquired largest historical archive and freely available space-based earth observations, Landsat imagery is preferred for monitoring tropical forests (Vieira et al 2003;Salovaara et al 2005;Kumar et al 2010;Potapov et al 2012;Das and Singh 2013;Zhuravleva et al 2013). Several studies have reported deforestation and forest area changes in Indonesia using Landsat satellite data (Curran et al 2004;Hansen et al 2009, Miettinen andLiew 2010;Margono et al 2012).…”

“…Brazil and Indonesia together accounted for 52% of the world's net loss of forest during this same period. Especially, decrease of primary forests is particular concern, accounting for 38% of the 15.79 million ha of forest cover loss for Indonesia for the period 2000-2012 (Hansen et al 2013). This forest loss has contributed significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with emissions from deforestation and decay of biomass accounting for approximately 17.4% (CO 2 equivalent) of the world's GHG emissions in 2004 (IPCC 2007a).…”

Recent NDVI-Based Variation in Growth of Boreal Intact Forest Landscapes and Its Correlation with Climatic Variables

“…An intact forest landscape (IFL) is an unbroken expanse of natural ecosystem which contains forest and non-forest ecosystems within a current forest zone, showing no signs of significant human activity [4]. This IFL definition was proposed by Greenpeace in 2001 as an approach to provide timely mapping and monitoring of variations in forest extent [5].…”

Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis Using Optical Satellite Imagery and GIS Data for the Detection of Mining Sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…While [15] describes the suitability of Earth observation technology to determine conflict trends and improve human security in Africa, [16] discusses land use and land cover (LULC) changes related to conflict by analyzing satellite data as well as social surveys and secondary data. A direct link between detected land cover changes and forest degradation derived from Landsat TM and ETM+ data is drawn by [17][18][19] by explaining the impact of the dramatic armed conflicts in DRC on forest resources.…”