24 July 2018

Southeast Asian deforestation more extensive than thought, study finds

Cropland expansion along topographical frontiers in the 21st century in Nan, Thailand, a hilly and mountainous province located in the north of the country. a, The RapidEye (5 m resolution) satellite land-cover maps in 2017, showing areas of settlements, forest, rice, other crops, and water. The data were produced by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), obtained from KASIKORN Foundation in Thailand. b, An aerial view of formerly forested land converted to croplands in the highlands, obtained from Google Earth (CNES/Airbus, image date: 2 February 2014). c, Photograph of general area of b from August 2016.

Abstract: "Researchers analyzed a suite of satellite imagery products and found much greater deforestation than expected since 2000 in the highlands of Southeast Asia. Much of the 82,000 square kilometers (31,700 square miles) they estimate to have been developed into croplands in the region’s highlands reflects previously undocumented conversion of forest, including primary and protected forests, to agriculture. Through a sample-based verification process, the authors found that 93 percent of the pixels from areas allocated to areas of net forest loss by the authors’ model were confirmed as net forest loss, and 99 percent of the pixels delineated as other areas were accurately labelled as non-net forest loss. The findings contrast with previous assumptions about land-cover trends currently used in projections of global climate change and future environmental conditions in Southeast Asia."


Read More: https://news.mongabay.com/wildtech/2018/07/southeast-asian-deforestation-more-extensive-than-thought-study-finds/


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