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Accelerated deforestation in the humid tropics from the 1990s to the 2000s
Author(s) -
Kim DoHyung,
Sexton Joseph O.,
Townshend John R.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl062777
Subject(s) - tropics , deforestation (computer science) , forest cover , environmental science , tropical forest , geography , agroforestry , climatology , atmospheric sciences , ecology , geology , biology , computer science , programming language
Abstract Using a consistent, 20 year series of high‐ (30 m) resolution, satellite‐based maps of forest cover, we estimate forest area and its changes from 1990 to 2010 in 34 tropical countries that account for the majority of the global area of humid tropical forests. Our estimates indicate a 62% acceleration in net deforestation in the humid tropics from the 1990s to the 2000s, contradicting a 25% reduction reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Forest Resource Assessment. Net loss of forest cover peaked from 2000 to 2005. Gross gains accelerated slowly and uniformly between 1990–2000, 2000–2005, and 2005–2010. However, the gains were overwhelmed by gross losses, which peaked from 2000 to 2005 and decelerated afterward. The acceleration of humid tropical deforestation we report contradicts the assertion that losses decelerated from the 1990s to the 2000s.