Open AccessPan-tropical monitoring of deforestation
Author(s) -
Frédéric Achard,
Ruth DeFries,
Hugh Eva,
Matthew C. Hansen,
Philippe Mayaux,
Hans-Jürgen Stibig
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
environmental research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.37
H-Index - 124
ISSN - 1748-9326
DOI - 10.1088/1748-9326/2/4/045022
Subject(s) - deforestation (computer science) , united nations framework convention on climate change , greenhouse gas , environmental science , tropics , environmental resource management , climate change , environmental planning , geography , remote sensing , computer science , kyoto protocol , ecology , biology , programming language
This paper reviews the technical capabilities for monitoring deforestation from a pan-tropicalperspective in response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) process, which is studying the technical issues surrounding the ability to reducegreenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in developing countries. The successfulimplementation of such policies requires effective forest monitoring systems that arereproducible, provide consistent results, meet standards for mapping accuracy, and can beimplemented from national to pan-tropical levels. Remotely sensed data, supported by groundobservations, are crucial to such efforts. Recent developments in global to regional monitoringof forests can contribute to reducing the uncertainties in estimates of emissions fromdeforestation. Monitoring systems at national levels in developing countries can also benefitfrom pan-tropical and regional observations, mainly by identifying hot spots of change andprioritizing areas for monitoring at finer spatial scales. A pan-tropical perspective is alsorequired to ensure consistency between different national monitoring systems.Data sources already exist to determine baseline periods in the 1990s as historical referencepoints. Key requirements for implementing such monitoring programs, both at pan-tropical andat national scales, are international commitment of resources to increase capacity, coordinationof observations to ensure pan-tropical coverage, access to free or low-cost data, andstandardized, consensus protocols for data interpretation and analysis.Data sources exist to determine base periods in the 1990s as historical reference points. Key constraints for implementing programs to monitor deforestation at pan-tropical to national scales are international commitment of resources to increase capacity, coordination of observations to ensure pan-tropical coverage, access to free or low-cost data, and standard and consensual protocols for data interpretation and analysis.JRC.H.3-Global environement monitorin