An Operational Framework for Defining and Monitoring Forest Degradation

Abstract

Forest degradation is broadly defined as a reduction in the capacity of a forest to produce ecosystem services such as carbon storage and wood products as a result of anthropogenic and environmental changes. The main causes of degradation include unsustainable logging, agriculture, invasive species, fire, fuelwood gathering, and livestock grazing. Forest degradation is widespread and has become an important consideration in global policy processes that deal with biodiversity, climate change, and forest management. There is, however, no generally recognized way to identify a degraded forest because perceptions of forest degradation vary depending on the cause, the particular goods or services of interest, and the temporal and spatial scales considered. Here, we suggest that there are types of forest degradation that produce a continuum of decline in provision of ecosystem services, from those in primary forests through various forms of managed forests to deforestation. Forest degradation must be measured against a desired baseline condition, and the types of degradation can be represented using five criteria that relate to the drivers of degradation, loss of ecosystem services and sustainable management, including: productivity, biodiversity, unusual disturbances, protective functions, and carbon storage. These criteria are not meant to be equivalent and some might be considered more important than others, depending on the local forest management objectives. We propose a minimum subset of seven indicators for the five criteria that should be assessed to determine forest degradation under a sustainable ecosystem management regime. The indicators can be remotely sensed (although improving calibration requires ground work) and aggregated from stand to management unit or landscape levels and ultimately to sub-national and national scales.

Mapping Deforestation in North Korea Using Phenology-Based Multi-Index and Random Forest

“…This means that each type of vegetation cover presents a different phenological characteristic. More specifically, the farmland on the hillsides and the unstocked forests have different phenology from the woody and plateau vegetation [25]. …”

“…This means that each type of vegetation cover presents a different phenological characteristic. More specifically, the farmland on the hillsides and the unstocked forests have different phenology from the woody and plateau vegetation [25]. Unstocked forest (defined by the standard of South Korea, means areas where the crown cover has fallen to <20% because of slash and burn), is covered with grasses and shrubs.…”

Coral larvae spreading based on oceanographic condition in Biawak Islands, West Java, Indonesia

“…One of the most important factors of biodiversity loss is deforestation and forest degradation (Sodhi et al 2004;Harris et al 2012). Although forest degradation has a broad definition, it is often associated with a reduction in forest biomass (Sasaki and Putz 2009;Sasaki et al 2011;Thompson et al 2013). The extensive deforestation and degradation of forests are a significant reason for the biodiversity loss and global warming (Thompson et al 2014).…”

La agroforestería como estrategia para la recuperación y conservación de reservas de carbono en bosques de la Amazonía

“…Existen reportes generalizados de que el tiempo y capacidad de recuperación de carbono de los bosques después de una perturbación, dependen de la escala, intensidad y las formas de degradación (Thompson et al 2012(Thompson et al , 2013, como ha sido descrito para bosques de Borneo bajo una agricultura itinerante por más de 200 años, y donde la acumulación de biomasa fue significativamente menor en los sitios sometidos a seis o más ciclos de cultivo, debido a una pérdida de bancos de semillas y capacidad de rebrote de especies (Lawrence 2004). Pero en todos los casos dependerá del efecto multifactorial entre la resiliencia de los ecosistemas y métodos de rehabilitación agroforestal implementados.…”

“…La degradación de los bosques tropicales tiene consecuencias negativas significativas sobre diferentes componentes estructurales y funcionales de los ecosistemas, por lo tanto, también en su capacidad de proporcionar bienes y servicios ambientales con impactos regionales y globales; como es el caso de las reservas de carbono en el suelo y biomasa vegetal, regulación de procesos climáticos, y mantenimiento de la biodiversidad (Thompson et al 2012(Thompson et al , 2013. Por esta razón, actualmente los esfuerzos de investigación, ajustes de políticas ambientales y estrategias de gestión a nivel mundial, están dedicando especial atención a la importancia de la conservación y manejo de los bosques tropicales con el propósito de reducir las emisiones de carbono por deforestación y degradación forestal, y mantener un uso sustentable de la tierra para fines agrícolas.…”