Remotely sensed forest cover loss shows high spatial and temporal variation across Sumatera and Kalimantan, Indonesia 2000–2008

Abstract

The Indonesian islands of Sumatera and Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo) are a center of significant and rapid forest cover loss in the humid tropics with implications for carbon dynamics, biodiversity conservation, and local livelihoods. The aim of our research was to analyze and interpret annual trends of forest cover loss for different sub-regions of the study area. We mapped forest cover loss for 2000-2008 using multi-resolution remote sensing data from the Landsat enhanced thematic mapper plus (ETM+) and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors and analyzed annual trends per island, province, and official land allocation zone. The total forest cover loss for Sumatera and Kalimantan 2000-2008 was 5.39 Mha, which represents 5.3% of the land area and 9.2% of the year 2000 forest cover of these two islands. At least 6.5% of all mapped forest cover loss occurred in land allocation zones prohibiting clearing. An additional 13.6% of forest cover loss occurred where clearing is legally restricted. The overall trend of forest cover loss increased until 2006 and decreased thereafter. The trends for Sumatera and Kalimantan were distinctly different, driven primarily by the trends of Riau and Central Kalimantan provinces, respectively. This analysis shows that annual mapping of forest cover change yields a clearer picture than a one-time overall national estimate. Monitoring forest dynamics is important for national policy makers, especially given the commitment of Indonesia to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries initiative (REDD+). The improved spatio-temporal detail of forest change monitoring products will make it possible to target policies and projects in meeting this commitment. Accurate, annual forest cover loss maps will be integral to many REDD+ objectives, including policy formulation, definition of baselines, detection of displacement, and the evaluation of the permanence of emission reduction.

Evaluating the utility of common-pool resource theory for understanding forest governance and outcomes in Indonesia between 1965 and 2012

“…Most studies conducted on the post 1998 period have focused on using governance variables to explain continuing deforestation, but have not attempted to explain the drop and subsequent rise in deforestation rates, nor have they examined whether governance variables or economic variables were more important in these changes. Detailed remote sensing studies have focused on documenting changing deforestation rates, but have not been structured to understand the causes of change (Hansen et al 2009(Hansen et al , 2013Broich et al 2011;Margono et al 2012Margono et al , 2014.…”

Bunjil Forest Watch a Community-Based Forest Monitoring Service

“…The main purpose of the service is to provide local conservation groups with timely information about forest disturbances in their area and to provide them with increased opportunities to respond quickly to recent deforestation, particularly illegal logging and land clearing. A recent study of Sumatra and Kalimantan found that at least 6.5% of all forest cover loss had occurred in land where clearing was banned, and a further 13.6 % where it was legally restricted (Broich et al, 2011). A secondary purpose is to develop networks between people working to conserve remote areas and 'environmentalists' in populated, digitally-connected areas.…”

Monitoring Land Cover Changes in the Disaster-Prone Area: A Case Study of Cangkringan Sub-District, the Flanks of Mount Merapi, Indonesia

“…These approaches also make it possible to extract information that cannot be tapped directly in Several studies based on remote sensing techniques have been conducted in Indonesia. Most of these studies have focused on assessing land cover changes in terms of watershed level (Munibah, 2008;Prenzel and Treitz, 2004) and on forest-dominated landscapes, such as Sumatra forest (Broich et al, 2011;Gaveau et al, 2007;Gaveau et al, 2009;Linkie et al, 2004;Mulyanto and Jaya, 2004) and Kalimantan forest (Broich et al, 2011;Fuller et al, 2010). Meanwhile, land cover changes studies based in locations that are prone to disasters (such as volcanic eruptions) are still limited.…”