The deforestation-income relationship: evidence of deforestation convergence across developing countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Boka Stéphane Kévin Assa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Transition ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Recent Method ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Beta Convergence

Abstract The importance of forest conservation in the fight against emissions from deforestation and forest degradation has led to reexamination of the deforestation and economic development relationship. For this purpose, we use the recent method of long-term growth rate developed by Stern et al. (2017) on 85 tropical developing countries over the period 1990–2010. Results show that the EKC is not significant. However, we find a beta convergence across developing countries in terms of deforestation per capita. In other words, these countries converge in terms of policies that prevent deforestation and forest degradation. This implies that, just as with growth effects, beta convergence effects are also important in explaining changes in forest cover in tropical developing countries. The convergence effect in forest cover change may be consistent with the forest transition hypothesis.

scholarly journals Shedding New Light on Mountainous Forest Growth: A Cross-Scale Evaluation of the Effects of Topographic Illumination Correction on 25 Years of Forest Cover Change across Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2131
Author(s):  
Jamon Van Den Hoek ◽  
Alexander C. Smith ◽  
Kaspar Hurni ◽  
Sumeet Saksena ◽  
Jefferson Fox
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Classification Accuracy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Scale Evaluation ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Affect Detection

Accurate remote sensing of mountainous forest cover change is important for myriad social and ecological reasons, but is challenged by topographic and illumination conditions that can affect detection of forests. Several topographic illumination correction (TIC) approaches have been developed to mitigate these effects, but existing research has focused mostly on whether TIC improves forest cover classification accuracy and has usually found only marginal gains. However, the beneficial effects of TIC may go well beyond accuracy since TIC promises to improve detection of low illuminated forest cover and thereby normalize measurements of the amount, geographic distribution, and rate of forest cover change regardless of illumination. To assess the effects of TIC on the extent and geographic distribution of forest cover change, in addition to classification accuracy, we mapped forest cover across mountainous Nepal using a 25-year (1992–2016) gap-filled Landsat time series in two ways—with and without TIC (i.e., nonTIC)—and classified annual forest cover using a Random Forest classifier. We found that TIC modestly increased classifier accuracy and produced more conservative estimates of net forest cover change across Nepal (−5.2% from 1992–2016) TIC. TIC also resulted in a more even distribution of forest cover gain across Nepal with 3–5% more net gain and 4–6% more regenerated forest in the least illuminated regions. These results show that TIC helped to normalize forest cover change across varying illumination conditions with particular benefits for detecting mountainous forest cover gain. We encourage the use of TIC for satellite remote sensing detection of long-term mountainous forest cover change.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Protected Areas in the Pan-Tropics and International Aid for Conservation

Geomatics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-346
Author(s):  
Do-Hyung Kim ◽  
Anupam Anand
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Tropical Countries ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
The Tropics

Evaluation of the effectiveness of protected areas is critical for forest conservation policies and priorities. We used 30 m resolution forest cover change data from 1990 to 2010 for ~4000 protected areas to evaluate their effectiveness. Our results show that protected areas in the tropics avoided 83,500 ± 21,200 km2 of deforestation during the 2000s. Brazil’s protected areas have the largest amount of avoided deforestation at 50,000 km2. We also show the amount of international aid received by tropical countries compared to the effectiveness of protected areas. Thirty-four tropical countries received USD 42 billion during the 1990s and USD 62 billion during the 2000s in international aid for biodiversity conservation. The effectiveness of international aid was highest in Latin America, with 4.3 m2/USD, led by Brazil, while tropical Asian countries showed the lowest average effect of international aid, reaching only 0.17 m2/USD.

Opportunities for Reaping the Benefits of REDD+ in Sikkim Himalaya for Conservation and Enhancement of Carbon Stock

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-215
Author(s):  
Mohommad Shahid ◽  
◽  
L.K. Rai ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Carbon Sequestration Potential ◽  
Sequestration Potential ◽  
Article 5

Paris Agreement recognized the role of forests as carbon sink for mitigation of climate change, under Article 5 as REDD+, i.e., reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Forest cover change analysis was done between two time periods 2005 and 2015 to assess the forest degradation. Carbon sequestration potential of the forests of Sikkim for mitigating climate change is also estimated. Benefits of implementing of REDD+ in Sikkim involving local communities as stakeholder to conserve and sustainably manage the forest is assessed. Gaps and challenges faced by the stakeholder in implementing REDD+ at project level are also highlighted.

scholarly journals Uncertainty in Historical Land-Use Reconstructions with Topographic Maps

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Kaim ◽  
Jacek Kozak ◽  
Krzysztof Ostafin ◽  
Monika Dobosz ◽  
Katarzyna Ostapowicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Reliability Assessment ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Polish Carpathians ◽  
Historical Land Use

Abstract The paper presents the outcomes of the uncertainty investigation of a long-term forest cover change analysis in the Polish Carpathians (nearly 20,000 km2) and Swiss Alps (nearly 10,000 km2) based on topographic maps. Following Leyk et al. (2005) all possible uncertainties are grouped into three domains - production-oriented, transformation- oriented and application-oriented. We show typical examples for each uncertainty domain, encountered during the forest cover change analysis and discuss consequences for change detection. Finally, a proposal for reliability assessment is presented.

scholarly journals Value Chain of Charcoal Production and Implications for Forest Degradation: Case Study of Bié Province, Angola

Environments ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasco Chiteculo ◽  
Bohdan Lojka ◽  
Peter Surový ◽  
Vladimir Verner ◽  
Dimitrios Panagiotidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Charcoal Production ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Alternative Sources ◽  
Urban Consumption

Forest degradation and forest loss threaten the survival of many species and reduce the ability of forests to provide vital services. Clearing for agriculture in Angola is an important driver of forest degradation and deforestation. Charcoal production for urban consumption as a driver of forest degradation has had alarming impacts on natural forests, as well as on the social and economic livelihood of the rural population. The charcoal impact on forest cover change is in the same order of magnitude as deforestation caused by agricultural expansion. However, there is a need to monitor the linkage between charcoal production and forest degradation. The aim of this paper is to investigate the sequence of the charcoal value chain as a systematic key to identify policies to reduce forest degradation in the province of Bié. It is a detailed study of the charcoal value chain that does not stop on the production and the consumption side. The primary data of this study came from 330 respondents obtained through different methods (semi-structured questionnaire survey and market observation conducted in June to September 2013–2014). A logistic regression (logit) model in IBM SPSS Statistics 24 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) was used to analyze the factors influencing the decision of the households to use charcoal for domestic purposes. The finding indicates that 21 to 27 thousand hectares were degraded due to charcoal production. By describing the chain of charcoal, it was possible to access the driving factors for charcoal production and to obtain the first-time overview flow of charcoal from producers to consumers in Bié province. The demand for charcoal in this province is more likely to remain strong if government policies do not aim to employ alternative sources of domestic energy.

scholarly journals Applying Multi-Temporal Landsat Satellite Data and Markov-Cellular Automata to Predict Forest Cover Change and Forest Degradation of Sundarban Reserve Forest, Bangladesh

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1016
Author(s):  
Mohammad Emran Hasan ◽  
Biswajit Nath ◽  
A.H.M. Raihan Sarker ◽  
Zhihua Wang ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Automata ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Reserve Forest ◽  
Health Quality

Overdependence on and exploitation of forest resources have significantly transformed the natural reserve forest of Sundarban, which shares the largest mangrove territory in the world, into a great degradation status. By observing these, a most pressing concern is how much degradation occurred in the past, and what will be the scenarios in the future if they continue? To confirm the degradation status in the past decades and reveal the future trend, we took Sundarban Reserve Forest (SRF) as an example, and used satellite Earth observation historical Landsat imagery between 1989 and 2019 as existing data and primary data. Moreover, a geographic information system model was considered to estimate land cover (LC) change and spatial health quality of the SRF from 1989 to 2029 based on the large and small tree categories. The maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) technique was employed to classify the historical images with five different LC types, which were further considered for future projection (2029) including trends based on 2019 simulation results from 1989 and 2019 LC maps using the Markov-cellular automata model. The overall accuracy achieved was 82.30%~90.49% with a kappa value of 0.75~0.87. The historical result showed forest degradation in the past (1989–2019) of 4773.02 ha yr−1, considered as great forest degradation (GFD) and showed a declining status when moving with the projection (2019–2029) of 1508.53 ha yr−1 and overall there was a decline of 3956.90 ha yr−1 in the 1989–2029 time period. Moreover, the study also observed that dense forest was gradually degraded (good to bad) but, conversely, light forest was enhanced, which will continue in the future even to 2029 if no effective management is carried out. Therefore, by observing the GFD, through spatial forest health quality and forest degradation mapping and assessment, the study suggests a few policies that require the immediate attention of forest policy-makers to implement them immediately and ensure sustainable development in the SRF.

Globale Walderhaltung und -bewirtschaftung und ihre Finanzierung: eine Bestandesaufnahme | Global forest conservation and management and its financing: an appraisal

2011 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 107-116
Author(s):  
Jürgen Blaser ◽  
Christian Küchli
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Forest Protection

Around one third of the earth's surface is under forest cover which is distributed more or less equally between industrialised and developing countries. Whereas forest areas in the temperate and boreal climate zones are more or less stable or on the increase, the scale of deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics remains dramatic. This situation is likely to continue in the decades to come because the world's ever-growing population needs new agricultural land and the pressure on resources (forest products, land, water, minerals) continues to increase as a result of globalisation and global change. Moreover, sustainable forest management has not yet become standard practice in many southern countries because forest management can rarely compete with other forms of land use in terms of economic returns. The protection and sustainable management of forest resources is basically the responsibility of each individual country and cannot be regulated and financed globally. However, enormous financial resources, i.e. on a scale of tens of billions of Swiss francs per year, are required for the introduction of comprehensive land-use planning in developing countries incorporating suitable protection of natural forests and sustainable forest management. New approaches for the valorisation of services provided by forests such as carbon sinks (e.g. REDD+) offer significant potential for improving forest protection and sustainable forest management. It augurs well that the economic internalisation of the forest and its services is in full swing at global level and that, based on the REDD+ resolutions passed at the last climate conference in Cancún, many countries have opted for the path of forest conservation and sustainable forest management.

scholarly journals Forest Cover Change and the Effectiveness of Protected Areas in the Himalaya since 1998

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6123
Author(s):  
Changjun Gu ◽  
Pei Zhao ◽  
Qiong Chen ◽  
Shicheng Li ◽  
Lanhui Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Forest Cover Changes ◽  
Matched Samples ◽  
The Himalaya

Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, has undergone considerable forest cover fluctuation in recent decades, and numerous protected areas (PAs) have been established to prohibit forest degradation there. However, the spatiotemporal characteristics of this forest cover change across the whole region are still unknown, as are the effectiveness of its PAs. Therefore, here, we first mapped the forest cover of Himalaya in 1998, 2008, and 2018 with high accuracy (>90%) using a random forest (RF) algorithm based on Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was applied with eight control variables to balance the heterogeneity of land characteristics inside and outside PAs. The effectiveness of PAs in Himalaya was quantified based on matched samples. The results showed that the forest cover in Himalaya increased by 4983.65 km2 from 1998 to 2008, but decreased by 4732.71 km2 from 2008 to 2018. Further analysis revealed that deforestation and reforestation mainly occurred at the edge of forest tracts, with over 55% of forest fluctuation occurring below a 2000 m elevation. Forest cover changes in PAs of Himalaya were analyzed; these results indicated that about 56% of PAs had a decreasing trend from 1998 to 2018, including the Torsa (Ia PA), an area representative of the most natural conditions, which is strictly protected. Even so, as a whole, PAs in Himalaya played a positive role in halting deforestation.

Forest Cover Change in the Northeastern U.S.

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
George C. Bentley ◽  
Robert G. Cromley ◽  
Dean M. Hanink ◽  
C. Patrick Heidkamp
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Local Analysis ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Spatial Error ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Environmental Good

An analysis of the association of forest cover, treated as an environmental good, and income at the county scale in the Northeastern United States was conducted for 2006. Global analysis using a spatial error regression model indicates an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) type of relationship, with total forest cover, percent forest cover, and forest cover per capita is better associated with per capita income and is better specified as a polynomial rather than in linear terms. Local analysis, using geographically weighted regression, indicates that sub-regional effects are pronounced, and that conformity to an EKC varies spatially and by forest cover measure. The findings should be interpreted strictly within their context of a cross-sectional analysis and within certain statistical limitations, primarily engendered by multicollinearity of the explanatory variables in the regression models.

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