scholarly journals Relationship Between Fire and Forest Cover Loss in Riau Province, Indonesia Between 2001 and 2012

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrianto ◽  
Spracklen ◽  
Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Wood Fiber ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Forest Logging

Forest and peatland fires occur regularly across Indonesia, resulting in large greenhouse gas emissions and causing major air quality issues. Over the last few decades, Indonesia has also experienced extensive forest loss and conversion of natural forest to oil palm and timber plantations. Here we used data on fire hotspots and tree-cover loss, as well as information on the extent of peat land, protected areas, and concessions to explore spatial and temporal relationships among forest, forest loss, and fire frequency. We focus on the Riau Province in Central Sumatra, one of the most active regions of fire in Indonesia. We find strong relationships between forest loss and fire at the local scale. Regions with forest loss experienced six times as many fire hotspots compared to regions with no forest loss. Forest loss and maximum fire frequency occurred within the same year, or one year apart, in 70% of the 1 km2 cells experiencing both forest loss and fire. Frequency of fire was lower both before and after forest loss, suggesting that most fire is associated with the forest loss process. On peat soils, fire frequency was a factor 10 to 100 lower in protected areas and natural forest logging concessions compared to oil palm and wood fiber (timber) concessions. Efforts to reduce fire need to address the underlying role of land-use and land-cover change in the occurrence of fire. Increased support for protected areas and natural forest logging concessions and restoration of degraded peatlands may reduce future fire risk. During times of high fire risk, fire suppression resources should be targeted to regions that are experiencing recent forest loss, as these regions are most likely to experience fire.

scholarly journals Effect of oil palm sustainability certification on deforestation and fire in Indonesia

2017 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly M. Carlson ◽  
Robert Heilmayr ◽  
Holly K. Gibbs ◽  
Praveen Noojipady ◽  
David N. Burns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Fire Detection ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Active Fire ◽  
Routine Monitoring ◽  
The Impact

Many major corporations and countries have made commitments to purchase or produce only “sustainable” palm oil, a commodity responsible for substantial tropical forest loss. Sustainability certification is the tool most used to fulfill these procurement policies, and around 20% of global palm oil production was certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2017. However, the effect of certification on deforestation in oil palm plantations remains unclear. Here, we use a comprehensive dataset of RSPO-certified and noncertified oil palm plantations (∼188,000 km2) in Indonesia, the leading producer of palm oil, as well as annual remotely sensed metrics of tree cover loss and fire occurrence, to evaluate the impact of certification on deforestation and fire from 2001 to 2015. While forest loss and fire continued after RSPO certification, certified palm oil was associated with reduced deforestation. Certification lowered deforestation by 33% from a counterfactual of 9.8 to 6.6% y−1. Nevertheless, most plantations contained little residual forest when they received certification. As a result, by 2015, certified areas held less than 1% of forests remaining within Indonesian oil palm plantations. Moreover, certification had no causal impact on forest loss in peatlands or active fire detection rates. Broader adoption of certification in forested regions, strict requirements to avoid all peat, and routine monitoring of clearly defined forest cover loss in certified and RSPO member-held plantations appear necessary if the RSPO is to yield conservation and climate benefits from reductions in tropical deforestation.

scholarly journals Managing fire risk during drought: the influence of certification and El Niño on fire-driven forest conversion for oil palm in Southeast Asia

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveen Noojipady ◽  
Douglas C. Morton ◽  
Wilfrid Schroeder ◽  
Kimberly M. Carlson ◽  
Chengquan Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
El Niño Events ◽  
In Fire ◽  
El Nino Events

Abstract. Indonesia and Malaysia have emerged as leading producers of palm oil in the past several decades, expanding production through the conversion of tropical forests to industrial plantations. Efforts to produce sustainable palm oil, including certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), include guidelines designed to reduce the environmental impact of palm oil production. Fire-driven deforestation is prohibited by law in both countries and a stipulation of RSPO certification, yet the degree of environmental compliance is unclear, especially during El Niño events when drought conditions increase fire risk. Here, we used time series of satellite data to estimate the spatial and temporal patterns of fire-driven deforestation on and around oil palm plantations. In Indonesia, fire-driven deforestation accounted for one-quarter of total forest losses on both certified and noncertified plantations. After the first plantations in Indonesia received RSPO certification in 2009, forest loss and fire-driven deforestation declined on certified plantations but did not stop altogether. Oil palm expansion in Malaysia rarely involved fire; only 5 % of forest loss on certified plantations had coincident active fire detections. Interannual variability in fire detections was strongly influenced by El Niño and the timing of certification. Fire activity during the 2002, 2004, and 2006 El Niño events was similar among oil palm plantations in Indonesia that would later become certified, noncertified plantations, and surrounding areas. However, total fire activity was 75 % and 66 % lower on certified plantations than noncertified plantations during the 2009 and 2015 El Niño events, respectively. The decline in fire activity on certified plantations, including during drought periods, highlights the potential for RSPO certification to safeguard carbon stocks in peatlands and remaining forests in accordance with legislation banning fires. However, aligning certification standards with satellite monitoring capabilities will be critical to realize sustainable palm oil production and meet industry commitments to zero deforestation.

scholarly journals Securing tropical forest carbon: the contribution of protected areas to REDD

Oryx ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörn P. W. Scharlemann ◽  
Valerie Kapos ◽  
Alison Campbell ◽  
Igor Lysenko ◽  
Neil D. Burgess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
The Tropics

AbstractForest loss and degradation in the tropics contribute 6–17% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Protected areas cover 217.2 million ha (19.6%) of the world’s humid tropical forests and contain c. 70.3 petagrams of carbon (Pg C) in biomass and soil to 1 m depth. Between 2000 and 2005, we estimate that 1.75 million ha of forest were lost from protected areas in humid tropical forests, causing the emission of 0.25–0.33 Pg C. Protected areas lost about half as much carbon as the same area of unprotected forest. We estimate that the reduction of these carbon emissions from ongoing deforestation in protected sites in humid tropical forests could be valued at USD 6,200–7,400 million depending on the land use after clearance. This is > 1.5 times the estimated spending on protected area management in these regions. Improving management of protected areas to retain forest cover better may be an important, although certainly not sufficient, component of an overall strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).

scholarly journals Cambio Multitemporal De La Cobertura Vegetal Y Fragmentación En La Reserva Ecológica “Mache- Chindul” Ecuador

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (30) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Jose Luis Muñoz Marcillo ◽  
Marcelo Andrade Mesía ◽  
Betty González Osorio
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Minimum Distance ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Ecological Reserve ◽  
Peripheral Area ◽  
Landsat 7 ◽  
Pseudo Color

The "Mache-Chindul" -REMACH- Ecological Reserve is one of the 33 natural areas that make up the National System of Protected Areas - SNAP-, administered by the Ecuadorian government through the Ministry of Environment, MAE. This ecological reserve protects one of the few remnants of tropical dry Ecuador forest, as well as a variety of endemic species of flora and fauna, many of which are endangered, the study allowed us to determine the multitemporal cover change plant (natural forest, pasture and cultivated timberline) and fragmentation of forest area between 2002- 2012 with the implementation of programs GIS and ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 Er Mapper. Information of the study area was lifted from satellite Landsat 7 ETM (spatial resolution 30 m per pixel) to the same as a composition of pseudo color (RGB-431) and a classification applied supervised using the method of Minimum Distance. The ecological reserve has an area of 53,662 hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 44.7 % of total area, 23.1 % is regeneration or recovery of natural forest with an area of 27,707 hectares; the natural forest has undergone several interventions, considering the most affected and the peripheral area south of the rivet end, fragmentation was of 38,632 was equivalent to 32.2 % of the total area of the reserve, in the category of cultivated grass product the increase of the agricultural frontier and decreasing natural forest cover from the illegal extraction of wood, also the pressure from timber companies and colonization fronts, concerning the population index this has decreased from 5.71 to 5.39 hab / km2.

Management effectiveness positively influences forest conservation outcomes in protected areas in Mexico

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Powlen ◽  
Michael C. Gavin ◽  
Kelly W. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Management Effectiveness ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Management Quality ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Equal Sharing ◽  
Careful Design

Understanding the factors that drive protected area outcomes is critical to increase the success of global conservation efforts. Until recently, our understanding of the influence of management effectiveness has been restricted by the limited availability of standardized management data and study design limitations of prior evaluations. Here we use a quasi-experimental matching approach to test the influence of management effectiveness on forest cover change inside 46 protected areas in Mexico. We test the influence of five management categories, including context and planning, administration and finance, use and benefits, governance and social participation, and management quality, as well as an overall effectiveness score, using a subgroup analysis and an interaction term in post-matching multiple linear regression. Our results show that protected areas with higher management effectiveness have a greater effect on reducing deforestation compared to those with low management effectiveness, but that both types of protected areas experience less forest loss compared to similar unprotected areas. We find this trend in all five of the management categories and the overall score, with administration and finance scores having the greatest effect on forest loss outcomes. Our findings suggest careful design and planning, effective participation from multiple stakeholders and equal sharing of benefits, and sufficient human and financial capital can improve the effectiveness of protected areas in preventing forest loss.

scholarly journals What Is Threatening Forests in Protected Areas? A Global Assessment of Deforestation in Protected Areas, 2001–2018

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Wade ◽  
Kemen G. Austin ◽  
James Cajka ◽  
Daniel Lapidus ◽  
Kibri H. Everett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
The Impact

The protection of forests is crucial to providing important ecosystem services, such as supplying clean air and water, safeguarding critical habitats for biodiversity, and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this importance, global forest loss has steadily increased in recent decades. Protected Areas (PAs) currently account for almost 15% of Earth’s terrestrial surface and protect 5% of global tree cover and were developed as a principal approach to limit the impact of anthropogenic activities on natural, intact ecosystems and habitats. We assess global trends in forest loss inside and outside of PAs, and land cover following this forest loss, using a global map of tree cover loss and global maps of land cover. While forests in PAs experience loss at lower rates than non-protected forests, we find that the temporal trend of forest loss in PAs is markedly similar to that of all forest loss globally. We find that forest loss in PAs is most commonly—and increasingly—followed by shrubland, a broad category that could represent re-growing forest, agricultural fallows, or pasture lands in some regional contexts. Anthropogenic forest loss for agriculture is common in some regions, particularly in the global tropics, while wildfires, pests, and storm blowdown are a significant and consistent cause of forest loss in more northern latitudes, such as the United States, Canada, and Russia. Our study describes a process for screening tree cover loss and agriculture expansion taking place within PAs, and identification of priority targets for further site-specific assessments of threats to PAs. We illustrate an approach for more detailed assessment of forest loss in four case study PAs in Brazil, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United States.

scholarly journals Degradation of visible autumn icons and conservation opportunities: trends in deciduous forest loss in the contiguous US

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M Dreiss ◽  
Jacob W Malcom
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forests

Temperate deciduous forests are one of the most visible biomes on Earth because of their autumn aesthetics and because they harbor some of the most heavily populated regions, including in the United States. Their location and their ability to attract leaf-peeping outsiders may provide greater opportunities for people to experience nature, which has been linked to greater conservation action. However, accelerating human modification of landscapes means continued forest loss and fragmentation. We use spatial overlay analyses to quantify recent (1984-2016) and predicted (2016-2050) forest disturbance in each U.S. ecoregion and the extent to which each ecoregion falls into protected areas. Almost all ecoregions saw a steady decline in deciduous forest cover between 1985 and 2016 with some of the top ecoregions for autumn aesthetics being underrepresented in the protected areas network and vulnerable to additional losses. Generally, ecoregions undergoing greater proportional losses have greater forest area and are less represented in the protected areas network. Under worst-case forecasting scenarios, losses are predicted to continue. However, environmentally focused scenarios suggest there is still opportunity to reverse deciduous forest loss in some ecoregions. The large difference in forest loss estimates in the predictions scenarios emphasizes the importance of human approaches to economic growth and sustainability in securing environmental stability. Increasing public exposure to temperate forests may help ensure conservation of more natural areas and preserve the quantity and quality of autumn forest viewing.

scholarly journals Species distribution modeling and conservation assessment of the black-headed night monkey (Aotus nigriceps) – A species of Least Concern that faces widespread anthropogenic threats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Helenbrook ◽  
Jose W. Valdez
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Deforestation Rates

AbstractDeforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have been steadily increasing since 2007. Recent government policy, projected growth of agriculture, and expansion of the cattle industry is expected to further pressure primates within the Amazon basin. In this study, we examined the anthropogenic impact on the widely distributed black-headed night monkey, Aotus nigriceps, whose distribution and population status have yet to be assessed. We 1) modeled species distribution in A. nigriceps; 2) estimated impact of habitat loss on population trends; and 3) highlight landscape-based conservation actions which maximize potential for their long-term sustainability. We found the black-headed night monkey to be restricted by several biotic and environmental factors including forest cover, elevation, isothermality, and precipitation. Over the last two decades, over 132,908 km2 of tree cover (18%) has been lost within their documented range. We found this species occupies only 49% of habitat within in their range, a loss of 19% from their estimated 2000 distribution, and just over 34% of occupied areas were in protected areas. Projected deforestation rates of A. nigriceps equates to an additional loss of 23,084 km2 of occupied habitat over the next decade. This study suggests that although classified as a species of Least Concern, A. nigriceps may have a much smaller range and is likely more at risk than previously described. The future impact of continued expansion of mono-cultured crops, cattle ranching, and wildfires is still unknown. However, expanded use of participatory REDD+, sustainable agroforestry in buffer zones, secured land tenor for indigenous communities, wildlife corridors, and the expansion of protected areas can help ensure viability for this nocturnal primate and other sympatric species throughout the Amazon Basin.

scholarly journals Orangutan movement and population dynamics across human-modified landscapes: implications of policy and management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave J. I. Seaman ◽  
Maria Voigt ◽  
Greta Bocedi ◽  
Justin M. J. Travis ◽  
Stephen C. F. Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Forest Remnants

Abstract Context Agricultural expansion is a leading cause of deforestation and habitat fragmentation globally. Policies that support biodiversity and facilitate species movement across farmland are therefore central to sustainability efforts and wildlife conservation in these human-modified landscapes. Objectives We investigated the conservation impact of several potential management scenarios on animal populations and movement in a human-modified tropical landscape, focusing on the critically endangered Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus. Methods We used an individual-based modelling platform to simulate population dynamics and movements across four possible landscape management scenarios for a highly modified oil palm-dominated landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Results Scenarios that maximised the retention of natural forest remnants in agricultural areas through sustainability certification standards supported stable orangutan populations. These populations were up to 45% larger than those supported under development-focused scenarios, where forest retention was not prioritised. The forest remnants served as corridors or stepping-stones, increasing annual emigration rates across the landscape, and reducing orangutan mortality by up to 11%. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that this outcome was highly contingent on minimising mortality during dispersal. Conclusions Management that promotes maximising natural forest cover through certification, such as that promoted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, can maintain viable orangutan populations over the lifespan of an oil palm plantation and facilitate movement among otherwise isolated populations. However, minimising hunting and negative human–orangutan interactions, while promoting peaceful co-existence between apes and people, will be imperative to insure positive conservation outcomes.

scholarly journals Forest change within and outside protected areas in the Dominican Republic, 2000-2016

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Lloyd ◽  
Yolanda M. León
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Forest Change ◽  
Broadleaf Forest ◽  
Deforestation Rates ◽  
Pinus Occidentalis

AbstractWe used Landsat-based estimates of tree cover change to document the loss and gain of forest in the Dominican Republic between 2000 and 2016. Overall, 2,795 km2 of forest were lost, with forest gain occurring on only 393 km2, yielding a net loss of 2,402 km2 of forest, a decline of 11.1% or 0.7% per year. Deforestation occurred in all of the major forest types in the country, and ranged from a 13% decline in the area of semi-moist broadleaf forest to a 5.9% loss of cloud forest, mostly attributed to agriculture. Fire was a significant driver of forest loss only in Hispaniolan pine (Pinus occidentalis) forests and, to a lesser extent, in adjacent cloud forest. Deforestation rates were lower within protected areas, especially in dry and semi-moist broadleaf forests at lower elevations. Protected areas had a smaller, and generally negligible, effect on rates of forest loss in pine forest and cloud forest, largely due to the effects of several large wildfires. Overall, rates of deforestation in the Dominican Republic were higher than regional averages from across the Neotropics and appeared to have accelerated during the later years of our study period. Stemming deforestation will likely require enforcement of prohibitions on large-scale agricultural production within protected areas and development of alternatives to short-cycle, shifting agriculture.

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