Reporting carbon losses from tropical deforestation with Pan-tropical biomass maps (original) (raw)
Related papers
Tropical forest carbon assessment: integrating satellite and airborne mapping approaches
Environmental Research Letters, 2009
Large-scale carbon mapping is needed to support the UNFCCC program to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Managers of forested land can potentially increase their carbon credits via detailed monitoring of forest cover, loss and gain (hectares), and periodic estimates of changes in forest carbon density (tons ha −1). Satellites provide an opportunity to monitor changes in forest carbon caused by deforestation and degradation, but only after initial carbon densities have been assessed. New airborne approaches, especially light detection and ranging (LiDAR), provide a means to estimate forest carbon density over large areas, which greatly assists in the development of practical baselines. Here I present an integrated satellite-airborne mapping approach that supports high-resolution carbon stock assessment and monitoring in tropical forest regions. The approach yields a spatially resolved, regional state-of-the-forest carbon baseline, followed by high-resolution monitoring of forest cover and disturbance to estimate carbon emissions. Rapid advances and decreasing costs in the satellite and airborne mapping sectors are already making high-resolution carbon stock and emissions assessments viable anywhere in the world.
Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from tropical deforestation improved by carbon-density maps
Deforestation contributes 6–17% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere1. Large uncertainties in emission estimates arise from inadequate data on the carbon density of forests2 and the regional rates of deforestation. Consequently there is an urgent need for improved data sets that characterize the global distribution of aboveground biomass, especially in the tropics. Here we use multi-sensor satellite data to estimate aboveground live woody vegetation carbon density for pan-tropical ecosystems with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution. Results indicate that the total amount of carbon held in tropical woody vegetation is 228.7 Pg C, which is 21% higher than the amount reported in the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (ref. 3). At the national level, Brazil and Indonesia contain 35% of the total carbon stored in tropical forests and produce the largest emissions from forest loss. Combining estimates of aboveground carbon stocks with regional deforestation rates4 we estimate the total net emission of carbon from tropical deforestation and land use to be 1.0 Pg C yr−1 over the period 2000–2010—based on the carbon bookkeeping model. These new data sets of aboveground carbon stocks will enable tropical nations to meet their emissions reporting requirements (that is, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Tier 3) with greater accuracy.
Determination of tropical deforestation rates and related carbon losses from 1990 to 2010
Global Change Biology, 2014
We estimate changes in forest cover (deforestation and forest regrowth) in the tropics for the two last decades (1990-2000 and 2000-2010) based on a sample of 4000 units of 10 910 km size. Forest cover is interpreted from satellite imagery at 30 9 30 m resolution. Forest cover changes are then combined with pan-tropical biomass maps to estimate carbon losses. We show that there was a gross loss of tropical forests of 8.0 million ha yr À1 in the 1990s and 7.6 million ha yr À1 in the 2000s (0.49% annual rate), with no statistically significant difference. Humid forests account for 64% of the total forest cover in 2010 and 54% of the net forest loss during second study decade. Losses of forest cover and Other Wooded Land (OWL) cover result in estimates of carbon losses which are similar for 1990s and 2000s at 887 MtC yr À1 (range: 646-1238) and 880 MtC yr À1 (range: 602-1237) respectively, with humid regions contributing two-thirds. The estimates of forest area changes have small statistical standard errors due to large sample size. We also reduce uncertainties of previous estimates of carbon losses and removals. Our estimates of forest area change are significantly lower as compared to national survey data. We reconcile recent low estimates of carbon emissions from tropical deforestation for early 2000s and show that carbon loss rates did not change between the two last decades. Carbon losses from deforestation represent circa 10% of Carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production during the last decade (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010). Our estimates of annual removals of carbon from forest regrowth at 115 MtC yr À1 (range: 61-168) and 97 MtC yr À1 (53-141) for the 1990s and 2000s respectively are five to fifteen times lower than earlier published estimates.
Pan-tropical monitoring of deforestation
Environmental Research Letters, 2007
This paper reviews the technical capabilities for monitoring deforestation from a pan-tropical perspective in response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process, which is studying the technical issues surrounding the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in developing countries. The successful implementation of such policies requires effective forest monitoring systems that are reproducible, provide consistent results, meet standards for mapping accuracy, and can be implemented from national to pan-tropical levels. Remotely sensed data, supported by ground observations, are crucial to such efforts. Recent developments in global to regional monitoring of forests can contribute to reducing the uncertainties in estimates of emissions from deforestation. Monitoring systems at national levels in developing countries can also benefit from pan-tropical and regional observations, mainly by identifying hot spots of change and prioritizing areas for monitoring at finer spatial scales. A pan-tropical perspective is also required to ensure consistency between different national monitoring systems.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2002
Carbon fluxes from tropical deforestation and regrowth are highly uncertain components of the contemporary carbon budget, due in part to the lack of spatially explicit and consistent information on changes in forest area. We estimate fluxes for the 1980s and 1990s using subpixel estimates of percent tree cover derived from coarse (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) satellite data in combination with a terrestrial carbon model. The satellite-derived estimates of change in forest area are lower than national reports and remotesensing surveys from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) in all tropical regions, especially for the 1980s. However, our results indicate that the net rate of tropical forest clearing increased Ϸ10% from the 1980s to 1990s, most notably in southeast Asia, in contrast to an 11% reduction reported by the FRA. We estimate net mean annual carbon fluxes from tropical deforestation and regrowth to average 0.6 (0.3-0.8) and 0.9 (0.5-1.4) petagrams (Pg)⅐yr ؊1 for the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. Compared with previous estimates of 1.9 (0.6-2.5) Pg⅐yr ؊1 based on FRA national statistics of changes in forest area, this alternative estimate suggests less ''missing'' carbon from the global carbon budget but increasing emissions from tropical land-use change.
Monitoring and modelling tropical deforestation: Introduction to the Special Issue
Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 2006
This Special Issue of the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography derives from a set of papers on remote sensing and forest governance in Indonesia, presented at a workshop held at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Bogor in June 2004. The workshop assembled experts in forestry, geography and biodiversity conservation to examine the ways that imaging satellites such as Landsat are shedding new light on problems and processes associated with tropical deforestation. Although the workshop mainly focused on some of the major drivers of this process in Indonesia, the issues of illegal logging, fires and the establishment of industrial plantations are common to many other parts of the tropics where forests have been converted to other land uses, often at rates that merit global concern (Sidaway & Teo, 2005).
Benchmark map of forest carbon stocks in tropical regions across three continents
2011
Developing countries are required to produce robust estimates of forest carbon stocks for successful implementation of climate change mitigation policies related to reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Here we present a "benchmark" map of biomass carbon stocks over 2.5 billion ha of forests on three continents, encompassing all tropical forests, for the early 2000s, which will be invaluable for REDD assessments at both project and national scales. We mapped the total carbon stock in live biomass (above-and belowground), using a combination of data from 4,079 in situ inventory plots and satellite light detection and ranging (Lidar) samples of forest structure to estimate carbon storage, plus optical and microwave imagery (1-km resolution) to extrapolate over the landscape. The total biomass carbon stock of forests in the study region is estimated to be 247 Gt C, with 193 Gt C stored aboveground and 54 Gt C stored belowground in roots. Forests in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia accounted for 49%, 25%, and 26% of the total stock, respectively. By analyzing the errors propagated through the estimation process, uncertainty at the pixel level (100 ha) ranged from ±6% to ±53%, but was constrained at the typical project (10,000 ha) and national (>1,000,000 ha) scales at ca. ±5% and ca. ±1%, respectively. The benchmark map illustrates regional patterns and provides methodologically comparable estimates of carbon stocks for 75 developing countries where previous assessments were either poor or incomplete.
Monitoring tropical deforestation for emerging carbon markets
2005
The ability to quantify and verify tropical deforestation is critically important for assessing carbon credits from reduced deforestation. Analysis of satellite data is the most practicable approach for routine and timely monitoring of forest cover at the national scale. To develop baselines of historical deforestation and to detect new deforestation, we address the following issues: 1) Are data available to monitor and verify tropical deforestation?: The historical database is adequate to develop baselines of tropical deforestation in the 1990's and current plans call for the launch of a Landsat class sensor after 2010. However a coordinated effort to assemble data from Landsat, ASTER, IRS, and other high resolution sensors is needed to maintain coverage for monitoring deforestation in the current decade and to ensure future observations; 2) Are there accepted, standard methods for monitoring and verifying tropical deforestation?: Effective methods for nearly-automated regional monitoring have been demonstrated in 3) Are the institutional capabilities in place for monitoring tropical deforestation?: A few tropical rainforest countries have expertise, institutions, and programs in place to monitor deforestation (e.g. Brazil and India) and US and European institutions are technically able to monitor deforestation across the tropics. However, many tropical countries require development of national and regional capabilities. This capability underpins the long-term viability of monitoring tropical deforestation to support compensated reductions. The main obstacles are budgetary, logistical and political rather than technical.