Accelerated Deforestation in the Humid Tropics from the 1990s to the 2000s

Do-Hyung Kim, University of Maryland, rsgis@umd.edu (Presenter)
Joseph O. Sexton, University of Maryland, jsexton@umd.edu
John R. Townshend, University of Maryland, jtownshe@umd.edu

Using a consistent, twenty-year series of high- (30-m) resolution, satellite-based maps of forest cover, we estimate forest area and its changes from 1990 to 2010 in 34 tropical countries that account for the majority of the global area of humid tropical forests. Our estimates indicate a 62% acceleration in net deforestation in the humid tropics from the 1990s to the 2000s, contradicting a 25% reduction reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forest Resource Assessment (FRA). Net loss of forest cover peaked from 2000 to 2005. Gross gains accelerated slowly and uniformly between 1990-2000, 2000-2005 and 2005-2010. However, the gains were overwhelmed by gross losses, which peaked from 2000-2005 and decelerated afterward. The acceleration of humid tropical deforestation we report contradicts the assertion that losses decelerated from the 1990s to the 2000s.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 4: Human influence on global ecosystems   (Mon 4:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Townshend, John: Enhanced Land Cover and Land Cover Change Products from MODIS ...details
• Townshend, John: Enhanced Land Cover Products from MODIS: Vegetation Continuous Fields Maintenance and Refinements ...details
• Townshend, John: Vegetation Continuous Fields ̢?? Collection 6 Refinements ...details

Poster Location ID: 5