Monitoring Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Bago Mountain Area, Myanmar using FCD Mapper

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While deforestation in the tropics has been well mapped, there is little information on the extent and changes of forest degradation. This study aimed to investigate temporal and spatial patterns of both deforestation and forest degradation in three reserved forests of the central Bago mountain ranges, Myanmar, which have a long history of selective logging activities. We used Forest Canopy Density (FCD) Mapper and Landsat images (1989, 1999, 2003, and 2006) for the investigation. Over 17 years, more than 90% of the total area was kept as forests, defined as FCD≥10%, but closed canopy forests (FCD≥70%) greatly decreased from 98% to 53% of the total area. Medium canopy forests (40%≤FCD<70%) and open canopy forests (10%≤FCD<40%) increased. Gross forest degradation (change to lower FCD) was much larger than gross forest improvement (change to higher FCD) for all sites and periods, whereas differences in gross deforestation (forest to non-forest) and gross reforestation (non-forest to forest) were relatively small. As a result, a high annual net forest degradation rate of 2.5% was observed, although the annual net deforestation rate was relatively low at 0.2% between 1989 and 2006. Our findings on higher forest degradation throw the question about the sustainability of current harvesting levels of selective logging and/or extraction of non-wood forest products and shifting cultivation by local communities if no conservation or remedial measures are taken. This study revealed the importance of monitoring deforestation and forest degradation as well as the usefulness of the FCD Mapper.
森林計画学会の論文

Monitoring Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Bago Mountain Area, Myanmar using FCD Mapper

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