IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Achard, F.; Eva, H.D.; Stibig, H.-J.; Mayaux, P.; Gallego, J.; Richards, T.; Malingreau, J.-P. | |
| Determination of Deforestation Rates of the World's Humid Tropical Forests | |
| 2002 Science (297): 999-1002 | |
A recently completed research program (TREES) employing the global imaging capabilities of Earth-observing satellites provides updated information on the status of the world's humid tropical forest cover. Between 1990 and 1997, 5.8 + - 1.4 million hectares of humid tropical forest were lost each year, with a further 2.3 + - 0.7 million hectares of forest visibly degraded. These figures indicate that the global net rate of change in forest cover for the humid tropics is 23% lower than the generally accepted rate. This result affects the calculation of carbon fluxes in the global budget and means that the terrestrial sink is smaller than previously inferred. |
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