Drivers of Forest Loss in a Megadiverse Hotspot on the Pacific Coast of Colombia
Drivers of Forest Loss in a Megadiverse Hotspot on the Pacific Coast of Colombia
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DOI：
10.3390/rs12081235
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发表时间：
2020-04-01
期刊：
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Balzter, Heiko
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Anaya, Jesus A.;Gutierrez-Velez, Victor H.;Balzter, Heiko
热带森林正在以前所未有的速度消失，但这种变化背后的驱动因素并不总是很清楚。这限制了决策过程和森林管理政策的效力。在本文中，我们讨论了乔科生物多样性热点地区森林砍伐的程度和驱动因素，尽管该地区具有高水平的植物多样性和地方性，但却没有得到太多的科学关注。气候的特点是持续的云层覆盖，这对光学卫星图像的土地覆盖测绘是一个挑战。通过使用谷歌Earth Engine选择具有最小云含量的像素，并对Landsat和Sentinel数据应用随机森林分类器，我们生成了一幅完整的土地覆盖图，从而能够诊断该地区森林损失的状况和驱动因素。对这些新地图的分析，加上非法作物和冲积采矿的信息，揭示了对完整森林的压力。根据全球森林变化（GFC）数据，2001年至2018年，该地区有2324公里（2平方公里）的森林被砍伐，2016年和2017年达到最大值。我们发现68%的面积为阔叶林（67,473 km(2)）， 15%的面积为灌丛（14,483 km(2)），后者具有促进恢复项目的巨大潜力。本文通过讨论森林损失的驱动因素，为这一特殊森林的保护提供了新的见解，其中非法作物和冲积采矿被发现对60%的森林损失负责。
Tropical forests are disappearing at unprecedented rates, but the drivers behind this transformation are not always clear. This limits the decision-making processes and the effectiveness of forest management policies. In this paper, we address the extent and drivers of deforestation of the Choco biodiversity hotspot, which has not received much scientific attention despite its high levels of plant diversity and endemism. The climate is characterized by persistent cloud cover which is a challenge for land cover mapping from optical satellite imagery. By using Google Earth Engine to select pixels with minimal cloud content and applying a random forest classifier to Landsat and Sentinel data, we produced a wall-to-wall land cover map, enabling a diagnosis of the status and drivers of forest loss in the region. Analyses of these new maps together with information from illicit crops and alluvial mining uncovered the pressure over intact forests. According to Global Forest Change (GFC) data, 2324 km(2) were deforested in this area from 2001 to 2018, reaching a maximum in 2016 and 2017. We found that 68% of the area is covered by broadleaf forests (67,473 km(2)) and 15% by shrublands (14,483 km(2)), the latter with enormous potential to promote restoration projects. This paper provides a new insight into the conservation of this exceptional forest with a discussion of the drivers of forest loss, where illicit crops and alluvial mining were found to be responsible for 60% of forest loss.