Detecting and predicting forest degradation: A comparison of ground surveys and remote sensing in Tanzanian forests

Antje Ahrends; Mark T Bulling; Philip J Platts; Ruth Swetnam; Casey Ryan; Nike Doggart; Peter M Hollingsworth; Robert Marchant; Andrew Balmford; David Harris; Nicole Gross-Camp; Peter Sumbi; Pantaleon Munishi; Seif Madoffe; Boniface Mhoro; Charles Leonard; Claire Bracebridge; Kathryn Doody; Victoria Wilkins; Nisha Owen; Andrew Marshall; Marije Schaafsma; Kerstin Pfliegner; Trevor Jones; James Robinson; Elmer Topp-Jørgensen; Henry Brink; Neil D Burgess

doi:10.1002/ppp3.10189

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Detecting and predicting forest degradation: A comparison of ground surveys and remote sensing in Tanzanian forests

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Detecting and predicting forest degradation: A comparison of ground surveys and remote sensing in Tanzanian forests

Antje Ahrends, Mark T Bulling, Philip J Platts, Ruth Swetnam, Casey Ryan, Nike Doggart, Peter M Hollingsworth, Robert Marchant, Andrew Balmford, David Harris, …

Plants, People, Planet, Vol.3(3), pp.268-281

2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10189

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Abstract

synthetic aperture radar

community‐based forest management

global forest watch

human disturbance

carbon emissions

biodiversity conservation

village land forest reserves

East Africa

Large areas of tropical forest are degraded. While global tree cover is being mapped with increasing accuracy from space, much less is known about the quality of that tree cover. Here we present a field protocol for rapid assessments of forest condition. Using extensive field data from Tanzania, we show that a focus on remotely-sensed deforestation would not detect significant reductions in forest quality. Radar-based remote sensing of degradation had good agreement with the ground data, but the ground surveys provided more insights into the nature and drivers of degradation. We recommend the combined use of rapid field assessments and remote sensing to provide an early warning, and to allow timely and appropriately targeted conservation and policy responses.

Details

Title: Detecting and predicting forest degradation: A comparison of ground surveys and remote sensing in Tanzanian forests
Authors: Antje Ahrends (Corresponding Author) - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Mark T Bulling (Author) - University of Derby
Philip J Platts (Author) - University of York
Ruth Swetnam (Author) - University of Staffordshire
Casey Ryan (Author) - University of Edinburgh
Nike Doggart (Author) - University of Leeds
Peter M Hollingsworth (Author) - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Robert Marchant (Author) - University of York
Andrew Balmford (Author) - University of Cambridge
David Harris (Author) - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Nicole Gross-Camp (Author) - Allegheny College
Peter Sumbi (Author) - TanBE Ltd.
Pantaleon Munishi (Author) - Sokoine University of Agriculture
Seif Madoffe (Author) - Sokoine University of Agriculture
Boniface Mhoro (Author)
Charles Leonard (Author) - Tanzania Forest Conservation Group
Claire Bracebridge (Author) - North Carolina Zoo Society
Kathryn Doody (Author) - The Society for Environmental Exploration (Frontier)
Victoria Wilkins (Author) - The Society for Environmental Exploration (Frontier)
Nisha Owen (Author) - The Society for Environmental Exploration (Frontier)
Andrew Marshall (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research Centre
Marije Schaafsma (Author) - Amsterdam UMC - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Kerstin Pfliegner (Author) - The Nature Conservancy (Germany)
Trevor Jones (Author) - Southern Tanzania Elephant Program
James Robinson (Author) - University of Edinburgh
Elmer Topp-Jørgensen (Author) - Aarhus University
Henry Brink (Author) - Arid Zone Research Institute
Neil D Burgess (Author) - World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Publication details: Plants, People, Planet, Vol.3(3), pp.268-281
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Date published: 2021
DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.10189
ISSN: 2572-2611
Copyright note: © 2021 The Authors. Plants, People, Planet © New Phytologist Foundation. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99510606902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Biodiversity Conservation; Ecology; Plant Sciences

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