Caption "Dead yellowwood tree on Lange Vlakte farm, Alexandria, 10 km SW Alexandria town. 1980. The tree had been burnt and killed, apparently by blacks taking honey from its hollow stem. Photo C.J. Skead, 1980."

Caption "TW 17. Lone relict Camdeboo Stink wood on rocky koppie beside road down to Umzimvubu Bridge between Mount Ayliff & Mt. Frere. Nov. 1963."

Caption "TW 17. Aspect of the lone relict Camdeboo stinkwood running down the Umzimvubu Bridge between Mt. Ayliff & Mt. Frere. Nov. 1963."

Monitoring large forest areas is presently feasible with satellite remote sensing as opposed to time-consuming and expensive ground surveys as alternative. This study evaluated, for the first time, the potential of using freely available medium resolution (30 m) Landsat time series data for deforestation monitoring in tropical rainforests of Kalimantan, Indonesia, at sub-annual time scales. A simple, generic, data-driven algorithm for deforestation detection based on a consecutive anomalies criterion was proposed. An accuracy assessment in the spatial and the temporal domain was carried out using high-confidence reference sample pixels interpreted with the aid of multi-temporal very high spatial resolution image series. Results showed a promising spatial accuracy, when three consecutive anomalies were required to confirm a deforestation event. Recommendations in tuning the algorithm for different operational use cases were provided within the context of satisfying REDD+ requirements, depending on whether spatial accuracy or temporal accuracy need to be optimized.

This study first explored the rate of forest deforestation in Shamva resettlement areas. It then identified and estimated the extent to which these resettled farmers depend on forest for their livelihoods. Evaluation of farmer perceptions on management issues and willingness to participate in indigenous forest conservation and the socio-economic and institutional factors which affect their willingness to participate were also done. Finally the study sought to identify incentives for forests conservation. The study was conducted in Shamva district in Mashonaland Central province. And the respondents were stratified into three groups: A1, A2 and Old resettlement models. The three models differ on how they were implemented and supported which might render them to have different deforestation rates, livelihood strategies and forest dependency. A total of 247 respondents were surveyed, consisting of 98 A1 farmers, 50 A2 farmers and 99 Old resettled farmers. The data was collected using GIS and remote sensing, structured questionnaire interviews and direct observation. The data was analysed using descriptive analysis, KAP analytic framework and binary logistic regression analysis. The land cover/changes results revealed that both deforestation and afforestation are taking place in Shamva resettlement. Woodland and bushland were decreasing, croplands were also decreasing. However woodland dense and grasslands were increasing. Deforestation was found to be as a result of the resettled farmers’ livelihood strategies which were found to be diverse and agriculture being dominant in all models. All the farmers depended on the forest but at varying levels of 19 percent for Old and 14 percent forA1 and 0.02 percent for A2 resettle farmers. 84 percent of the interviewed farmers however, indicated that they are willing to conserve forest with A1 farmers being the highest followed by A2 86 percent and lastly Old resettled farmers at 76.8 percent. Results of the binary regression model revealed that the significant factors which explain willingness to participate in indigenous forest conservation are age, marital status, education, gender, institution, culture and belief, employment and household size. The highest preferred incentive was the provision of free seedlings and the lowest was out grower scheme. The study recommends that GIS and remote sensing should be used to monitor deforestation, off farm projects be encouraged, exotic and indigenous trees be promoted and forest conservation education be promoted in resettlement areas.

The majority of the impact of climate and human induced changes on forest are related to climate variability and deforestation. Similarly, changes in forest phenology due to climate variability and deforestation has been recognized as being among the most important early indicators of the impact of environmental change on forest ecosystem functioning. Comprehensive data on baseline forest cover changes including deforestation is required to provide background information needed for governments to make decision on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REED). Despite the fact that Nigeria ranks among the countries with highest deforestation rates based on Food and Agricultural Organization estimates, only a few studies have aimed at mapping forest cover changes at country scales. However, recent attempts to map baseline forest cover and deforestation in Nigeria has been based on global scale remote sensing techniques which do not confirm with ground based observations at country level. The aim of this study is two-fold: firstly, baseline forest cover was estimated using an ‘adaptive’ remote sensing model that classified forest cover with high accuracies at country level for the savanna and rainforest zones. The first part of this study also compared the potentials of different MODIS data in detecting forest cover changes at regional (cluster level) scale. The second part of this study explores the trends and response of forest phenology to rainfall across four forest clusters from 2002 to 2012 using vegetation index data from the MODIS and rainfall data obtained from the TRMM.

Monitoring large forest areas is presently feasible with satellite remote sensing as opposed to time-consuming and expensive ground surveys as alternative. This study evaluated, for the first time, the potential of using freely available medium resolution (30 m) Landsat time series data for deforestation monitoring in tropical rainforests of Kalimantan, Indonesia, at sub-annual time scales. A simple, generic, data-driven algorithm for deforestation detection based on a consecutive anomalies criterion was proposed. An accuracy assessment in the spatial and the temporal domain was carried out using high-confidence reference sample pixels interpreted with the aid of multi-temporal very high spatial resolution image series. Results showed a promising spatial accuracy, when three consecutive anomalies were required to confirm a deforestation event. Recommendations in tuning the algorithm for different operational use cases were provided within the context of satisfying REDD+ requirements, depending on whether spatial accuracy or temporal accuracy need to be optimized.

Deforestation of flooded (várzea) and non-flooded (terra firme) forests caused by firewood consumption at tile factories (olaria) was investigated in Abaetetuba Island at the Amazon estuary. Várzea is spatially limited, the area is only 3% of the whole Amazon, however, it is heavily influenced by human activities, especially by the cultivation of acaí palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart.). The trees are cut down for the olarias. The number of tree species are small, and they have less wood density than terra firme tree species because the várzea is flooded twice a day throughout the year. Terra firme forests, which are also secondary forests, receive less human impact, and have more tree species and more individual trees with a growth extension that exceeds the species in the várzea forests. The deforestation was examined by comparing forest biomass in a unit area to firewood consumption at olarias. The annual area of deforestation was estimated by using the combination of tree species in the firewood and human impact in the várzea forests. Then the estimation was extended to the whole island, assuming that the forests were rotatively cleared every 25 to 30 years. The results indicated that the area of deforestation was 6,870ha/25 years to 8,337ha/30 years, and that it was smaller than the island. However, logging is not only for fuel at olarias. If Belém's economic influence becomes stronger, and electric energy is not diffused throughout the island, the lumber consumption will accelerate and the increase might make the forest disappear faster than estimated.

O desmatamento se faz presente na história do Brasil desde a era colonial. Dados recentes evidenciam que o cenário só piorou nos últimos anos, especialmente no bioma da Mata Atlântica. No estado de São Paulo a cobertura por florestas decaiu de 80% para apenas 16,3% em um período de tempo relativamente curto. O processo de desmatamento resultou um grande arquipélago de pequenos fragmentos florestais sem conexão. Criou-se assim uma necessidade de se identificar os efeitos da fragmentação florestal e entender qual a relação existente entre esses remanescentes e o seu entorno. A importância dos efeitos da matriz circundante sobre os fragmentos tem implicação direta sobre as estratégias de conservação nas paisagens fragmentadas. Neste trabalho objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de borda de fragmentos florestais divididos em duas classes de tamanho e analisar como diferentes tipos de ocupação antrópica influenciam no estado de manutenção da biodiversidade e nos estoques de carbono, partindo do pressuposto de que diferentes tipos de matrizes influenciam o efeito de borda de maneira distinta. Foram analisadas as seguintes situações de interface: 1. cana-de-açúcar, 2. pastagem e 3. eucalipto, presentes no entorno de fragmentos de floresta Estacional Semidecidual localizados no município de Piracicaba-SP. O intuito desta pesquisa foi verificar quais situações são mais ou menos favoráveis à proteção do fragmento, verificando as alterações de estrutura, composição florística e estoques de carbono e biomassa. No contexto, analisou-se os principais mapeamentos existentes de uso e ocupação do solo do município de Piracicaba, verificando a porcentagem de áreas de floresta, cana-de-açúcar, pastagens e plantios monoculturais de eucalipto. Os fragmentos avaliados apresentaram claros indícios de efeito de borda até os 50 m. A interface de eucalipto apresentou maior riqueza de espécies e maior estabilidade de estoque de carbono na borda e no centro. Quanto à composição da paisagem, há a predominância do componente agropecuário no município de Piracicaba. A quase totalidade destes remanescentes estão circundados por estas ocupações, havendo pouca ou nenhuma conexão entre eles. Procura-se assim verificar a possibilidade de se utilizar as áreas de produção também como forma de preservação. / Deforestation is present in Brazil\'s history since colonial era. Recent data shows that the scenario has worsened in the last years, especially in the Atlantic Forest biome. In São Paulo the coverage by forests declined from 80% to only 16,3% over a relatively short time. The deforestation process resulted in a large archipelago of small forest fragments with no connection. Thus, has created a need to identify the effects of forest fragmentation and understand which is the relationship between these remains and their surrounding. The importance of the effects of the surrounding matrix on the fragments have direct implications on strategies for conservation in fragmented landscapes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of edge of forest fragments divided into two size classes and analyze how different types of anthropic occupation influence in maintenance of biodiversity and carbon stocks, on the assumption that different types of matrices influence the effect of edge differently. The following interface situations was analyzed: 1. sugar cane, 2. grassland and 3. eucalyptus, present in around of seasonal semideciduous forest fragments, located in Piracicaba-SP. The purpose of this research was to verify which situations are more or less favorable to the protection of the fragment, checking the structural alterations, floristic composition and carbon and biomass\' stocks. In addition, was analyzed the main mapping of land use and occupation of the municipality of Piracicaba, verifying the percentage of areas of forest, sugarcane, pasture and monoculture eucalyptus plantations. The fragments evaluated presented clear signs of edge effect up to 50 m. The eucalyptus interface presented greater species richness and greater stability of carbon stock at the edge and at the center. Regarding the composition of the landscape, there is predominance of the agricultural component (sugar cane and pasture) in the municipality of Piracicaba. Almost all of these remnants are surrounded by these occupations, with little or no connection between them. This study seeks to verify the possibility of using the production areas also as a way of preservation.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / This paper presents a method for generating estimates of temporal changes in the surrounding area of a highway located in the Amazon, using the technique Cellular Automata and explanatory variables, only attributes of the land. The proposed model uses vector images (obtained from the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil), which are converted to grid type files â raster image, representing a series of spatial changes in the region of study. With this proposition, it is expected to assist decision makers in order to meet the requests of CONAMA Resolution 01, relating to environmental impacts, more specifically, as regards the construction of models which consider scenarios with and without the project, and that the process of construction / rehabilitation of roads can be made in view of the legal norms in order to minimize potential environmental and social impacts. The model generated from the CAs showed promise in generating future estimates of deforestation and a good quantitative and qualitative indicators to support the decision making process to consider future deforestation being caused by construction and / or paving of road in the Amazon. / Este trabalho apresenta um mÃtodo para a estimativa de mudanÃas espaÃo temporais no entorno de uma rodovia localizada na AmazÃnia, utilizando para tanto a tÃcnica AutÃmatos Celulares adaptada em ambiente SIG, onde as variÃveis explicativas do modelo serÃo somente os atributos do terreno. O modelo proposto usa imagens vetoriais (obtidas junto ao Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais) que posteriormente sÃo convertidas para arquivos tipo grid â em formato raster, com a sÃrie histÃrica das mudanÃas espaciais na regiÃo objeto de estudo. Espera-se auxiliar os tomadores de decisÃo no atendimento das solicitaÃÃes da resoluÃÃo CONAMA 01/86 relativas à concepÃÃo de modelos que considerem cenÃrios com e sem o empreendimento, e que os processos de construÃÃo/recuperaÃÃo de rodovias possam ser realizados atendendo Ãs normas legais, visando minimizar os potenciais impactos sÃcio ambientais. O modelo gerado a partir dos ACs mostrou-se promissor na geraÃÃo de estimativas futuras de desmatamento e um bom indicador quantitativo e qualitativo para suporte no processo de tomada de decisÃo que pondere o desmatamento futuro a ser causado pela construÃÃo e/ou pavimentaÃÃo de uma rodovia na AmazÃnia.