Degradation of tropical rainforests: Focus on Central Africa

Chloé Dupuis (doctoral student Forest is Life - TERRA ) gives us an overview of the state of forest degradation, particularly in Central Africa. The tool used: remote sensing via a drone. A particularly useful reminder when we know the importance played by tropical forests.

Summary

In the context of the climate and biodiversity crisis facing our planet, tropical forests playing a key role in global carbon flux and containing over half of Earth’s species are important to preserve. They are today threatened by deforestation but also by forest degradation, which is more difficult to study and to accurately measure. Remote sensing tools provide opportunities to monitor tropical moist forest degradation. Here, we performed a systematic review of studies on moist tropical forest degradation using remote sensing and fitting indicators of forest resilience to perturbations. The cover image was taken with a UAV in a central African moist forest just after logging. Holes in the canopy represent logging gaps and logging tracks allowing access to the timber resource.

  Link to the publication: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/7/1087