remote sensing news from mongabay.com

Peru opens deforestation data to the public, shows drop in Amazon forest clearing

2013-06-13T23:42:00Z

Peru has made its comprehensive deforestation data available to the public.

NASA: Deforestation jumps in Malaysia

2013-06-10T23:46:00Z

Deforestation jumped during the first three months of 2013 in Malaysia, Nepal and Mexico, according to a forest tracking tool developed by a team of NASA researchers.

NASA: 3% of Amazon rainforest burned between 1999-2010

2013-06-08T10:42:00Z

33,000 square miles (85,500 square kilometers) or 2.8 percent of the Amazon rainforest burned between 1999-2010 finds new NASA-led research that measured the extent of fires that smolder under the forest canopy.

Data from NASA's Landsat 8 now freely available

2013-06-02T18:06:00Z

Data from NAA's Landsat 8 is now freely available, enabling researchers and the general public to access images captured by the satellite within twelve hours of reception. Landsat 8 launched this February and has been capturing images since April. The satellite orbits Earth every 99 minutes and captures images of every point on the planet every 16 days, beaming 400 high resolution images to ground stations every 24 hours.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon pacing 88% higher than last year's rate

2013-05-18T21:55:00Z

Satellite analysis by a Brazil-based NGO indicates that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon continues to pace well ahead of last year, when the government passed a weakened version of its law governing use of forest lands.

Researchers develop highest-resolution global forest cover dataset to date

2013-05-17T04:02:00Z

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a 30-meter resolution forest cover data set that could boost efforts to track deforestation and forest degradation.

Google Time-lapse offers view of Earth over 3 decades

2013-05-10T20:22:00Z

Google has released a series of time-lapse images showing global change between 1984 and 2012. The images are sourced from NASA's Landsat mission, a series of Earth-observation satellites that have orbited the planet since 1972, providing scientists, policymakers, and the general public with a wealth of data and imagery used for a wide range of applications.

Entire planet will soon have rapid deforestation detection system

2013-04-09T23:46:00Z

World Resources Institute (WRI) today previewed a long-awaited tool that could revolutionize global forest monitoring, reports the UN Forum on Forests, which is meeting this week in Istanbul, Turkey.

Conservation gets boost from new Landsat satellite

2013-04-03T13:59:00Z

Efforts to monitor the world's forests and other ecosystems got a big boost in February with the launch of Landsat 8, NASA's newest earth observation satellite, which augments the crippled Landsat 7 currently orbiting Earth (technically Landsat 8 is still named the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) and will remain so until May when the USGS turns control of the satellite over to NASA). Landsat 8/LDCM is the most advanced Earth observation satellite to date. It is the eighth Landsat since the initial launch in 1972.

Brazilian govt confirms rise in deforestation

2013-03-28T22:42:00Z

Brazil's National Space Research Agency INPE today confirmed an apparent rise in Amazon forest clearing for the four-month period ending February 28, 2013.

Deforestation in key Madagascar park accelerated after 2009 coup d'etat, finds satellite analysis

2013-03-18T07:20:00Z

Deforestation and forest disturbance in Madagascar's largest national park increased significantly less than a year after a coup displaced the country's democratically-elected president in 2009, finds a new study that analyzed forest cover in Masoala National Park.

A promising initiative to address deforestation in Brazil at the local level

2013-03-05T17:32:00Z

The history of the Brazilian Amazon has long been marked by deforestation and degradation. Until recently the situation has been considered out of control. Then, in 2004, the Brazilian government launched an ambitious program to combat deforestation. Public pressure—both national and international—was one of the reasons that motivated the government to act. Another reason was that in 2004, deforestation contributed to more than 55 percent of Brazil’s total greenhouse gas emissions, making Brazil the fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.

Is APP deal a sign of a changing forestry sector?

2013-02-15T14:50:00Z

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), one of the world’s largest paper companies, announced earlier this month that it will no longer cut down natural forests in Indonesia and will demand similar commitments from its suppliers. The announcement was received with guarded optimism by Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, World Wildlife Fund, and other NGOs who have waged a persistent campaign to change APP’s forest policies.

Rate of tree die-off in Amazon higher than conventionally believed

2013-02-01T20:50:00Z

The rate of tree mortality in the Amazon rainforest due to storm damage and drought is 9-17 percent higher than conventionally believed, reports a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

NASA data registers strong deforestation signals in Sumatra, Borneo, Brazil, Gabon

2013-01-29T13:18:00Z

NASA satellites picked up signals of extensive potential deforestation in Sumatra, Borneo, Central Africa, the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon, the Chocó in Colombia and Ecuador, and the Chaco region of Paraguay between October 1 and December 31, 2012, according to the latest update on Mongabay.com's Global Forest Disturbance Alert System (GloF-DAS).

Amazon deforestation rate pacing ahead of last year

2013-01-18T23:04:00Z

Data released by Imazon, a Brazil-based NGO, shows that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon continues to pace well ahead of last year's record low rate.

Advanced technology reveals massive tree die-off in remote, unexplored parts of the Amazon

2012-12-12T19:52:00Z

Severe drought conditions in 2010 appear to have substantially increased tree mortality in the Western Amazon, a region thought largely immune from the worst effects of changes occurring in other parts of the world's largest rainforest, reported research presented last week at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The findings suggest that the Amazon may face higher-the-expected vulnerability to climate change, potentially undercutting its ability to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide through faster growth.

Deforestation rate falls across Amazon rainforest countries

2012-12-06T01:54:00Z

The average annual rate of deforestation across Amazon rainforest countries dropped sharply in the second half of the 2000s, reports a comprehensive new assessment of the region's forest cover and drivers of deforestation. While the drop in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has been widely reported, several other Amazon countries saw their rates of forest loss drop as well, according to the report, which was published by a coalition of 11 Latin American civil society groups and research institutions that form the Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG).

Brazil's deforestation at record low from 2011-2012

2012-11-27T20:21:00Z

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to the lowest rate since annual record-keeping began in 1988 according to provisional data released Tuesday by Brazil's National Space Research Agency (INPE). 1,798 square miles (4,656 square kilometers) of Amazon forest was chopped down during the 12 months ending July 31, 2012, 27 percent less than the year earlier period.

Amazon deforestation tracking higher in Brazil

2012-11-16T04:36:00Z

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon continues to rise off historic lows according to satellite data released this week by Imazon, a Brazil-based NGO.

Featured video: on-the-ground look at Brazil's fight against deforestation

2012-11-15T18:15:00Z

A new video by the Guardian takes an on-the-ground look at Brazil's efforts to tackle deforestation in the Amazon. Using satellite imagery, an elite team of enforcement agents are now able to react swiftly to illegal deforestation. The crackdown on deforestation has been successful: destruction of the Amazon has slowed by around 75 percent in the last 8 years.

Indonesia could plant 14.5m ha of oil palm in Borneo without further deforestation

2012-10-31T23:26:00Z

Indonesia could establish some 14.5 million hectares of oil palm plantations in Borneo without needing to clear rainforest or high-carbon peatlands, finds a new interactive mapping tool developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Amazon deforestation jumps in August

2012-09-22T00:40:00Z

Satellite imagery released by the Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE) reveals a sharp jump in deforestation during the month of August. The new data, which wasn't publicized by usual press release on INPE's homepage, was first highlighted by O Eco, a Brazilian environmental news site.

New forest map shows 6% of Amazon deforested between 2000 and 2010

2012-09-21T13:50:00Z

An update to one of the most comprehensive maps of the Amazon basin shows that forest cover across the world's largest rainforest declined by about six percent between 2000 and 2010. But the map also reveals hopeful signs that recognition of protected areas and native lands across the eight countries and one department that make up the Amazon is improving, with conservation and indigenous territories now covering nearly half of its land mass.

Forest expands 3% in Colombia during 2000s, but loss grows in llanos region

2012-09-04T19:35:00Z

Colombia gained nearly 17,000 square kilometers of forest between 2001 and 2010 as forests recovered in mountainous regions in the Andes, reports a new study published in the journal PLoS One.

Flooded savannas in Latin America shrinking 3 times faster than rainforests

2012-08-22T13:28:00Z

Flooded grasslands and savannas in Latin America are disappearing nearly three times faster than tropical rainforests in the region, finds a new study published in the journal Biotropica.

Dry forests disappearing faster than rainforests in Latin America

2012-08-21T13:26:00Z

Countries across Latin America lost 78,000 square kilometers of subtropical and tropical dry broadleaf forests between 2001 and 2010, according to a new satellite-based assessment published in the journal Biotropica.

Independent assessment confirms drop in Amazon deforestation for 2011-2012

2012-08-21T02:29:00Z

Independent analysis has confirmed a drop in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon for the year ended July 31, 2012.

Brazil's deforestation rate still on decline in 2012?

2012-08-02T20:10:00Z

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by more than a fifth for the 12-month period ending July 31, 2012, according to preliminary data released by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

European Space Agency releases time series showing Amazon deforestation

2012-07-30T21:58:00Z

The European Space Agency last week released an animation showing deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 1986 and 2010.

10 African countries to develop satellite-based deforestation tracking systems with help of Brazil

2012-07-30T17:29:00Z

Ten tropical African countries will receive training and support to develop national forest monitoring systems, reports the United Nations. Brazil, which has an advanced deforestation tracking system, will guide the initiative in partnership with the Central Africa Forests Commission (COMIFAC) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

165,000 sq km of Colombian rainforest mapped in stunning detail using lasers, satellites

2012-07-25T20:50:00Z

Scientists have created high-resolution carbon maps for 165,000 square kilometers (64,000 square miles) of forest across roughly 40 percent of the Colombian Amazon, greatly boosting the ability of the South American nation to measure emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, reports the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, which led the effort.

Pictures: 40 years of NASA's Earth-observing satellite program

2012-07-25T00:45:00Z

Landsat, NASA's Earth-observing satellite program, turned 40 on Monday. The space agency celebrated by releasing some of the program's best images showing how landscapes have changed in the past 40 years, including the five most popular 'Earth as Art' images.

Map reveals sharp increase in U.S. fires since 2001

2012-07-24T23:58:00Z

A new map using NASA data reveals an increase in the severity of fires in the United States since 2000.

Record 97 percent of Greenland's ice sheet experienced melting in July

2012-07-24T23:56:00Z

97 percent of Greenland's ice sheet experienced some degree of melting this July, a record extent of melt, says NASA.

Past climate change reduced lemur population in Madagascar

2012-07-24T03:51:00Z

Climate change that took place 4,000-10,000 years ago may have contributed to the endangered status of one of Madagascar's rarest lemurs by reducing the extent of its habitat, argues a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.

NASA satellites register deforestation hotspots in Cambodia, Myanmar, Ecuador for Apr-Jun 2012 period

2012-07-19T23:40:00Z

NASA satellites picked up extensive signals of potential deforestation across large parts of the tropics between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012, according to the latest update on Mongabay.com's Global Forest Disturbance Alert System.

Charts: deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, 2000-2010

2012-07-15T21:12:00Z

Indonesia and Malaysia lost more than 11 million hectares (42,470 square miles) of forest between 2000 and 2010, according to a study published last year in the journal Global Change Biology. The area is roughly the size of Denmark or the state of Virginia. The bulk of forest loss occurred in lowland forests, which declined by 7.8 million hectares or 11 percent on 2000 cover. Peat swamp forests lost the highest percentage of cover, declining 19.7 percent. Lowland forests have historically been first targeted by loggers before being converted for agriculture. Peatlands are increasingly converted for industrial oil palm estates and pulp and paper plantations.

Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru get big boost in deforestation tracking, biomass measurement

2012-07-11T18:34:00Z

Efforts to rapidly and accurately track deforestation and forest degradation in Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru got a boost this week with a special technical training session organized by the Governors Climate and Forest Task Force. The meeting, convened at Stanford University and Google's Silicon Valley campus, paired staffers from government agencies and NGOs in the four tropical countries with technical experts from the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), the Carnegie Institution for Science, the Forum on Readiness for REDD, Woods Hole Research Center, and Google Earth Outreach. The participants received training to augment existing deforestation, forest degradation and biomass monitoring capabilities, which are highly variable both between countries and within sub-national agencies and jurisdictions.

Remote-controlled model planes offer bird's-eye approach to conservation

2012-07-10T01:24:00Z

Inexpensive aerial drones can help conservationists map forests, monitor land use change like deforestation, and track wildlife in remote and inaccessible areas, reports a new study published in the journal Tropical Conservation Science.

New geojournalism mapping platform for the Amazon

2012-06-21T19:53:00Z

A new mapping platform combines georeferenced environmental news articles with data on deforestation, fires, protected areas, and oil and gas concessions in the Amazon.

Deforestation accounts for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, argues new study

2012-06-21T17:58:00Z

Tropical deforestation accounted for 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions between 2000-2005 — a substantially smaller proportion than previously estimated — argues a new study published in Science. The paper estimates gross carbon emissions from deforestation at 810 million metric tons (with a 90 percent confidence interval of 0.57-1.22 billion tons) per year from 2000-2005, significantly below earlier calculations. Brazil and Indonesia accounted for 55 percent of gross emissions from tropical deforestation during the study period, while dry forests accounted for 40 percent of tropical forest loss but amounted to only 17 percent of emissions.

Near-real time Amazon deforestation alert system added to Google Earth Engine

2012-06-20T00:08:00Z

A system providing monthly alerts on deforestation and forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon will soon be generated on the Google Earth platform Engine, reducing the time it takes to process and disseminate data, reports Imazon, the Brazilian NGO that developed the Alert System of Deforestation (SAD).

Brazil finalizes 2011 deforestation data

2012-06-06T01:49:00Z

Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) on Tuesday finalized its 2011 estimate for deforestation in the Amazon region.

Deforestation in Brazil's Mata Atlantica drops

2012-06-06T01:11:00Z

Deforestation of Brazil's Mata Atlântica — a forest ecosystem more threatened than the Amazon rainforest — fell to 133 square kilometers between 2010 and 2011, down about 14.7 percent from the annual average between 2008 and 2010, reports Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica.

Global deforestation alert tool developed from NASA satellite imagery launches

2012-05-30T23:15:00Z

Mongabay.com is pleased to announce the beta version of a global forest disturbance alert system (GloF-DAS) developed in partnership with Cal State Monterey Bay and NASA Ames Research Center. The tool offers the potential to pinpoint areas that are being deforested on a quarterly basis.

New Google Earth tool maps deforestation, threatened forests in Sumatra

2012-05-24T13:30:00Z

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and a coalition of Indonesian environmental groups known as Eyes on the Forest have released a new Google Earth-based tool that maps forests, land use, carbon stocks, and biodiversity across the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Brazilian deforestation lower in 2012 to date

2012-05-18T20:36:00Z

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is lower in 2012 relative to the same period last year according to satellite-based data released by Imazon, an NGO.

Manta rays tracked by satellite

2012-05-11T12:55:00Z

Satellite tracking technology has revealed new insights into the behavior of manta rays, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The findings are published in this week's issue of the journal PLoS.

Now on Google Earth: NASA updates global forest height map

2012-04-18T20:27:00Z

NASA researchers have released a Google Earth version of a map showing the height of the world's forests.