Case Studies on Measuring and Assessing Forest Degradation Global Mapping and Monitoring the Extent of Forest Alteration: the Intact Forest Landscapes Method

ii Sustainably managed forests have multiple environmental and socioeconomic functions which are important at the global, national and local scales, and they play a vital part in sustainable development. Reliable and up-to-date information on the state of forest resources-not only on area and area change, but also on such variables as growing stock, wood and non-wood products, carbon, protected areas, use of forests for recreation and other services, biological diversity and forests' contribution to national economies-is crucial to support decision-making for policies and programmes in forestry and sustainable development at all levels. Under the umbrella of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (FRA 2010) and together with members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) and other partners, FAO has initiated a special study to identify the elements of forest degradation and the best practices for assessing them. The objectives of the initiative are to help strengthen the capacity of countries to assess, monitor and report on forest degradation by: Identifying specific elements and indicators of forest degradation and degraded forests; Classifying elements and harmonizing definitions; Identifying and describing existing and promising assessment methodologies; Developing assessment tools and guidelines Expected outcomes and benefits of the initiative include: Better understanding of the concept and components of forest degradation; An analysis of definitions of forest degradation and associated terms; Guidelines and effective, cost-efficient tools and techniques to help assess and monitor forest degradation; and Enhanced ability to meet current and future reporting requirements on forest degradation. The coordinators of this work would like to acknowledge the financial contributions made by the Governments of Finland and Norway and by FAO, the GEF BIP programme and ITTO. DISCLAIMER The Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) Working Paper Series is designed to reflect the activities and progress of the FRA Programme of FAO. Working Papers are not authoritative information sources – they do not reflect the official position of FAO and should not be used for official purposes. Please refer to the FAO forestry website (www.fao.org/forestry) for access to official information. The FRA Working Paper Series provides an important forum for the rapid release of information related to the FRA programme. Should users find any errors in the documents or would like to provide comments for improving their quality they should contact [email protected]. Abstract This paper presents the IFL Method—a novel approach for mapping and monitoring the extent of forest alteration. High spatial resolution satellite images are …