In this paper we demonstrate a new approach that uses regional/continental MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) derived forest cover products to calibrate Landsat data for exhaustive high spatial resolution mapping of forest cover and clearing in the Congo River Basin. The approach employs multi-temporal Landsat acquisitions to account for cloud cover, a primary limiting factor...

We estimate the effects of neighbors’ deforestation actions on individuals’ deforestation decisions in Costa Rica. We find evidence that neighbors’ effects are positive and significant. To address simultaneity and spatially correlated unobservable factors, we instrument for neighboring deforestation using neighboring land parcel characteristics. Under the presence of interactions, local forest ...

Tropical Africa is affected by intense land-use change, particularly forest conversion to agricultural land. In this study, the stream discharge of four small headwater catchments located within an area of 6 km in western Kenya was examined for 2 years (2007 and 2008). The four catchments cover a degradation gradient ranging from intact forest to agricultural land under maize cultivation for 5,...

A new species of Libanasa, L. kilomeni, is described. In contrast to L. brachyura, an inhabitant of lowland wet to submontane forest along the Tanzanian coast and part of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, this new species is found in montane forest in the North Pare Mountains. L. kilomeni n. sp. is restricted to a small forest reserve and due to forest clearing at lower elevations probably...

While tropical land clearing in the Brazilian Amazon provides for the livelihoods of Brazilians from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds, it also contributes to changes in climatological and ecological processes at a variety of scales. To develop sustainable approaches that balance the needs of forest users with ecological requirements, further study is needed to investigate the root causes...

We measured nitrogen transformations and loss following forest clearing in a relatively fertile tropical forest site. Nitrogen mineralization, nitrification, and amounts of ammonium and nitrate increased substantially in surface soils during the 6 mo following burning, then returned to background levels. The nitrogen content of microbial biomass declined to half its original value 6 mo after cl...

With the increase in permanent forest clearing, global deforestation is having a major impact on our finite resources. A growing public awareness of current forestry practices around the world is provoking people to question the management of these valuable forested regions. We will present a conceptual model that links visualizations and quantitative data to spatial locations over a range of t...

a study was conducted to determine suitable soil properties as soil quality indicators, using factor analysis in order to evaluate the effects of land use change on loessial hillslope soils of the shastkola district in golestan province, northern iran. to this end, forty surface soil (0-30 cm) samples were collected from four adjacent sites with the following land uses systems: (1) natural fore...