Observations of China’s forest change (2000-2013) based on Global Forest Watch dataset

doi:10.17520/biods.2015122

Abstract

Abstract:

Knowing the status and changes in forests is essential for evaluating biodiversity dynamics and making effective conservation action plans. It is also essential knowledge for public awareness and policy. However, before Hansen and his colleagues published the Global Forest Watch (GFW) data online in 2013, there were no datasets of forest distribution and changes publicly available in China. GFW data was produced using Landsat satellite images, grants free access to the general public to study forest changes at 30 m resolutions, and spans a period from 2000 to 2013. We interpreted this dataset and compared results with other datasets, including the National Forest Inventory, ChinaCover and GlobeLand30. Results show that GFW dataset has reliable accuracy, as its forest distribution highly overlaps with GlobeLand30, which has a producer accuracy of 87%, and a user accuracy of 89% within the forest category. With similar forest definitions of tree cover >20%, the total forest area is 1,780,472 km² in the year 2000, similar to the National Forest Inventory’s forest area of 1,749,092 km². While other datasets show forest increases between 2,370-433,810 km²during 2000-2010, GFW identified a net forest loss of 37,551-42,031 km² in China. 2008 is a turning point of forest loss, as the area of annual forest loss has a rising trend before, and a declining trend afterwards. The southern provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi and Yunnan have the most active forest changes. Forest coverage from nature reserves is insufficient, as by the end of 2013, 407 national level nature reserves, occupying more than 60% of China’s total nature reserve area, covered only 5.03% of total forest area. However, nature reserves have positive outcomes, with reduced forest loss (1.39%), compared to the national average rate (3.46%). This is equivalent to reducing deforestation by 1,856 km², but there is still an overall net loss of 1,200 km² inside nature reserves.

Key words: Global Forest Watch, data quality, forest change, nature reserve, China

Hao Wang, Zhi Lü, Lei Gu, Cheng Wen. Observations of China’s forest change (2000-2013) based on Global Forest Watch dataset[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2015, 23(5): 575-582.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2015122

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2015/V23/I5/575

Figures/Tables 6

References 10

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Global Forest Watch 树木覆盖度类别 Global Forest Watch tree cover category	与GlobeLand 30土地覆盖类型重合百分比 Overlap with GlobeLand 30 Land Cover Category (%)
	森林 Forest	农田 Cultivated land	草原 Grass	灌丛 Shrub	湿地 Wetland	水体 Water bodies	永久冰雪 Permanent snow & ice	人工覆盖 Artificial surfaces	荒地 Bare land
> 0	78.97	11.48	8.05	0.77	0.08	0.23	0.05	0.30	0.06
> 20%	83.94	7.99	6.95	0.75	0.05	0.14	0.04	0.08	0.06
> 50%	89.24	4.56	5.31	0.65	0.02	0.09	0.03	0.03	0.06
> 75%	92.93	2.59	3.73	0.58	0.01	0.06	0.02	0.02	0.06

Global Forest Watch 树木覆盖度类别 Global Forest Watch tree cover category	与GlobeLand 30土地覆盖类型重合百分比 Overlap with GlobeLand 30 Land Cover Category (%)
	森林 Forest	农田 Cultivated land	草原 Grass	灌丛 Shrub	湿地 Wetland	水体 Water bodies	永久冰雪 Permanent snow & ice	人工覆盖 Artificial surfaces	荒地 Bare land
> 0	78.97	11.48	8.05	0.77	0.08	0.23	0.05	0.30	0.06
> 20%	83.94	7.99	6.95	0.75	0.05	0.14	0.04	0.08	0.06
> 50%	89.24	4.56	5.31	0.65	0.02	0.09	0.03	0.03	0.06
> 75%	92.93	2.59	3.73	0.58	0.01	0.06	0.02	0.02	0.06

序号 No.	数据集 Dataset	数据时段 Data acquired	森林面积 Area of forest (km²)
序号 No.	数据集 Dataset		2000	2010	变化面积 Area of change	变化比例 Ratio of change
1	Global Forest Watch	2000	1,780,472	1,738,441 ~1,742,921*	-42,031 ~ -37,551	-2.4% ~ -2.1%
2	中国土地覆盖 (ChinaCover)	2000, 2010	2,562,600	2,582,600	+20,000	+0.7%
3	第六次和第八次森林清查** The 6^th& 8^thNational Forestry Inventory	1999-2003; 2009-2013	1,749,092	2,076,900	+327,808	+18.7%
4	FAO全球森林评估 FAO: Forest Resource Assessment (FRA2000, FRA2010)	2000, 2010	1,634,800	2,068,610	+433,810	+26.5%

序号 No.	数据集 Dataset	数据时段 Data acquired	森林面积 Area of forest (km²)
序号 No.	数据集 Dataset		2000	2010	变化面积 Area of change	变化比例 Ratio of change
1	Global Forest Watch	2000	1,780,472	1,738,441 ~1,742,921*	-42,031 ~ -37,551	-2.4% ~ -2.1%
2	中国土地覆盖 (ChinaCover)	2000, 2010	2,562,600	2,582,600	+20,000	+0.7%
3	第六次和第八次森林清查** The 6^th& 8^thNational Forestry Inventory	1999-2003; 2009-2013	1,749,092	2,076,900	+327,808	+18.7%
4	FAO全球森林评估 FAO: Forest Resource Assessment (FRA2000, FRA2010)	2000, 2010	1,634,800	2,068,610	+433,810	+26.5%

树木覆盖范围 Tree cover category	2000年面积 Area of 2000	增加 Gain	减少 Loss	增加减少均有 Gain & loss
0	7,514,170	10,477	2,592	271
1-10%	117,308	615	375	21
11-20%	132,098	813	753	34
21-30%	125,214	564	718	28
31-40%	109,584	607	1,017	40
41-50%	204,849	1,080	3,452	131
51-60%	303,083	1,186	5,594	291
61-70%	245,611	944	7,796	419
71-80%	296,325	1,428	12,018	910
81-90%	351,104	2,536	23,634	2,312
91-99%	114,292	1,025	7,023	1,023
100%	30,410	0	369	0
合计 Total	9,544,047	21,276	65,341	5,480
覆盖度>20%合计 Total of tree cover > 20%	1,780,472		61,622