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. 2017 Jan 13;3(1):e1600821.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1600821. eCollection 2017 Jan.

The last frontiers of wilderness: Tracking loss of intact forest landscapes from 2000 to 2013

Peter Potapov  1 , Matthew C Hansen  1 , Lars Laestadius  2 , Svetlana Turubanova  1 , Alexey Yaroshenko  3 , Christoph Thies  4 , Wynet Smith  5 , Ilona Zhuravleva  3 , Anna Komarova  3 , Susan Minnemeyer  6 , Elena Esipova  7
Affiliations

The last frontiers of wilderness: Tracking loss of intact forest landscapes from 2000 to 2013

Peter Potapov et al. Sci Adv. .

Abstract

An intact forest landscape (IFL) is a seamless mosaic of forest and naturally treeless ecosystems with no remotely detected signs of human activity and a minimum area of 500 km2. IFLs are critical for stabilizing terrestrial carbon storage, harboring biodiversity, regulating hydrological regimes, and providing other ecosystem functions. Although the remaining IFLs comprise only 20% of tropical forest area, they account for 40% of the total aboveground tropical forest carbon. We show that global IFL extent has been reduced by 7.2% since the year 2000. An increasing rate of global IFL area reduction was found, largely driven by the tripling of IFL tropical forest loss in 2011-2013 compared to that in 2001-2003. Industrial logging, agricultural expansion, fire, and mining/resource extraction were the primary causes of IFL area reduction. Protected areas (International Union for Conservation of Nature categories I to III) were found to have a positive effect in slowing the reduction of IFL area from timber harvesting but were less effective in limiting agricultural expansion. The certification of logging concessions under responsible management had a negligible impact on slowing IFL fragmentation in the Congo Basin. Fragmentation of IFLs by logging and establishment of roads and other infrastructure initiates a cascade of changes that lead to landscape transformation and loss of conservation values. Given that only 12% of the global IFL area is protected, our results illustrate the need for planning and investment in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation efforts that target the most valuable remaining forests, as identified using the IFL approach.

Keywords: Wildlands; biodiversity; carbon storage; ecosystem services; forest; intact forest landscapes; intactness; remote sensing.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. The world’s IFLs.
IFL extent for the year 2013, IFL area reduction from 2000 to 2013, and boundaries of geographic regions used for the analysis.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Distribution of IFL area in the year 2000 and reduction of IFL area 2000–2013 by geographic region.
The y axis shows the initial IFL proportion of the forest zone in the year 2000. The x axis shows the reduction in IFL area from 2000 to 2013 as the proportion of IFL 2000 area. The area of each bubble indicates the IFL area in km2 × 106. Values within each bubble represent the regional IFL area in the year 2000 as a percent of the global total.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Distribution of IFLs by country in the year 2000 and reduction of IFL area 2000–2013.
The y axis shows the IFL area in the year 2000. The x axis shows the reduction in IFL area from 2000 to 2013 as the proportion of IFL 2000 area. Country codes are given in Table 2.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Regional reduction of IFL area (km2 × 103) and causes of change.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Annual proportion of the total forest loss within tropical forests that lost IFL status between 2000 and 2013.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6. Stages and causes of the IFL area reduction and landscape transformation in the Republic of the Congo (map center at 16°0′E 1°12′N).
The infrastructure and IFL extent within the area are shown as of September 2016. The map shows expansion of settlements and regional transportation and logging roads from the year 2000 until 2016. Logging road expansion caused the reduction of IFL area. IFL extent was mapped for the years 2000, 2013, and 2016. New settlements and agricultural areas appeared along existing and established roads. Logging expansion triggered forest fires that initiated from the roads and forest clearings. In September 2016, a water reservoir was constructed within the remaining IFL area, which caused continuous fragmentation and transformation of the surrounding landscape.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7. Examples of the ongoing expansion of oil palm plantations within IFLs in tropical regions.
Each example shows IFL degradation depicted in year 2015 or 2016 cloud-free Landsat-8 satellite images. All maps have the same scale. The IFL boundary in 2013 is marked by a yellow line, and the IFL boundary for the year 2000 is marked by a red line. Oil palm plantations established before the year 2013 are denoted as “A,” and plantations established after 2013 are denoted as “B”. (1) Gabon; image subset centered at 11°47′E 2°7′N; image date, 12 January 2015. (2) Indonesia; subset centered at 139°45′E 7°21′S; image date, 10 May 2016. (3) Peru; subset centered at 75°7′W 8°15′S; image date, 24 June 2016.
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