Tracking deforestation and tree plantation expansion in a Costa Rican biological corridor using a Landsat time series

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dc.contributor.authorFagan, Matthew E.
dc.contributor.authorSesnie, S. E.
dc.contributor.authorArroyo, J.P.
dc.contributor.authorWalker, W.
dc.contributor.authorSoto, C.
dc.contributor.authorChazdon, R.L.
dc.contributor.authorSanchun, A.
dc.contributor.authorSmall, C.
dc.contributor.authorDeFries, R.S.
dc.date.accessioned2018-06-01T17:25:52Z
dc.date.available2018-06-01T17:25:52Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.descriptionThis work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.en_US
dc.description.abstractWe evaluated forest policies and programs to reestablish connectivity in a fragmented tropical landscape spanning approximately 2500 km2: the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor (SJLSBC) in northern Costa Rica. National forest conservation programs have concentrated payments for environmental services (PES) within corridors to establish tree plantations and protect forests on private land; the corridor program was instituted in 1996 as part of a Forest Law that also banned deforestation country-wide. Despite the innovative nature of this program, agricultural pressures on the SJLSBC may have impeded its implementation. To effectively and efficiently monitor forest protection laws and conservation incentives, new remote sensing-based methods are needed that can overcome difficulties in distinguishing between tropical tree plantations, mature forests, and forest regrowth using low-cost moderate- (10- 100 m) to coarse-resolution (100-300 m) satellite sensors. The objective of this study was to accurately map changes in the area of these three forest types and agriculture in northern Costa Rica using Landsat imagery spanning a 25 year period (1986-2011). We used a combined hierarchical approach that integrates temporal image-object segmentation and machine-learning classification techniques to track forest cover change and distinguish between spectrally-similar forest types. Results indicate that, during the 15 years since its creation, the deforestation ban has been effective in protecting mature lowland forests. The area of secondary forest declined however, indicating that agricultural pressures on easily-clearable land are increasing. Tree plantations expanded rapidly over the time period analyzed, although the rate of increase has slowed. Agricultural intensification was notable during the period of study; pineapple cultivation expanded dramatically into former pastures and threatens to bisect the corridor zone by expanding down major river valleys. Although the SJLSBC program and national deforestation ban have protected mature forest and promoted tree plantation establishment, the expansion of intensive agriculture and long-term decline in secondary forest may lead to a semi- permanent loss of forest connectivity in this developing region.en_US
dc.format.extent1 pageen_US
dc.genrepostersen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/M2XD0R154
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/10889
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Geography and Environmental Systems Department Collection
dc.rightsThis item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the author.
dc.subjectforest policies and programsen_US
dc.subjecttropical landscapeen_US
dc.subjectSan Juan-La Selva Biological Corridoren_US
dc.subjectCosta Ricaen_US
dc.subjectLandsat imageryen_US
dc.subjectmonitoring forest protection laws and conservation incentivesen_US
dc.subjecttemporal image-object segmentationen_US
dc.subjectmachine-learning classificationen_US
dc.subjectforest connectivityen_US
dc.subjectdeforestationen_US
dc.titleTracking deforestation and tree plantation expansion in a Costa Rican biological corridor using a Landsat time seriesen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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