Estimation of forest cover in protected areas

Forests are not just trees. Forests are essential to ensure food security and improve people's livelihood. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been conducting a Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) every 5-10 years since 1946.
Forest cover is the most basic and direct indicator of forest resources. In the past 100 years, frequent human activities have caused great impacts on the ecological environment of forests and also affected human development. For example, natural disasters are intensifying every year, and the reduction of forest area makes it impossible to effectively purify air and water. Therefore, changes in forest cover have gradually become one of the important topics for ecological conservation. In addition, forest cover can also be used as an indicator of pressure of land exploitation.

Indicator Details

Themes

Terrestrial protected areas

PSBR model type

State (S)

Corresponding targets

SDGs

15.2 By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

Aichi Biodiversity Targets

Target 5: By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.

Biodiversity Action Plan

D00008 Establishment of forest cover data (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) and assessment and monitoring on forest health. Key performance indicator of the action plan:

Estimation of the area of forest cover in Taiwan
The area ratio of forest cover whose health is under the assessment and monitoring to national forest cover.

Background

Forests are not just trees. Forests are essential to ensure food security and improve people's livelihood. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been conducting a Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) every 5-10 years since 1946. Forest cover is the most basic and direct indicator of forest resources. In the past 100 years, frequent human activities have caused great impacts on the ecological environment of forests and also affected human development. For example, natural disasters are intensifying every year, and the reduction of forest areas makes it impossible to effectively purify air and water. Therefore, changes in forest cover have gradually become one of the important topics for ecological conservation. In addition, forest cover can also be used as an indicator of the pressure of land exploitation.

Definition and Calculation

Compare the "forest cover" with that of the "base year" within the protected areas. Count the forest area within the protected areas, and use the forest area in the year of opening or a certain year as the benchmark value to calculate the percentage of increase or decrease in the forest area each year.

The data and temporal range

Trends

Data Management Authorities

Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

References

Ling-Ling Lee 2003, Establishment of effectiveness evaluation criteria for national park conservation and management.

Data Development Status

III

Data Providers