Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests

Christine B. Schmitt; Neil David Burgess; Lauren Coad; Alexander Belokurov; Charles Besançon; Lauriane Boisrobert; Alison Campbell; Lucy Fish; Derek Gliddon; Kate Humphries; Valerie Kapos; Colby Loucks; Igor Lysenko; Lera Miles; Craig Mills; Susan Minnemeyer; Till Pistorius; Corinna Ravilious; Marc Steininger; Georg Winkel

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012

Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests

Christine B. Schmitt, Neil David Burgess, Lauren Coad, Alexander Belokurov, Charles Besançon, Lauriane Boisrobert, Alison Campbell, Lucy Fish, Derek Gliddon, Kate Humphries, Valerie Kapos, Colby Loucks, Igor Lysenko, Lera Miles, Craig Mills, Susan Minnemeyer, Till Pistorius, Corinna Ravilious, Marc Steininger, Georg Winkel

Ecology and Evolution

159 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study presents a global analysis of forest cover and forest protection. An updated Global Forest Map (using MODIS2005) provided a current assessment of forest cover within 20 natural forest types. This map was overlaid onto WWF realms and ecoregions to gain additional biogeographic information on forest distribution. Using the 2008 World Database on Protected Areas, percentage forest cover protection was calculated globally, within forest types, realms and ecoregions, and within selected areas of global conservation importance. At the 10% tree cover threshold, global forest cover was 39 million km². Of this, 7.7% fell within protected areas under IUCN management categories I-IV. With the inclusion of IUCN categories V and VI, the level of global forest protection increased to 13.5%. Percentage forest protection (IUCN I-IV) varied greatly between realms from 5.5% (Palearctic) to 13.4% (Australasia), and for forest types from 3.2% (temperate freshwater swamp forest) to 28% (temperate broadleaf evergreen forest). Median protection of forest cover in 670 ecoregions (forest above a specified threshold) was 5.9% (IUCN I-IV); at IUCN I-VI, 46% of the ecoregions had less than 10% forest protection. Considering their biodiversity importance, forest protection within global priority areas was insufficient, e.g., median protection of 8.4% in biodiversity hotspots (IUCN I-IV). Results have policy relevance in terms of the target of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), reconfirmed in 2008, to effectively conserve "at least 10% of each of the world's forest types". Regular updates of these analyses would allow progress towards achieving that target to be monitored.

Original language	English
Journal	Biological Conservation
Volume	142
Issue number	10
Pages (from-to)	2122-2130
ISSN	0006-3207
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012
Publication status	Published - 2009

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012

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Schmitt, C. B., Burgess, N. D., Coad, L., Belokurov, A., Besançon, C., Boisrobert, L., Campbell, A., Fish, L., Gliddon, D., Humphries, K., Kapos, V., Loucks, C., Lysenko, I., Miles, L., Mills, C., Minnemeyer, S., Pistorius, T., Ravilious, C., Steininger, M., & Winkel, G. (2009). Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests. Biological Conservation, 142(10), 2122-2130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012

Schmitt, CB, Burgess, ND, Coad, L, Belokurov, A, Besançon, C, Boisrobert, L, Campbell, A, Fish, L, Gliddon, D, Humphries, K, Kapos, V, Loucks, C, Lysenko, I, Miles, L, Mills, C, Minnemeyer, S, Pistorius, T, Ravilious, C, Steininger, M & Winkel, G 2009, 'Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests', Biological Conservation, vol. 142, no. 10, pp. 2122-2130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012

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title = "Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests",

abstract = "This study presents a global analysis of forest cover and forest protection. An updated Global Forest Map (using MODIS2005) provided a current assessment of forest cover within 20 natural forest types. This map was overlaid onto WWF realms and ecoregions to gain additional biogeographic information on forest distribution. Using the 2008 World Database on Protected Areas, percentage forest cover protection was calculated globally, within forest types, realms and ecoregions, and within selected areas of global conservation importance. At the 10% tree cover threshold, global forest cover was 39 million km2. Of this, 7.7% fell within protected areas under IUCN management categories I-IV. With the inclusion of IUCN categories V and VI, the level of global forest protection increased to 13.5%. Percentage forest protection (IUCN I-IV) varied greatly between realms from 5.5% (Palearctic) to 13.4% (Australasia), and for forest types from 3.2% (temperate freshwater swamp forest) to 28% (temperate broadleaf evergreen forest). Median protection of forest cover in 670 ecoregions (forest above a specified threshold) was 5.9% (IUCN I-IV); at IUCN I-VI, 46% of the ecoregions had less than 10% forest protection. Considering their biodiversity importance, forest protection within global priority areas was insufficient, e.g., median protection of 8.4% in biodiversity hotspots (IUCN I-IV). Results have policy relevance in terms of the target of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), reconfirmed in 2008, to effectively conserve {"}at least 10% of each of the world's forest types{"}. Regular updates of these analyses would allow progress towards achieving that target to be monitored.",

author = "Schmitt, {Christine B.} and Burgess, {Neil David} and Lauren Coad and Alexander Belokurov and Charles Besan{\c c}on and Lauriane Boisrobert and Alison Campbell and Lucy Fish and Derek Gliddon and Kate Humphries and Valerie Kapos and Colby Loucks and Igor Lysenko and Lera Miles and Craig Mills and Susan Minnemeyer and Till Pistorius and Corinna Ravilious and Marc Steininger and Georg Winkel",

note = "Keywords: Conservation priorities; Convention on Biological Diversity; Global Forest Map; Global forest types; IUCN management categories; WWF ecoregions",

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doi = "10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012",

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T1 - Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests

AU - Schmitt, Christine B.

AU - Burgess, Neil David

AU - Coad, Lauren

AU - Belokurov, Alexander

AU - Besançon, Charles

AU - Boisrobert, Lauriane

AU - Campbell, Alison

AU - Fish, Lucy

AU - Gliddon, Derek

AU - Humphries, Kate

AU - Kapos, Valerie

AU - Loucks, Colby

AU - Lysenko, Igor

AU - Miles, Lera

AU - Mills, Craig

AU - Minnemeyer, Susan

AU - Pistorius, Till

AU - Ravilious, Corinna

AU - Steininger, Marc

AU - Winkel, Georg

N1 - Keywords: Conservation priorities; Convention on Biological Diversity; Global Forest Map; Global forest types; IUCN management categories; WWF ecoregions

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - This study presents a global analysis of forest cover and forest protection. An updated Global Forest Map (using MODIS2005) provided a current assessment of forest cover within 20 natural forest types. This map was overlaid onto WWF realms and ecoregions to gain additional biogeographic information on forest distribution. Using the 2008 World Database on Protected Areas, percentage forest cover protection was calculated globally, within forest types, realms and ecoregions, and within selected areas of global conservation importance. At the 10% tree cover threshold, global forest cover was 39 million km2. Of this, 7.7% fell within protected areas under IUCN management categories I-IV. With the inclusion of IUCN categories V and VI, the level of global forest protection increased to 13.5%. Percentage forest protection (IUCN I-IV) varied greatly between realms from 5.5% (Palearctic) to 13.4% (Australasia), and for forest types from 3.2% (temperate freshwater swamp forest) to 28% (temperate broadleaf evergreen forest). Median protection of forest cover in 670 ecoregions (forest above a specified threshold) was 5.9% (IUCN I-IV); at IUCN I-VI, 46% of the ecoregions had less than 10% forest protection. Considering their biodiversity importance, forest protection within global priority areas was insufficient, e.g., median protection of 8.4% in biodiversity hotspots (IUCN I-IV). Results have policy relevance in terms of the target of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), reconfirmed in 2008, to effectively conserve "at least 10% of each of the world's forest types". Regular updates of these analyses would allow progress towards achieving that target to be monitored.

AB - This study presents a global analysis of forest cover and forest protection. An updated Global Forest Map (using MODIS2005) provided a current assessment of forest cover within 20 natural forest types. This map was overlaid onto WWF realms and ecoregions to gain additional biogeographic information on forest distribution. Using the 2008 World Database on Protected Areas, percentage forest cover protection was calculated globally, within forest types, realms and ecoregions, and within selected areas of global conservation importance. At the 10% tree cover threshold, global forest cover was 39 million km2. Of this, 7.7% fell within protected areas under IUCN management categories I-IV. With the inclusion of IUCN categories V and VI, the level of global forest protection increased to 13.5%. Percentage forest protection (IUCN I-IV) varied greatly between realms from 5.5% (Palearctic) to 13.4% (Australasia), and for forest types from 3.2% (temperate freshwater swamp forest) to 28% (temperate broadleaf evergreen forest). Median protection of forest cover in 670 ecoregions (forest above a specified threshold) was 5.9% (IUCN I-IV); at IUCN I-VI, 46% of the ecoregions had less than 10% forest protection. Considering their biodiversity importance, forest protection within global priority areas was insufficient, e.g., median protection of 8.4% in biodiversity hotspots (IUCN I-IV). Results have policy relevance in terms of the target of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), reconfirmed in 2008, to effectively conserve "at least 10% of each of the world's forest types". Regular updates of these analyses would allow progress towards achieving that target to be monitored.

U2 - 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012

DO - 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.012

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0006-3207

VL - 142

SP - 2122

EP - 2130

JO - Biological Conservation

JF - Biological Conservation

IS - 10

ER -

Global analysis of the protection status of the world's forests

Abstract

UN SDGs

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