SavannologyJun 28, 2023

I have no doubt that #deforestation has remained rampant (https://research.wri.org/gfr/latest-analysis-deforestation-trends), but the assumptions and data on which these reports are based are highly flawed. They confound tree cover and #forest cover, and define "forest" as "woody vegetation with a height of at least five meters (m) and a canopy density of at least 30 percent at 30-m resolution" (https://research.wri.org/gfr/key-terms-definitions).

https://research.wri.org/gfr/latest-analysis-deforestation-trends

Forest Pulse: The Latest on the World’s Forests | World Resources Institute Research

The Forest Pulse draws on the most recent data and analysis to reveal the latest trends in global forest loss and deforestation.

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The latest WRI report on #forest loss is based on the U of Maryland’s Global Forest Change dataset. Their definition of “forest” is based on the FAO definition that was introduced in 1980, and has been criticised for over a decade for being unable to distinguish between ecologically and functionally different ecosystems or biomes such as forest and savanna, because of its reliance on arbitrary classes of tree cover and height (Sasaki & Putz 2009; Parr et al. 2014; Pausas & Bond 2021).
Jun 28, 2023 at 9:29amWeb
Show threadSavannologyJun 28, 2023

Using the FAO definition of “forest” leads to misclassification of extensive areas of #TropicalGrassyBiomes (tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas) as "forests", especially in South America and Africa. If the definition of “forest” is based on tree cover, then global forest change monitoring is seriously flawed and can lead to gross exaggeration of global forest cover, deforestation, and estimates of forest carbon stocks.

#SavannasMatter