Forest cover, gain and loss in rangelands

Some rangelands can support trees and forests i.e. where soils, climate and management are suitable. This can be in the form of bush and scrub, or as large trees individual or clustered. In some rangelands, trees are purposefully managed to be part of a silvopastoral system. This set of maps are the result of time-series analysis of Landsat images characterising forest extent and change. Trees are defined as vegetation taller than 5m in height and are expressed as a percentage per output grid cell as ‘2000 Percent Tree Cover’. ‘Forest Cover Loss’ is defined as a stand-replacement disturbance, or a change from a forest to non-forest state, during the period 2000–2019. ‘Forest Cover Gain’ is defined as the inverse of loss, or a non-forest to forest change entirely within the period 2000–2012. ‘Forest Loss Year’ is a disaggregation of total ‘Forest Loss’ to annual time scales.

Key Figures

1. In the year 2000, 20% of rangelands or 15,532,983 km²had cover of forests (as defined in the map) and 80% without. Of the rangelands covered, 11,628,796 km² or 15% had less than 50% coverage, and 5% or approximately 3,904,187 km² had more than 50% coverage. Most forest cover (a total of 11,421,459 km²) was found in tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannahs and shrublands. The least amount of forest cover was found in deserts and xeric shrublands with only 482,662 km² considered to be forest cover.

2. According to the mapping of forest cover gain between 2000 to 2012, forest cover was gained in 0.1% or approximately 71,000 km² of rangelands. This gain was mainly found in the i) mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub, and the ii) tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands biomes.

3. According to the mapping of forest cover loss between 2000 to 2019, forest cover was lost in approximately 1% or approximately 790,000 km² of rangelands. This loss was mainly found in the i) tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands (approx. 504,000 km²), ii) temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands (360,069 km²) and iii) flooded grasslands and savannahs (approximately 132,000 km²) biomes.

Forest gain (2001 - 2012) and loss (2001 - 2019) in rangelands

Statistics

No	Tree Cover status	Area km²
1	0%	63,944,370
2	<50%	11,628,796
3	> 50%	3,904,187
	Total	79,477,353

Sources

Source 1: Terrestial ecoregions of the World.World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Downloaded in 2021: https://globil-panda.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/terrestrial-ecoregions-world?geometry=-168.047%2C-89.797%2C168.047%2C78.019. Original source: Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. Bioscience 51(11):933-938.

Source 2:Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V, Moore, R., Hancher, M., Turubanova, S. A., Tyukavina, A., Thau, D., Stehman, S. V, Goetz, S. J., Loveland, T. R., Kommareddy, A., Egorov, A., Chini, L., Justice, C. O., & Townshend, J. R. G. (2013). High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science, 342(6160), 850 LP – 853. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693.

Downloaded in 2021: https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/

Forest gain from 2001 to 2012 in rangelands

Statistics

No	Tree Cover status	Area km²
1	0%	63,944,370
2	<50%	11,628,796
3	> 50%	3,904,187
	Total	79,477,353

Sources

Source 1: Terrestial ecoregions of the World. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Downloaded in 2021: https://globil-panda.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/terrestrial-ecoregion…. Original source: Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. Bioscience 51(11):933-938.

Source 2: Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V, Moore, R., Hancher, M., Turubanova, S. A., Tyukavina, A., Thau, D., Stehman, S. V, Goetz, S. J., Loveland, T. R., Kommareddy, A., Egorov, A., Chini, L., Justice, C. O., & Townshend, J. R. G. (2013). High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science, 342(6160), 850 LP – 853. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693.

Downloaded in 2021: https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/

Forest loss from 2001 to 2019 found in rangelands

Statistics

No	Loss status	Area km²
1	No loss	78,693,675
2	Loss	786,017
	Total	79,479,692

Sources

Source 1: Terrestial ecoregions of the World. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Downloaded in 2021: https://globil-panda.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/terrestrial-ecoregion…. Original source: Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. Bioscience 51(11):933-938.

Source 2: Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V, Moore, R., Hancher, M., Turubanova, S. A., Tyukavina, A., Thau, D., Stehman, S. V, Goetz, S. J., Loveland, T. R., Kommareddy, A., Egorov, A., Chini, L., Justice, C. O., & Townshend, J. R. G. (2013). High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science, 342(6160), 850 LP – 853. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693.

Downloaded in 2021: https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/

Tree cover in rangelands in the year 2000

Statistics

No	Tree Cover status	Area km²
1	0%	63,944,370
2	<50%	11,628,796
3	> 50%	3,904,187
	Total	79,477,353

Sources

Source 1: Terrestial ecoregions of the World. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Downloaded in 2021: https://globil-panda.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/terrestrial-ecoregion…. Original source: Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. Bioscience 51(11):933-938.

Source 2: Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V, Moore, R., Hancher, M., Turubanova, S. A., Tyukavina, A., Thau, D., Stehman, S. V, Goetz, S. J., Loveland, T. R., Kommareddy, A., Egorov, A., Chini, L., Justice, C. O., & Townshend, J. R. G. (2013). High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science, 342(6160), 850 LP – 853. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693.

Downloaded in 2021: https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/

Spain

An agrosilvopastoral system in southern Spain – the case of the “dehesa”

A view of the Dehesa wood: a symbiosis of trees, grasses, livestock and people

Marco Buemi

“Dehesa” is a multi-functional agrosilvopastoral system, occupying around 2.3 million hectares in central and southern Spain and 0.7 million hectares in southern Portugal. It is known as “montado” in Portugal. This unique landscape is a result, in part, from the clearance of Mediterranean forests and shrublands, where tree and shrub cover were reduced in favour of farming and grasslands for grazing.

Dehesa are characterised by the rearing of traditional livestock breeds at low densities and careful exploitation of evergreen oaks for acorns (eaten by pigs) and cork (still highly lucrative). Dehesas are among the best preserved, low-intensity farming systems in Europe, wherein the integration of traditional land use and biodiversity conservation is considered exemplary land use management. In Spain, these landscapes are most common across the Andalucia region.

Women play a key role in the preservation and management of these agrisilvopastoral systems, with several extensive dehesas being led by them. They often combine the management and income-generation from the land with agri-tourism, conservation activities, training centers and other initiatives.

One such example is the Fundación Monte Mediterráneo and the Dehesa San Francisco, which was founded by Hans-Gerd Neglein but is run by his wife, Ernestine Lüdeke. Together, their goal is to help the dehesa be the “last frontier to the desert,” hosting as many species of plants and animals as possible. Organic and sustainable management with a variety in livestock husbandry is combined with careful forestry and wildlife-enhancing activities. This work includes marketing the products and carrying out research programmes. Ernestine and her colleagues are also involved in advocacy and lobbying work, promoting the dehesa and pastoralism in Spain and in Europe, including organising publicity around the annual moving of livestock to summer pastures in the mountains of northern Spain.

For more information:

Dehesa Farms in Spain: https://www.agforward.eu/index.php/en/dehesa-farms-in-spain.html

Fundación Monte Mediterráneo and the Dehesa San Francisco: https://www.fundacionmontemediterraneo.com/gb/

Deforestation Fronts: Drivers and responses in a changing world: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/deforestation_fronts___drivers_and_responses_in_a_changing_world___full_report_1.pdf and (earth engine partners under terminology) https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest/down…

Terminologies used

Map1 Gain and Loss: A color composite of tree cover in green, forest loss in red, forest gain in blue.

Map2 Gain: Defined as non-forest to forest change entirely within the study period.

Map3 Loss: Defined as a stand-replacement disturbance, or a change from a forest to non-forest state.

Map4 TreeCover2000: Tree cover in the year 2000, defined as canopy closure for all vegetation taller than 5m in height. Encoded as a percentage per output grid cell, in the range 0–100.

Results from time-series analysis of Landsat images in characterising global forest extent. Source: https://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest/