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Science 9 August 2002:
Vol. 297. no. 5583, pp. 999 - 1002
DOI: 10.1126/science.1070656
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Reports

Determination of Deforestation Rates of the World's Humid Tropical Forests

Frédéric Achard,1* Hugh D. Eva,1 Hans-Jürgen Stibig,1 Philippe Mayaux,1 Javier Gallego,2 Timothy Richards,3 Jean-Paul Malingreau4

A recently completed research program (TREES) employing the global imaging capabilities of Earth-observing satellites provides updated information on the status of the world's humid tropical forest cover. Between 1990 and 1997, 5.8 ± 1.4 million hectares of humid tropical forest were lost each year, with a further 2.3 ± 0.7 million hectares of forest visibly degraded. These figures indicate that the global net rate of change in forest cover for the humid tropics is 23% lower than the generally accepted rate. This result affects the calculation of carbon fluxes in the global budget and means that the terrestrial sink is smaller than previously inferred.

1 Global Vegetation Monitoring Unit, Joint Research Centre, TP 440, 21020 Ispra, Italy.
2 Land Use-Land Cover Unit, Joint Research Centre, TP 263, 21020 Ispra, Italy.
3 Conservation Technology Limited, 4 Old Tarnwell, Somerset BS18 4EA, UK.
4 Science Strategy Directorate, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, B-1049 Bruxelles, Belgium.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: frederic.achard{at}jrc.it

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