Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data
In this study, we demonstrate the ability of a new operational system to detect forest loss at a large scale accurately and in a timely manner. We produced forest loss maps every week over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (>750,000 km<sup>2</sup> in total) using Sentinel-1 data. To do so,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-12-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/23/4877 |
| _version_ | 1797507215339290624 |
|---|---|
| author | Stéphane Mermoz Alexandre Bouvet Thierry Koleck Marie Ballère Thuy Le Toan |
| author_facet | Stéphane Mermoz Alexandre Bouvet Thierry Koleck Marie Ballère Thuy Le Toan |
| author_sort | Stéphane Mermoz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we demonstrate the ability of a new operational system to detect forest loss at a large scale accurately and in a timely manner. We produced forest loss maps every week over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (>750,000 km<sup>2</sup> in total) using Sentinel-1 data. To do so, we used the forest loss detection method based on shadow detection. The main advantage of this method is the ability to avoid false alarms, which is relevant in Southeast Asia where the areas of forest disturbance may be very small and scattered and detection is used for alert purposes. The estimated user accuracy of the forest loss map was 0.95 for forest disturbances and 0.99 for intact forest, and the estimated producer’s accuracy was 0.90 for forest disturbances and 0.99 for intact forest, with a minimum mapping unit of 0.1 ha. This represents an important step forward compared to the values achieved by previous studies. We also found that approximately half of forest disturbances in Cambodia from 2018 to 2020 occurred in protected areas, which emphasizes the lack of efficiency in the protection and conservation of natural resources in protected areas. On an annual basis, the forest loss areas detected using our method are found to be similar to the estimations from Global Forest Watch. These results highlight the fact that this method provides not only quick alerts but also reliable detections that can be used to calculate weekly, monthly, or annual forest loss statistics at a national scale. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:46:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-59d7f3d5649b4519ae6bad234459f86c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:46:21Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-59d7f3d5649b4519ae6bad234459f86c2023-11-23T02:57:45ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-12-011323487710.3390/rs13234877Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 DataStéphane Mermoz0Alexandre Bouvet1Thierry Koleck2Marie Ballère3Thuy Le Toan4GlobEO, 31400 Toulouse, FranceGlobEO, 31400 Toulouse, FranceCentre National d’Etudes Spatiales, 31400 Toulouse, FranceCentre National d’Etudes Spatiales, 31400 Toulouse, FranceCNRS/CNES/IRD/INRAE/UPS, CESBIO, Université de Toulouse, 31400 Toulouse, FranceIn this study, we demonstrate the ability of a new operational system to detect forest loss at a large scale accurately and in a timely manner. We produced forest loss maps every week over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (>750,000 km<sup>2</sup> in total) using Sentinel-1 data. To do so, we used the forest loss detection method based on shadow detection. The main advantage of this method is the ability to avoid false alarms, which is relevant in Southeast Asia where the areas of forest disturbance may be very small and scattered and detection is used for alert purposes. The estimated user accuracy of the forest loss map was 0.95 for forest disturbances and 0.99 for intact forest, and the estimated producer’s accuracy was 0.90 for forest disturbances and 0.99 for intact forest, with a minimum mapping unit of 0.1 ha. This represents an important step forward compared to the values achieved by previous studies. We also found that approximately half of forest disturbances in Cambodia from 2018 to 2020 occurred in protected areas, which emphasizes the lack of efficiency in the protection and conservation of natural resources in protected areas. On an annual basis, the forest loss areas detected using our method are found to be similar to the estimations from Global Forest Watch. These results highlight the fact that this method provides not only quick alerts but also reliable detections that can be used to calculate weekly, monthly, or annual forest loss statistics at a national scale.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/23/4877forest loss detectionSentinel-1tropical forestSoutheast Asiaprotected areas |
| spellingShingle | Stéphane Mermoz Alexandre Bouvet Thierry Koleck Marie Ballère Thuy Le Toan Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data Remote Sensing forest loss detection Sentinel-1 tropical forest Southeast Asia protected areas |
| title | Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data |
| title_full | Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data |
| title_fullStr | Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data |
| title_short | Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data |
| title_sort | continuous detection of forest loss in vietnam laos and cambodia using sentinel 1 data |
| topic | forest loss detection Sentinel-1 tropical forest Southeast Asia protected areas |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/23/4877 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stephanemermoz continuousdetectionofforestlossinvietnamlaosandcambodiausingsentinel1data AT alexandrebouvet continuousdetectionofforestlossinvietnamlaosandcambodiausingsentinel1data AT thierrykoleck continuousdetectionofforestlossinvietnamlaosandcambodiausingsentinel1data AT marieballere continuousdetectionofforestlossinvietnamlaosandcambodiausingsentinel1data AT thuyletoan continuousdetectionofforestlossinvietnamlaosandcambodiausingsentinel1data |