Global forest land-use change from 1990 to 2005 : Initial results from a global remote sensing survey

The essential role of forests as providers of wood, food, medicinal products and environmental services at the local, regional and global levels is better appreciated now than ever before. In many places, however, even basic information on forest area is still lacking or unreliable. The use of satellite imagery can substantially improve knowledge on changes in forest area as a result of deforestation, afforestation and natural forest expansion. This summary outlines some of the initial findings on forest land use and land-use change of a global remote sensing survey carried out to complement the country reporting process as part of the Global Forest Resources Assessments led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This Survey was conducted by a partnership between FAO and its member countries, the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), South Dakota State University, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen