Feb 2 - Simon Trigg
Forest loss and degradation in the protected areas of Indonesian Borneo:
a multidisciplinary study using satellite remote sensing integrated with
field survey
Conversion, degradation and fragmentation threaten the integrity of forested ecosystems worldwide. In Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), rapid forest clearance is driven by concession-based timber extraction and the establishment of oil palm plantations, both operating within an environment of weak institutions. The scale and rate of forest clearance highlights the important role that Protected Areas (PAs) have to play in preserving Kalimantan’s biodiversity. At the same time, anecdotal evidence from the field suggests that many PAs are being logged illegally. Conserving Kalimantan’s PAs now requires a complete inventory of their condition and the nature of the threats they face. Focusing on Kalimantan, this talk describes a multidisciplinary study that integrated satellite data with field ecological and social surveys to gain insights into both the pattern and process of PA degradation. It also demonstrates how such studies can be used to increase pressure on companies that knowingly import timber illegally harvested from PAs.