Introduction
Forest mapping products utilized for monitor and assess the status and changes in forests. However, substantial disparities exist among these products due to variations in forest definitions, classification methods, and data source.
Land cover products that include forest (10m resolution):
- FROM-GLC10 - Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring Global LC
- ESA2020 - ESA WorldCover 2020
- ESRI2020 - ESRI 2020 Land Cover
Forest thematic mapping (20-30m resolution):
- JAXA FNF2020 - Global PALSAR-2 Forest Non-Forest
- GFC30_2020 - Global 30m Spatial Distribution of Forest Cover in 2020
- Hansen2010 - Global Surface Temperature Change
Southeast Asia is home to approximately 15% of the world’s tropical forests. Southeast Asia is recognized as one of the significant hotspots for tropical forest logging and forest degradation.
Data
Study area: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Result
Highest overall accuracy for forest:
- ESRI2020
- ESA2020
- FROM-GLC10
- Generated_Hansen202
Regions with elevations ranging from 200 to 3000 m and slopes below 15◦ or above 25◦ showed high spatial consistency, whereas other regions showed low consistency.
Inconsistent regions showed complex landscapes heavily influenced by human activities; these regions are prone to being confused with shrubs and cropland and are also impacted by rubber and oil palm plantations, significantly affecting the accuracy of forest mapping.
Areas of forest inconsistency that require attention in future forest mapping.