Deforestatsioon

Deforestatsioon is a term used to describe the systematic measurement, analysis, and reporting of forest loss and related land-use change. The word blends deforestation with statistics to denote the coordinated effort to quantify how forest cover changes over time at local, national, and global scales. Deforestatsioon relies on multiple data sources and methods, including satellite imagery, aerial surveys, and ground-based forest inventories, combined with statistical models to estimate rates of change, stock removals, and forest degradation.

Methods commonly include remote sensing classification of land cover, change-detection algorithms, time-series analysis, and field validation. Key metrics reported are annual deforestation rate, gross and net forest loss, and shifts in forest carbon stocks. Data are compiled by international bodies such as the FAO, regional forest agencies, and initiatives like Global Forest Watch, which provides near real-time alerts and dashboards.

Applications span policy evaluation, climate reporting, REDD+ program monitoring, and biodiversity conservation planning. Deforestatsioon also faces challenges, including varying definitions of what constitutes a forest (canopy cover thresholds, land-use designations), data gaps, cloud cover in imagery, illegal logging, and inconsistencies across jurisdictions. Advances in high-resolution satellites, radar and lidar sensing, and open data platforms have improved timeliness and coverage, yet methodological harmonization remains important for cross-border comparability.

See also: Deforestation, Forest monitoring, Remote sensing, Global Forest Watch, REDD+.