Geography

Driving forces of tropical deforestation: The role of remote sensing and spatial models

Document Type

Conference Paper

Abstract

Remote sensing technologies are increasingly used to monitor landscape change in many parts of the world. While the availability of extensive and timely imagery from various satellite sensors can aid in identifying the rates and patterns of deforestation, modelling techniques can evaluate the socioeconomic and biophysical forces driving deforestation processes. This paper briefly reviews some emerging spatial methodologies aimed at identifying driving forces of land use change and applies one such methodology to understand deforestation in Mexico. Satellite image classification, change analysis and econometric modelling are used to identify the rates, hotspots and drivers of deforestation in a case study of the southern Yucatán peninsular region, an enumerated global hotspot of biodiversity and tropical deforestation. In particular, the relative roles of biophysical and socioeconomic factors in driving regional deforestation rates are evaluated. Such methodological approaches can be applied to other regions of the forested tropics and contribute insights to conservation planning and policy. © 2006 Department of Geography, National University of Singapore and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Publication Title

Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography

Publication Date

3-1-2006

Volume

27

Issue

1

First Page

82

Last Page

101

ISSN

0129-7619

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-9493.2006.00241.x

Keywords

Mexico, modelling, proximateand driving forces, remotesensing, tropical deforestation

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS