1. Changes in the canopy
Using remote sensing data to evaluate conservation policy and inform qualitative research in Indonesia
Diana Parker, US Student Researcher, Indonesia
Fulbright Regional Enrichment Conference
Kuala Lumpur, March 14-16, 2018

2. 3rd largest tropical forest High deforestation rate
Why is it important to study forest protection in Indonesia?
2012 – Indonesia lost more primary forest than Brazil, making it the country with the world’s highest tropical forest lost rate
2007 World Bank report found Indonesia to be the third largest GHG emitter (after the US & China) due to LULUCF
Biodiversity hotspot, 5.5% of the world’s endemic plant species, 4.5% of the world’s endemic vertebrates (Myers et al, 2000)
Major driver of forest loss, palm oil, is becoming an increasingly important driver of forest loss in the Congo Basin (often with Asian countries behind the investments), so understanding forest protection in Indonesia may be able to help conservation scientists design better strategies for forest protection in Africa
3rd largest tropical forest
High deforestation rate
Few stories of clear success

3. Study area Wehea Forest Reserve
Wehea Forest – 38,000 ha area in East Kalimantan, split between the districts of East Kutai and Berau
Initially zoned as a logging concession, but in 2004 the local community led an initiative to start protecting the forest
Reached out to TNC to start a local ranger program to patrol the forest
Petitioned the local government to change the status, from a limited production forest to a protected forest (this was successful, at least for portion of the reserve located in East Kutai)
Has been recognized nationally and internationally as an example of successful forest protection (Kalpataru Award given to Letjie Tak, the Kepala Adat, in 2009; also won an international award from Disney)
Because the area is managed by the local indigenous community, it is also an important case as the government has recently started to implement a 2013 constitutional court ruling that declared state control of indigenous lands unconstitutional (created 9 “indigenous forests” in December)

4. Forest loss & degradation
Spatial and temporal trends:

5. Annual max NDVI Annual min NDVI
HTML page put together by Peter, includes the Landsat pixel (in red) and a 6.5 ha buffer (circle radius = 140 meters from pixel’s center)
Annual Landsat composites from , plus a chart of annual NDVI min and max for the pixel
Annual max NDVI
Annual min NDVI

6. Burning event in 1997, followed by another burning/clearing event in 2000, followed by conversion to palm oil

7. 2008 Google Earth image confirms this pixel was converted to palm oil

8. 1990 land cover 1990 Primary intact forest Primary degraded forest
(degraded before 1990)
Non forest (before 1990)

9. 1990 land cover 1990 1990 area estimates
Primary intact forest
Primary degraded forest
(degraded before 1990)
Non forest (before 1990)
1990 area estimates
Primary intact forest: / Mha
Primary degraded forest: / Mha
Non forest: / Mha

10. 1990 land cover
2016
Primary intact forest
Primary degraded forest
(degraded before 1990)
(degraded after 1990)
Non forest (before 1990)
Forest loss
1990
1996
2001
2006
2011
2016

11. 1990 land cover 2016 2016 area estimates
Primary intact forest
Primary degraded forest
(degraded before 1990)
(degraded after 1990)
Non forest (before 1990)
Forest loss
1990
1996
2001
2006
2011
2016
2016 area estimates
Primary intact forest: / Mha
Primary degraded forest: / Mha
(degraded before 1990)
Primary degraded forest: / Mha
(degraded after 1990)
Non forest: / Mha
(non forest before 1990)
Forest loss: / Mha
(cleared after 1990)

12. Comparing like with like
Land cover change trends in higher elevation forests

13. 1990 land cover 1990 Primary intact forest Primary degraded forest
(degraded before 1990)
Non forest (before 1990)

14. 1990 land cover
2016
Primary intact forest
Primary degraded forest
(degraded before 1990)
(degraded after 1990)
Non forest (before 1990)
Forest loss
1990
1996
2001
2006
2011
2016