Forest Cover Change in Southeast Asia - The Regional Pattern

This document provides an overview of the present pattern of forest change in Southeast Asia at a regional scale. Areas of forest change were identified and approximately delineated by a team of national and regional experts. This was done in the context of sub-regional workshops, held in Vientiane (Laos) and Jakarta (Indonesia) at the beginning of 2007. The main processes of forest change are described, providing indications on the time scale, intensity and the main causes for the change. The regional change pattern established from this information shows that most of the accessible forests in Southeast Asia, and specifically the lowland forests, are experiencing change. The most evident cause of forest loss is the conversion of forest to cash crop plantations. The establishment of timber plantations and timber exploitation, including illegal logging, are responsible for considerable change of forest canopies and structure. The geographical layer established from this information will serve for stratification of the region’s forest cover, to be used for a remote sensing based sampling approach in the context of regional forest monitoring. It can also provide useful background information for regional forest and conservation strategies.