Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
08:16
Collecting and Processing Drone-based Remotely Sensed Data for Use in Forest Recovery Monitoring
Published on: October 24, 2025
Reconciling forest conservation and logging in Indonesian Borneo
David L A Gaveau1, Mrigesh Kshatriya, Douglas Sheil
1Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia. d.gaveau@cgiar.org
Plos One
|August 23, 2013
Summary
Natural forest timber concessions in Kalimantan maintained forest cover similarly to protected areas between 2000-2010. Reclassification to industrial plantations reduced their effectiveness, highlighting the need for IUCN Category VI protection.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Forestry
Background:
- Natural forest timber concessions are proposed to help sustain larger forest landscapes.
- Their role in maintaining natural forest cover is not well understood.
- Kalimantan's natural forest cover decreased by 4.7% between 2000 and 2010.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the role of timber concessions in maintaining natural forest cover in Kalimantan.
- To compare deforestation rates in timber concessions with other land-use categories.
- To assess the impact of land-use reclassification on forest conservation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of remote sensing data for forest cover change (2000-2010).
- Comparison of deforestation rates across land-use categories (timber concessions, oil palm concessions, protected forests).
- Statistical analysis controlling for location effects and land-use reclassification.
Main Results:
- Deforestation was significantly lower in timber concessions compared to oil palm concessions.
- When location effects were controlled, deforestation rates in timber concessions were not significantly different from protected areas.
- Approximately 25% of timber concessions were reclassified to industrial plantations during the study period.
Conclusions:
- Natural forest timber concessions can be as effective as protected areas in maintaining forest cover.
- Reclassification to industrial plantations undermines the conservation potential of timber concessions.
- Designating natural forest timber concessions as IUCN Protected Area Category VI is recommended to prevent reclassification and enhance conservation.
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
01:57What is Conservation Biology?
Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...
01:28Softwoods and Hardwoods
Softwoods and hardwoods, derived from different types of trees, are distinguished by their leaf structures and cellular compositions, each serving unique purposes in construction and manufacturing. Softwoods come from cone-bearing trees with needle-like leaves and are predominantly composed of longitudinal cells called tracheids and a smaller proportion of radial cells known as rays. Due to their cellular structure, softwoods are commonly used in construction for structural frames, sheathing,...