Crowdsourcing campaign identifies drivers of tropical forest loss

Date:
April 1, 2022
Source:
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Summary:
To combat forest loss in the tropics, a new study uses crowdsourcing
to identify the drivers of deforestation. The resulting dataset
can be used to create high-resolution maps and help policymakers
apply the best protection measures.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
To combat forest loss in the tropics, a new study uses crowdsourcing
to identify the drivers of deforestation. The resulting dataset can be
used to create high-resolution maps and help policymakers apply the best protection measures.


========================================================================== Every year, 10 million hectares of forest disappear worldwide,
predominantly driven by human activities such as agriculture expansion, building of roads, or wood extraction. To combat this trend and apply
effective conservation measures, it is crucial to understand the drivers
behind forest loss.

In a new study published in Nature Scientific Data,an international
team of researchers harnessed the power of the crowd and set up a
crowdsourcing campaign in December 2020 on the Geo-Wiki platform to
compile data on the drivers of tropical forest loss between 2008 and
2019. In the analysis, the researchers asked participants to identify
the predominant and secondary tree loss driver visible in a randomly
shown location between 30DEG North and South of the equator and to note
if roads, trails, or buildings were present.

The campaign was designed as a competition, with prizes offered to
those who contributed the most, based on a combination of quality and
quantity. 58 participants from various countries entered and together they reviewed almost 115,000 locations in the tropics, resulting in a dataset
that has higher spatial resolution than any other such dataset to date.

"With the high resolution and dense spatial sample of this dataset we
can create refined maps and get a better understanding of the drivers
of forest loss during the past decade," says IIASA researcher Juan
Carlos Laso Bayas, the lead author of the study. "This is crucial
to orient policymakers towards protecting remaining pristine forests, especially in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss." As well
as being the first Geo-Wiki campaign focused on tropical deforestation,
this campaign was also a step-up from previous efforts on Geo-Wiki, by providing participants with extensive training materials and tutorial
videos, thereby ensuring high data quality. There was also an opportunity
to talk "face to face" with IIASA experts via a chat service to solve
any issues that would come up during the campaign.

The dataset is open-source and is available to use for researchers, policymakers, and the public. A recent study conducted by IIASA
researchers has already made use of the data, analyzing deforestation in protected areas to gauge the effectiveness of the conservation measures
and prompt management change where required.

"Getting involved with scientists through crowdsourcing campaigns such as
this one is easy, rewarding, and can be of utmost importance to generate
real change of policies by providing validated data on global events," concludes IIASA researcher and study author Linda See.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by International_Institute_for_Applied_Systems_Analysis.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Juan Carlos Laso Bayas, Linda See, Ivelina Georgieva, Dmitry
Schepaschenko, Olga Danylo, Martina Du"rauer, Hedwig Bartl, Florian
Hofhansl, Roman Zadorozhniuk, Maksym Burianchuk, Flavius Sirbu,
Brigitte Magori, Kateryna Blyshchyk, Volodymyr Blyshchyk, Ahmed Harb
Rabia, Chandra Kant Pawe, Yuan-Fong Su, Merajuddin Ahmed, Kripal
Panging, Oleksandr Melnyk, Olesia Vasylyshyn, Roman Vasylyshyn,
Andrii Bilous, Svitlana Bilous, Krishna Das, Reinhard Prestele,
Ana Pe'rez-Hoyos, Khangsembou Bungnamei, Andrii Lashchenko, Maryna
Lakyda, Ivan Lakyda, Oleksandr Serediuk, Galyna Domashovets, Yuriy
Yurchuk, Miche`le Koper, Steffen Fritz. Drivers of tropical forest
loss between 2008 and 2019.

Scientific Data, 2022; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01227-3 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220401094827.htm

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