Tigabu Anbaw, Gessesse Agenagnew A
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, GIS and Remote Sensing, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Kabri Dahar University, Kabri Dahar, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2025 Feb 6;20(2):e0310780. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310780. eCollection 2025.
Deforestation and forest degradation are significant threats, leading to a decline in forest cover change, biomass and carbon storage, a crucial factor in mitigating climate change. Remote sensing techniques using satellite imagery offer a valuable tool for efficiently monitoring forest cover and biomass over different areas. This study aimed to map and quantify the forest cover change, biomass and carbon stored in the Alemsaga forest, Ethiopia. The study employed Landsat satellite images from four different periods (1992, 2003, 2013, and 2022) to track changes in forest cover and construct carbon storage maps for the Alemsaga forest. The findings from this study can be used to develop better forest conservation and management strategies. The study revealed a significant increase in dense forest cover in Alemsaga (35.34%) between 1992 and 2022, now encompassing 48.25% of the total forest area. Notably, satellite-derived vegetation indices (NDVI & DVI) exhibited a strong correlation with ground observations (R2 = 0.80), and statistical analysis confirmed this relation with above-ground carbon levels (R2 = 0.84). This enabled the creation of carbon storage maps, revealing a substantial increase from 159.31 t/ha in 1992 to 323.84 t/ha by 2022. It's important to acknowledge that while NDVI/DVI proved effective, other factors might influence carbon storage. However, the study clearly shows that satellite imaging has the capacity to map forest cover change, biomass and estimating carbon stock accurately, which is an important first step toward a better understanding of how forests contribute to climate change.
森林砍伐和森林退化是重大威胁，导致森林覆盖变化、生物量和碳储量下降，而这是缓解气候变化的关键因素。利用卫星图像的遥感技术为有效监测不同地区的森林覆盖和生物量提供了宝贵工具。本研究旨在绘制并量化埃塞俄比亚阿莱姆萨加森林的森林覆盖变化、生物量和碳储量。该研究使用了四个不同时期（1992年、2003年、2013年和2022年）的陆地卫星图像来追踪森林覆盖变化，并构建阿莱姆萨加森林的碳储量地图。本研究的结果可用于制定更好的森林保护和管理策略。研究显示，1992年至2022年期间，阿莱姆萨加的茂密森林覆盖显著增加（35.34%），目前占森林总面积的48.25%。值得注意的是，卫星衍生的植被指数（归一化植被指数和差值植被指数）与地面观测结果呈现出很强的相关性（R2 = 0.80），统计分析证实了这种与地上碳水平的关系（R2 = 0.84）。这使得能够创建碳储量地图，显示出从1992年的159.31吨/公顷大幅增加到2022年的323.84吨/公顷。必须认识到，虽然归一化植被指数/差值植被指数被证明是有效的，但其他因素可能会影响碳储量。然而，该研究清楚地表明，卫星成像有能力绘制森林覆盖变化、生物量并准确估算碳储量，这是朝着更好地理解森林如何影响气候变化迈出的重要第一步。
