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A thread on #forestloss in #ArunachalPradesh based on a paper @AparajitaDatta4, D. Parashuram and I published in June 2020 in Silva Fennica - "a scientific online journal, whichh publishes significant new knowledge on forest sciences."
Our paper "Persistent loss of biologically-rich tropical forests in the Indian Eastern Himalaya"
is available here: https://www.silvafennica.fi/article/10373
The motivation behind this paper was many fold.
1. Deforestation in Papum RF in Pakke Kessang District was rampant since 2000.
is available here: https://www.silvafennica.fi/article/10373
The motivation behind this paper was many fold.
1. Deforestation in Papum RF in Pakke Kessang District was rampant since 2000.
2. We needed scientific evidence to support on-ground observations of forest loss reported. We just didn't know how much area is being lost but the scale was clearly immense based on news reports: https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/illegal-wooden-logs-worth-rs-4-lakh-seized-from-lpg-carrying-truck-in-tezpur/
3. We were faced with a problem of detecting forest loss using @globalforests (GFW data) which uses 30m @USGSLandsat data. I had a hunch that GFW data may not be detecting fine-scale loss in this landscape based on known limitations of GFW from the Amazon: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7e1e
4. Additionally Forest Survey of India (FSI) data has limitations as they use a 23m dataset by @isro's LISS III satellite. Additionally FSI had changed they methodology twice over and they only release their report once in 2 years.
5. So we embarked on a difficult task to classify historical forest loss in a 1064 sq. km. area of Papum RF. We classified 26 satellite images from 2011 - 2019 at a resolution of either 5m using @ESA_EO's RapidEye constellation; or 3m using @planetlabs dove sats.
6. The results pretty much shocked us: "4.6% of forest cover was lost from Papum RF between 2013 & 2017 at the rate of 8.2 sq. km./year." Given the foothills of #ArunachalPradesh is the main nesting habitat for Great Hornbills, Wreathed Hornbills and Oriental Pied Hornbills...
and @ncfindia has an ongoing hornbill nest adoption program (more here : https://www.ncf-india.org/eastern-himalaya/hornbill-nest-adoption-program-2019-breeding-season). Loss of habitat was going to affect hornbills in the long term even if nest trees were not being logged. In any case it was our constitutional right to try & study the problem.
7. We decided to analyse the loss of hornbill habitat around atleast 29 hornbill nest trees. "From 2011 to 2019, forest cover declined from 38.55 sq. km. to 21.94 sq. km.
around these hornbill nest trees."
around these hornbill nest trees."
8. "By 2019, only 45% of the 48 sq. km. of the 1-km buffer area around 29 hornbill nests was forested as compared to 80% in 2011". This was a significant result indicating a break-down of law enforcement to protect hornbill species that are mandated to be protected ...
...under the Wildlife Protection Act of India 1978. But also it was the constitutional mandate of the state to protect this habitat as logging was controversially banned in 1996 by the Supreme Court of India.
9. There were some issues in the classification of satellite imagery in 2017. After multiple model runs to classify forest, non-forest and logged forest, it still showed a decrease in logged-forest in 2017. We attribute this to a higher illumination elevation angle of the image,
that illuminated slopes & forests that were previously under shadow in mountain terrain. The second reason was perhaps the growth of secondary forests in 2017 in a specific part of Papum RF. Landcover classification is still a challenge in this landscape as access is difficult.
10. Forest loss in tropical regions brings along a whole suite of problems and it is the constitutional duty of the state to protect its forests and biodiversity. In Aug. 2019 the National Green Tribunal pulled up #arunachalpradesh FD and state Govt. for not curbing forest loss
The NGT observed that there are significant issues in the ability of the Range officers to carry out their duties due to shortage of staff, funds and resources. Clearly the state of #ArunachalPradesh has to do more to curb logging.
11. The good news is logging has stopped in some parts of #arunachalpradesh thanks to efforts of officers like @SanjaySainIPS https://arunachaltimes.in/index.php/2020/06/23/kingpin-behind-illegal-timber-trade-arrested/
However logging is ongoing in Papum RF as reported by @JorjoTara.
However logging is ongoing in Papum RF as reported by @JorjoTara.
12. Ongoing logging in some regions clearly indicates that enforcement is required. The arrests of key criminals in this logging nexus has stopped logging and thus enforcement can lead to positive protection results.
13. Logging also brings in other issues based on studies in India and globally: it threatens future subsistence needs of the local population. You can read a bit about this in a @mongabay essay written by @sibi123 and myself. https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/illegal-logging-mafia-stripping-hornbill-habitat-in-northeast-india/
Logging exposes the land to landslides and erosion as reported in this region :
The forest loss can be viewed in google earth engine timelapse in the Mongabay article https://thewire.in/government/soil-erosion-has-left-nearly-90000-landless-in-assam-in-last-five-years-centre
The forest loss can be viewed in google earth engine timelapse in the Mongabay article https://thewire.in/government/soil-erosion-has-left-nearly-90000-landless-in-assam-in-last-five-years-centre
Logging also accelerates river erosion rates, https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo2948,
amplifies flood risk and severity (not surprising given Assam and Arunachal's ongoing national disaster of floods.Alters local climate resulting in drier, warmer conditions & reduced agricultural productivity
amplifies flood risk and severity (not surprising given Assam and Arunachal's ongoing national disaster of floods.Alters local climate resulting in drier, warmer conditions & reduced agricultural productivity
Deforestation decreases access to clean drinking
water. And is also associated with the outbreak of Ebola.
water. And is also associated with the outbreak of Ebola.
14. Deforestation in Papum RF also possibly has effects on the success of hornbill nests and occupation. We didn't explicitly test for this but the preliminary results indicate possible effects.
"The long-term average nest occupancy for the large-bodied hornbills was 59.68%, while it was 72.58% for the Oriental Pied Hornbill. Nest occupancy by large-bodied hornbills was below the long-term
average for these species in following years: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018"
average for these species in following years: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018"
15. Today our work was covered in national news by @rahconteur bringing the much required attention of deforestation in one of earth's most biodiverse regions - #ArunachalPradesh - a jewel in the crown of the Republic of India. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/forest-cover-loss-threatens-hornbills-in-arunachal/article32339946.ece
16. the last explanation by a senior officer - âForests still cover 74% of the total land area of the State, and steps are being taken to stop felling,â - simply does not cut it. Does the officer mean that there is so much forest that even a few thousand sq. km is ok to lose?
17. That is unacceptable : "From 2002 to 2019, 2879 sq. km. of primary forest cover was lost in north-east India". "GFW data show that 2093 sq. km. of tree cover was lost between 2001 and 2019". This is a shocking number given:
"Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India is the richest terrestrial biodiversity region in India, with nearly 6000 flowering plants and 720 (54.8%) of the 1313 bird
species known from India."
species known from India."
"Recent research has led to the discovery of new records, range extensions and new species of fungi, plants and animals from the state" Clearly the state has to do more that just say "74% of the State in covered in forests". What are the steps being taken to curb logging?
18. It has been a year since the NGT directed @MyGovArunachal @ArunachalCMO to curb logging and set-up a High Level Committee. Till date I have no news of this committee and who constitutes it. I am not sure if @CSArunachal has even filed its compliance report to the NGT.
19. This is significant as the people of #ArunachalPradesh are nearly self-sustaining in their advanced forest based livelihood systems. Any loss of biodiversity, forest has direct implications to the future food, weather and climate security of the region.
20. Finally there are many I need to thank. Lab-mates from Beer Lab @NCBS_Bangalore helped in statistics. Scientists from @ncfindia helped us in discussions and stream-lining our questions. Our first reviewer and editors at Silva Fennica helped alot.
Big thanks to @peeragescience for offering us to send in our article through an open peer-review system at no charge that irked the interest of Silva Fennica to publish our article.
I personally would like to thank @planetlabs for providing me satellite imagery for free under the Education and Research Program. This has changed the way we can track forest loss in the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot. https://www.silvafennica.fi/article/10373
21. Lastly, the code for image classfication is hosted on @github here: https://github.com/monsoonforest/deforestation/blob/master/randomForest-image-classification please feel free to use, cite and acknowledge me and the original website from where I adopted the code. #opensource for life yo!
