Change in the Subtropical Forest of Eastern Paraguay in the 1990s Alice Altstatt 1, Sunghee Kim 1, Oscar Rodas 4, Alberto Yanosky 4, John Townshend 1, Compton Tucker 1,2, Rob Clay 4 and John Musinsky 3 1 University of Maryland, 2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 3 Conservation International, 4 Guyra Paraguay Acknowledgements: This study was funded under NASA’s Land Cover Land Use Change Program, Grant NAG Improvements in Landsat Pathfinder Methods for Monitoring Tropical Deforestation and their Extension to Extra-Tropical Areas and NCC5300 University of Maryland Land Cover Earth Science Information Partnership. The Global Land Cover Facility Introduction Investigations of changes in forest cover in South America have typically focused on the tropics, but much of the rapid deforestation in the 1990s was in subtropical South America. This investigation has generated rates of change and identified the principal causes of deforestation in Paraguay using remotely sensed data from the Landsat satellites. The Rio Paraguay bisects the country into two distinct ecological regions. West of the river are dry woodlands on the alluvial plains of the Gran Chaco. The results presented here are for the geologically more varied terrain of the eastern half of Paraguay where the dominant forest type is the humid subtropical Atlantic Forest of the Upper Parana. Introduction Investigations of changes in forest cover in South America have typically focused on the tropics, but much of the rapid deforestation in the 1990s was in subtropical South America. This investigation has generated rates of change and identified the principal causes of deforestation in Paraguay using remotely sensed data from the Landsat satellites. The Rio Paraguay bisects the country into two distinct ecological regions. West of the river are dry woodlands on the alluvial plains of the Gran Chaco. The results presented here are for the geologically more varied terrain of the eastern half of Paraguay where the dominant forest type is the humid subtropical Atlantic Forest of the Upper Parana. Forest Cover Change in Eastern Paraguay The Upper Parana Atlantic Forest once covered 85% of eastern Paraguay. This semi-deciduous moist forest contains many endemic subtropical tree species as well as some tropical and cerrado species. It is one of the most biologically diverse, yet threatened ecosystems in the world. Cerrado and riverine forest types also occur in eastern Paraguay and are included in this forest cover change analysis. Significant forest cover conversion occurred in eastern Paraguay during the 1980s. Forest continues to disappear in this region at an alarming rate. In the first time period ( ), 32% of the study area was covered by forest (~45,000 km 2 of a total study area of 140,234 km 2 ). By the second time period ( ), forest cover had been reduced to 22% of the study area (~31,500 km 2 - a loss of 13,555 km 2 of forest). The rate of deforestation for eastern Paraguay between the two time periods was km 2 per year. The pattern of deforestation includes large scale conversion of forest to agricultural use, small scale encroachment into forest by rural settlers, and forest clearing and degradation through timber harvesting. Forest Cover Change in Eastern Paraguay The Upper Parana Atlantic Forest once covered 85% of eastern Paraguay. This semi-deciduous moist forest contains many endemic subtropical tree species as well as some tropical and cerrado species. It is one of the most biologically diverse, yet threatened ecosystems in the world. Cerrado and riverine forest types also occur in eastern Paraguay and are included in this forest cover change analysis. Significant forest cover conversion occurred in eastern Paraguay during the 1980s. Forest continues to disappear in this region at an alarming rate. In the first time period ( ), 32% of the study area was covered by forest (~45,000 km 2 of a total study area of 140,234 km 2 ). By the second time period ( ), forest cover had been reduced to 22% of the study area (~31,500 km 2 - a loss of 13,555 km 2 of forest). The rate of deforestation for eastern Paraguay between the two time periods was km 2 per year. The pattern of deforestation includes large scale conversion of forest to agricultural use, small scale encroachment into forest by rural settlers, and forest clearing and degradation through timber harvesting. Conclusions Large scale conversion of forest to agriculture continued in Paraguay during the 1990s, yet large blocks of Atlantic Forest still remain in eastern Paraguay, within protected areas, but also outside existing protected area boundaries. A relatively small amount of forest conversion occurred inside protected areas despite significant deforestation outside the boundaries, indicating that protected area status facilitates forest conservation. Forest cover in subtropical areas can be effectively monitored and measured on a large scale by processing Landsat imagery using procedures developed for tropical areas. Conclusions Large scale conversion of forest to agriculture continued in Paraguay during the 1990s, yet large blocks of Atlantic Forest still remain in eastern Paraguay, within protected areas, but also outside existing protected area boundaries. A relatively small amount of forest conversion occurred inside protected areas despite significant deforestation outside the boundaries, indicating that protected area status facilitates forest conservation. Forest cover in subtropical areas can be effectively monitored and measured on a large scale by processing Landsat imagery using procedures developed for tropical areas. April 19, 1989 August 5, 1999 Forest in 1999 Deforestation Within Park10 km buffer Surrounding Park Caaguazu National Park Two patterns of forest conversion are occurring in close proximity to Caaguazu. To the north, large tracts of forest have been converted to soybean agriculture. To the south and west, rural settlers have established small farms in the forest resulting in a recognizable linear pattern of clearings. Cloud Forest Nonforest Deforestation Water Protected Area Forest Cover Change Eastern Paraguay Deforestation 13,555 km 2 (30.1% loss of forest) Forest 31,463 km 2 Nonforest 95,217 km 2 Study Area 140,234 km 2 Mbaracayu Forest Biosphere Reserve November 18, 1991 September 18, 2001 Within Reserve10 km buffer surrounding Reserve Forest in 2001 Deforestation Mbaracayu is one of the most important humid subtropical forest tracts in South America. It is threatened by nearby large scale forest conversion to agriculture, encroachment by rural settlers, as well as small scale forest degradation within the protected area boundaries. 10 km San Rafael Managed Resource Reserve April 19, 1989 August 5, 1999 Within Reserve10 km buffer surrounding Reserve Forest in 1999 Deforestation San Rafael contains one of the largest remaining tracts of Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. It has been designated as a sustainable use area. Forest conversion within the protected area boundaries is apparent in the Landsat imagery. 10 km Kilometers Rio Paraguay Rio Parana PARAGUAY ARGENTINA BRAZIL Cloud