Forest connectivity identifies key areas between Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) in 2013. IFLs are large areas (greater than or equal to 500 square kilometres) of forest and other natural vegetation that show no remotely detected signs of human disturbance. Data Sources: Hansen, M.C., et al. 2013. High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science 342, 850–853. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693" target="_blank">10.1126/science.1244693</a> Potapov, P., et al., 2017. The last frontiers of wilderness: Tracking loss of intact forest landscapes from 2000 to 2013. Science Advances 3, e1600821. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600821" target="_blank">10.1126/sciadv.1600821</a>

Forest connectivity identifies key areas between Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) in 2000. IFLs are large areas (greater than or equal to 500 square kilometres) of forest and other natural vegetation that show no remotely detected signs of human disturbance. Data Sources: Hansen, M.C., et al. 2013. High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science 342, 850–853. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693" target="_blank">10.1126/science.1244693</a> Potapov, P., et al., 2017. The last frontiers of wilderness: Tracking loss of intact forest landscapes from 2000 to 2013. Science Advances 3, e1600821. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600821" target="_blank">10.1126/sciadv.1600821</a>

The fragmentation dataset classifies forested areas into several fragmentation classes using spatial pattern analysis, and includes effects of both deforestation and regrowth on forest fragmentation. Multiple variations of this dataset are available for the years 2000 and 2012, each making different assumptions about: the distance that fragmentation effects extend into forests (500 metres or 1000 metres); the canopy cover (%) that defines forest area (25 or 50%); and the minimum area (in hectares) of a fragment to be be considered a forest fragment (0, 1 or 5 ha). The map presented here shows effects extending 500 metres into forest interiors. This dataset has a 30-metre spatial resolution. Data derived from: Hansen, M.C., et al. 2013. High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science 342, 850–853. 10.1126/science.1244693 Created as part of the GEF-funded Global Support to Sixth National Report Project in collaboration with the NASA-funded Forest Integrity Project.

The fragmentation dataset classifies forested areas into several fragmentation classes using spatial pattern analysis, and includes effects of both deforestation and regrowth on forest fragmentation. Multiple variations of this dataset are available for the years 2000 and 2012, each making different assumptions about: the distance that fragmentation effects extend into forests (500 metres or 1000 metres); the canopy cover (%) that defines forest area (25 or 50%); and the minimum area (in hectares) of a fragment to be be considered a forest fragment (0, 1 or 5 ha). The map presented here shows effects extending 500 metres into forest interiors. This dataset has a 30-metre spatial resolution. Data derived from: Hansen, M.C., et al. 2013. High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science 342, 850–853. 10.1126/science.1244693 Created as part of the GEF-funded Global Support to Sixth National Report Project in collaboration with the NASA-funded Forest Integrity Project.

The distribution of forest biomass vertically and horizontally is an important predictor of biodiversity, disturbance risk, carbon storage, and hydrological flows. Human activities may alter the influence of forest structure on biodiversity through hunting, introducing non-native species, and altering disturbance regimes. The authors introduce two new remotely sensed indices describing forest structure and human pressure in tropical forests. The Forest Structural Condition Index (SCI) uses best existing global forest data sets to represent a gradient from low to high forest structure development. Remotely sensed estimates of canopy height, tree cover, and time since disturbance comprise inputs of the index. The index distinguishes short, open-canopy, or recently disturbed stands such as those recently deforested from tall, closed-canopy, older stands typical of primary of late secondary forest. The SCI was validated against estimates of foliage height diversity derived from airborne lidar and estimates of aboveground biomass derived from forest inventory plots. The Forest Integrity Index overlays an index of human pressure, the Human Footprint, on SCI to identify structurally complex forests with low human pressure that are likely to be most valuable for biodiversity and ecosystem services. The SCI and Forest Integrity Index are being used to assess progress for countries in reaching the 2020 forest fragmentation and connectivity targets under the Convention on Biodiversity. Broader potential applications include using the SCI and Forest Integrity as predictors of habitat quality, community richness, carbon storage, hydrological yield, and restoration of secondary forest.<br><br>This dataset is provided from the University of Montana through a partnerhsip with the NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Forecasting Program.<br/><br>License information: <a href "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC-4.0 Attribution</a>.<br/>