Bare Ground Change 1982 - 2016

This analysis of 35 years’ worth of satellite data (at approximately 25 square kilometer resolution at the equator) provides a comprehensive record of global land-change dynamics during the period 1982–2016. Contrary to the prevailing view that forest area has declined globally — tree cover has increased by 2.24 million km2 (+7.1% relative to the 1982 level), largely the result of a net loss in the tropics being outweighed by a net gain in the extratropics. Global bare ground cover has decreased by 1.16 million km2 (−3.1%), most notably in agricultural regions in Asia. Of all land changes, 60% are associated with direct human activities and 40% with indirect drivers such as climate change. Land-use change exhibits regional dominance, including tropical deforestation and agricultural expansion, temperate reforestation or afforestation, cropland intensification and urbanization. Consistently across all climate domains, montane systems have gained tree cover and many arid and semi-arid ecosystems have lost vegetation cover.

For full details see: Song, X.-P., Hansen, M.C., Stehman, S.V., Potapov, P.V., Tyukavina, A., Vermote, E.F., Townshend, J.R., 2018. Global land change from 1982 to 2016. Nature 1 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0411-9] .