Identifying hotspots of naturally regenerating forests

Abstract

Using remotely sensed forest cover data spanning from 1990 to 2023, researchers at the University of Cambridge, Christopher Bousfield and David Edwards, mapped the spatial distribution and ages of regenerating tropical moist forests. This study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, revealed that five countries account for 52% of the 51 million hectares of regenerating tropical moist forests — Brazil, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and Myanmar. Just 6% of these regenerating forests are over 20 years old, primarily located in the Americas, whereas more than half are less than 5 years old, which suggests that deforested landscapes are caught in a cycle of farm abandonment, regeneration, deforestation and agricultural production.

A random forest model incorporating factors related to environmental, geographic and anthropogenic factors revealed that landscape forest characteristics were the best predictors of regenerating forest age. Older regenerating forests were more likely to be found in regions of high forest cover and connectivity, further supporting the need to protect old-growth forests to prevent clearance of regenerating forests.