Monitoring deforestation and forest degradation in the north of Chile using Landsat time series data sets from 1998 to 2018

Deforestation and forest degradation are among the main sources of climate-change-inducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation in developing countries (REDD+) is a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) program for sustainable forest management and conservation. Its implementation requires a forest monitoring system and a carbon inventory to define reference emissions. REDD+ projects are developed primarily in dense forests, with only a few studies in arid and semi-arid areas. In this study, gross and net deforestation and degradation of forest and shrubland formations in Norte Grande (Far North), Chile, were estimated for 1998 to 2018 using remote sensing based on satellite images and projected out to 2118. CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) emissions associated with these processes were also estimated. Deforestation and forest degradation tended to decrease across the study period, but shrubland deforestation increased from 2008 to 2013. Projected forest and shrubland deforestation in 2118 averaged 3,094 and 4,720 ha yr−1, respectively. In contrast, forest degradation decreased over time, being projected to reach 282 kg m−2 yr−1 in 2118, with shrubland degradation averaging 143,971 kg m−2 yr−1. Forest and shrubland degradation and deforestation processes decreased from 1998 to 2018, although not sufficiently to reverse the trend of loss of vegetation formations. Development of REDD+ strategies for arid and semi-arid zones should be promoted to assist in reaching global net zero GHG emissions and protect the relevant ecosystems.