Some Latin American nations have set a goal of “zero deforestation,” but systems ecologist Sandra Brown says the target is misleading. In a paper published this month in the journal Science, she argues that for an accurate picture of forest cover, carbon storage and greenhouse-gas emissions from deforestation, countries must track “gross deforestation,” or total forest loss, instead of factoring in reforestation or tree planting. Brazil has done that using satellite monitoring, but other countries have lacked the tools—until now. A new system developed by University of Maryland remote-sensing expert Matthew Hansen will make such data available online for any country. (See Around the Region.) Brown says this is a “game changer” for implementing programs for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). Brown, chief scientist and director of the Ecosystem Services Unit at Winrock International, a U.S.-based nonprofit development organization, spoke by phone with EcoAméricas correspondent Barbara Fraser. [Log in to read more]

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