Comment on "High-resolution global maps of 21st-century forest cover change"

Abstract

Hansen et al. (Reports, 15 November 2013, p. 850) published a high-resolution global forest map with detailed information on local forest loss and gain. We show that their product does not distinguish tropical forests from plantations and even herbaceous crops, which leads to a substantial underestimate of forest loss and compromises its value for local policy decisions.

Keywords

• tropical biodiversity
• plantation forests
• agriculture
• asia