A review of methods to measure and monitor historical carbon emissions from forest degradation

Disturbances that lead to forest degradation have been estimated to affect roughly 100 million hectares (ha) of forest globally per year (FAO, 2006, in Nabuurs et al., 2007). With respect to mitigation of climate change, forest degradation refers to a loss of carbon stock within forests that remain forests (IPCC, 2003a; UNFCCC, 2008). Degradation, therefore, implies that measured forest variables, such as canopy cover, remain above the threshold for the definition of forest. It is distinct from deforestation, which is commonly associated with a land-use change.