Année : 2017
Auteur(s) : MARTIN-ORTEGA P., GARCIA-MONTERO L., PASCUAL C., GARCIA-ROBREDO F., PICARD N., BASTIN J-F., SIBELET N.,
Référence : T. XXXVIII, n°3, 2017, pp. 259-266.
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The Global Drylands Assessment (GDA), developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), represents a collaborative work between institutions that has increased our knowledge of tree cover and forests with a level of detail higher than previously achieved with remote sensing techniques. The estimates show up to 47% of forest in the world's drylands never reported before. Here, we analyze some of the features of forests and trees in the drylands of the Mediterranean region and explore opportunities for forest restoration using the GDA dataset. Drylands in the Mediterranean region account for 147 million ha. The GDA surveyed 6,492 plots of 0.5 ha in this region and forest land was detected in 16% of the plots. The data also confirmed the importance of tree presence in human environments outside forests with values of 29% of tree cover in croplands or up to 58% in settlements. Using GDA data and other land use maps, the extent of areas for potential forest restoration were calculated, accounting for 80 million ha which accounts for 40% of the Mediterranean region. These results highlight the importance of FAO developed tools and the need for their implementation in forest monitoring and restoration.