Comparative study of some soil properties in forested and deforested areas in Cox’s Bazar and Rangamati Districts, Bangladesh

The study dealt with the assessment of impact of deforestation on soil through a comparative analysis of soil physicochemical properties of natural forest and deforested areas. Soil samples from three depths （top, middle and bottom） under natural forest and nearby deforested areas were collected to investigate soil properties. Forest soils show no sig-nificant change in particle size distribution. Bulk density of forested soils shows the significant differences in top and middle layers. Soil pH in top and middle soil, organic matter in top soil and available phosphorus in middle soil of the forest site are found to be significantly higher than that of the deforested soils. Forest soils also have significantly higher level of exchangeable Ca2＋, K＋ in top and middle soil and Mg2＋ at all depth than those of deforested site. Exchangeable Na＋ and cation exchange capacity （CEC） are observed unchanged in both sites. The results suggest that change in soil properties was more obvious in surface and sub surface portions of both areas. The study shows that deterioration of physicochemical properties occurred due to deforestation.

Tree Species Composition in Tropical Forest Remnants of Highly Deforested Regions: The Case of the Huasteca Potosina Region, Mexico

Deforestation and fragmentation of tropical forest are the most serious threats to biodiversity. In the lowlands of the Huasteca Potosina region, Mexico, more than 95,000 ha of tropical forest have disappeared. This paper analyses tree species composition in tropical forest patches of this highly deforested region, located in northeast of Mexico. At present, only 57 remnants of arboreal vegetation larger than ten hectares still remain standing, which cover 6117 ha. These decreasing fragments host 140 floristic species, representing 42 families and 85 genera. Compared with previous inventories, these data show a sharp drop in species composition. Most of the forest remnants contain less than 50% of the floristic diversity recorded by previous surveys, particularly in the medium subperennial tropical forest.

An agent-based model of agricultural land expansion in the mountain forest of Timor Island,Indonesia

The Mutis-Timau Forest Complex,located on Timor Island,Indonesia,is a mountainous tropical forest area that gradually decreases due to deforestation and forest degradation.Previous modelling studies based on patterns indicate that deforestation primarily occurs at lower elevations and near the boundaries of forests and settlements,often associated with shifting cultivation by local farmers.This study adopts a process-based modelling approach,specifically the agent-based model,to simulate land changes,particularly farmers'expansion of agricultural land around the Mutis mountain forest.The underlying concept of this agent-based approach is the interaction between the human and environmental systems.Farmers,representing the human system,interact with the land,which represents the environmental system,through land use decision-making mechanisms.The research was conducted in the Community Forest of the Timor Tengah Utara District,one of the sites within the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex with the highest deforestation rate.Land use change simulations were performed using agent-based modelling from 1999 to 2030,considering the socio-economic conditions of farmers,spatial preferences,land use decisions,and natural transitions.The results revealed that the agricultural area increased by 14%under the Business as Usual scenario and 5%under the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation scenario,compared to the initial agricultural area of 245 hectares.The probability of farmers deciding to extend agricultural activities was positively associated with the number of livestock maintained by farmers and the size of the village area.Conversely,the likelihood of farmers opting for agricultural extensification decreased with an increase in the area of private land and the farmer's age.These findings are crucial for the managers of the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex and other relevant stakeholders,as they aid in arranging actions to combat deforestation,designing proper forest-related policies,and providing support for initiatives such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation programs or further incentive schemes.

Social and Environmental Impacts of Maryland Oil Palm Plantations on Forests,Biodiversity,and Community Livelihoods in Liberia

Liberia holds 44.5% of the remaining portion of the Upper Guinean Rainforest in West Africa,which is home to critically endangered forest elephants and western chimpanzees.The forests are of vital importance for the livelihoods of millions of West Africans and provide key ecosystem services of local and global importance for food systems transformation and agroecology.Liberia’s efforts toward land reform through legislation and policies recognise communities’rights to own and manage their customary lands and resources.These include the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006,the Community Rights Law Concerning Forest Lands of 2009,and the Land Rights Act of 2018,and more.In May 2022,a program team from the Sustainable Development Institute(SDI)-Friends of the Earth Liberia researched the social and environmental impacts of Maryland Oil Palm Plantations(MOPPs)in Liberia.Twenty-three(23)key informant interviews(KIIs)and 10 focus group discussions(FGDs)were conducted in seven communities in and around the MOPP.They included farmers,contract workers,MOPP staff,local authorities,women and youth leaders,the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)Inspector,the Civil Society Head,and the Gender Coordinator of Maryland County.The team cross-checked information with formal documents as much as possible and took photographs and global positioning system(GPS)locations of areas of deforestation,pollution,and conflict.The team also used observation to monitor environmental pollution,such as affluent into water bodies and planting oil palm in wetlands.The team used narrative analysis and geospatial landscape analysis to analyze the data.The research finds that land conflict and deforestation have several negative impacts on communities.MOPP has not respected land tenure rights or followed Free Prior and Informed Consent(FPIC)standards,including resettlement without reparation and destruction of farms and old towns without(sufficient)compensation or restitution.During MOPP land acquisition and clearance,communities experienced the loss of their farms and the identification of villages as“village de squatters”,leading to restricted access to farmland,heightened food insecurity,and reduced income from cash crops to support families.MOPP destroyed high conservation value areas and destroyed secondary forest regrowth,which affected important biodiversity areas.MOPP is one of the four large-scale industrial palm oil plantations in Liberia in Maryland County.It has a palm oil mill in a joint venture with Golden Veroleum Liberia(GVL).Its 2011 concession agreement includes 8,800 hectares for industrial palm oil plantations.

An Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Changes, and Implications for Conservation in Mukumbura (Ward 2), Mt Darwin, Zimbabwe, 2002-2022

Understanding trends of land use land cover (LULC) changes is important for biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning, and identifying the areas affected by change and designing sustainable solutions to reduce the changes. The study aims to evaluate and quantify the historical changes in land use and land cover in Mukumbura (Ward 2), Mt Darwin, Zimbabwe, from 2002 to 2022. The objective of the study was to analyse the LULC changes in Ward 2 (Mukumbura), Mt Darwin, Northern Zimbabwe, for a period of 20 years using geospatial techniques. Landsat satellite images were processed using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and the supervised classification with maximum likelihood algorithm was employed to generate LULC maps between 2002 and 2022 with a five (5) year interval, investigating the following variables, forest cover, barren land, water cover and the fields. Findings revealed a substantial reduction in forest cover by 38.8%, water bodies (wetlands, ponds, and rivers) declined by 55.6%, whilst fields (crop/agricultural fields) increased by 93.3% and the barren land cover increased by 26.3% from 2002 to 2022. These findings point to substantial changes in LULC over the observed years. LULC changes have resulted in habitat fragmentation, reduced biodiversity, and the disruption of ecosystem functions. The study concludes that if these deforestation trends, cultivation, and settlement land expansion continue, the ward will have limited indigenous fruit trees. Therefore, the causes for LULC changes must be controlled, sustainable forest resources use practiced, hence the need to domesticate the indigenous fruit trees in arborloo toilets.

Characterizing selected soil attributes of different land-use management to assess reforestation benefits of deforested riparian buffers

Introduction:The information available on the sensitivity of soil biotic and abiotic attributes,which can be used to track the impact of reforestation in riparian buffers,is often insufficient to refine management practices and convince stakeholders of the benefits of reforestation.Methods:In this study,conducted in Victoria,Australia,the changes in soil biotic and abiotic attributes,organic carbon(OC),mineral nitrogen(MN),total dissolved solutes(TDS)and pH were characterised to assess the impact of land-use change from bare riparian(BR)to reforested riparian(RR).Additionally,the benefits of revegetating a deforested creek bank with regard to salinity abatement and C-sequestration potentials were assessed.Results:The TDS depletion in the RR strips varied spatiotemporally from 65 to 169 mg/L,the net OC deposition from 16 to 19 g C/kg soil and MN deposition from 1.2 to 2.1 g N/kg soil,respectively.Additionally,the net changes in pH from alkaline to near neutral condition varied by 0.4 to 1.0 pH units.Approximately 30%to 60%of the net OC depletion after deforestation was redeposited under RR over 3 to 6 years.The TDS depletion after land-use changed from BR to RR ranged from 15 to 32%over 3 to 6 years.Conclusion:The soil attributes OC,MN and TDS characteristics under different land-use practices varied spatiotemporally.This information may be useful to convince stakeholders to undertake reforestation of creek banks for salinity abatement,and that change in land-use has the potential to increase C sequestration at a farm scale.

Has global deforestation accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded,questions arose as to whether the pandemic would amplify or pacify tropical deforestation.Early reports warned of increased deforestation rates;however,these studies were limited to a few months in 2020 or to selected regions.To better understand how the pandemic infl uenced tropical deforestation globally,this study used historical deforestation data(2004–2019)from the Terra-i pantropical land cover change monitoring system to project expected deforestation trends for 2020,which were used to determine whether observed deforestation deviated from expected trajectories after the fi rst COVID-19 cases were reported.Time series analyses were conducted at the regional level for the Americas,Africa and Asia and at the country level for Brazil,Colombia,Peru,the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.Our results suggest that the pandemic did not alter the course of deforestation trends in some countries(e.g.,Brazil,Indonesia),while it did in others(e.g.,Peru).We posit the importance of monitoring the long-term eff ects of the pandemic on deforestation trends as countries prioritize economic recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Taxonomic and community composition of epigeal arthropods in monoculture and mixed tree species plantations in a deciduous forest of Ghana

Tropical forests provide several ecosystem services and functions and support approximately two-thirds of the world’s biodiversity but are seriously threatened by deforestation.Approaches to counteract this menace have revolved around aff orestation with several or a single tree species.We thus investigated how plantation forests with either a single or several tree species infl uenced arthropod taxonomic and community composition using pitfall traps to sample selected groups of epigeal arthropods(Araneae,Coleoptera,Orthoptera and Hymenoptera)and with environmental variables assessed simultaneously.Our results revealed 54 taxonomic groups with signifi cantly higher taxonomic richness,activity density,and diversity in the mixed stands than in the monoculture stands.The significant differences in community composition were mainly driven by families including Lycosidae,Formicidae,Staphylinidae,Scotylidae,Hydrophilidae,Gryllidae and Scarabaeidae and were explained by distinct habitat characteristics(canopy openness,litter depth,deadwood volume,and tree height).While the diverse tree communities and heterogeneous vegetation structure off ered food and habitat resources for diverse arthropod groups,the allelopathic nature coupled with homogenous stand characteristics of the Tectona grandis stands in the monoculture suppressed the growth of understorey vegetation that could otherwise serve as food and habitat resources for arthropods,which might have led to limited activities and diversity of arthropods in the monoculture plantation stands.The fi ndings thus highlight the need to promote mixed tree plantations in degraded tropical areas,especially when restoring biodiversity is the prime management focus.

The Climate Response to Global Forest Area Changes under Different Warming Scenarios in China

Human activities have notably affected the Earth’s climate through greenhouse gases(GHG), aerosol, and land use/land cover change(LULCC). To investigate the impact of forest changes on regional climate under different shared socioeconomic pathways(SSPs), changes in surface air temperature and precipitation over China under low and medium/high radiative forcing scenarios from 2021 to 2099 are analyzed using multimodel climate simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6(CMIP6). Results show that the climate responses to forest changes are more significant under the low radiative forcing scenario. Deforestation would increase the mean, interannual variability, and the trend of surface air temperature under the low radiative forcing scenario, but it would decrease those indices under the medium/high radiative forcing scenario. The changes in temperature show significant spatial heterogeneity. For precipitation, under the low radiative forcing scenario, deforestation would lead to a significant increase in northern China and a significant decrease in southern China, and the effects are persistent in the near term(2021–40), middle term(2041–70), and long term(2071–99). In contrast, under the medium/high radiative forcing scenario, precipitation increases in the near term and long term over most parts of China, but it decreases in the middle term, especially in southern, northern,and northeast China. The magnitude of precipitation response to deforestation remains comparatively small.

Impact of forest governance and enforcement on deforestation and forest degradation at the district level:A study in West Bengal State,India

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme(UNEP),the world loses 1.0×106hm2forest land through deforestation annually.About 1.6×106people who depend on forests for livelihood are negatively affected by deforestation and forest degradation.The paper attempts to study the impact of forest governance,enforcement and socio-economic factors on deforestation and forest degradation at the local level in West Bengal State,India.The study was based on questionnaire survey data during 2020–2021 collected from three western districts(Purulia,Bankura,and Paschim Medinipur)where deforestation and poverty rates are higher than other districts in West Bengal State.The total number of selected villages was 29,and the total sample households were 693.A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data,and a questionnaire was followed.Forest governance and enforcement indices were constructed using United Nation Development Programme(UNDP)methodology and a step-wise logistic regression model was used to identify the factors affecting deforestation and forest degradation.The result of this study showed that four factors(illegal logging,weak forest administration,encroachment,and poverty)are identified for the causes of deforestation and forest degradation.It is observed that six indices of forest governance(rule of law,transparency,accountability,participation,inclusiveness and equitability,and efficiency and effectiveness)are relatively high in Purulia District.Moreover,this study shows that Purulia and Bankura districts follow medium forest governance,while Paschim Medinipur District has poor forest governance.The enforcement index is found to be highest in Purulia District(0.717)and lowest for Paschim Medinipur District(0.257).Finally,weak forest governance,poor socio-economic conditions of the households,and weak enforcement lead to the deforestation and forest degradation in the study area.Therefore,governments should strengthen law enforcement and encourage sustainable forest certification schemes to combat illegal logging.

Assessment of Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULC) in the North Talihya River Watershed (Lubero Territory, Eastern DR Congo)

On the Equator, the Talihya North watershed is a vast area of nearly 581.7 km2 that extends from the Cool Highlands on the Congo-Nile Crest in Lubero Territory to the Rift Valley in the Virunga National Park in Beni Territory. This vast territory has an agropastoral vocation. Indeed, agricultural activities combined with the high population density in this watershed generate modifications in the landscape structure. The objective of this paper is to study the dynamics of land use from 1987 to 2020. To achieve this, two Landsat TM+ and ETM+ images and one Sentinel-2 image were analyzed. After the classification of the images based on the Maximum Likelihood algorithm, this study shows that two processes are evident in the landscape of the North Talihya watershed: deforestation and savannization. Forests that occupied 253.11 km2 in 1987 have decreased to 201.12 km2 in 2001 and to 123.04 km2 in 2020. These area balances indicate that the natural forest formations in the North Talihya watershed have been converted primarily to croplands and fallows. The estimated annual deforestation rate between 1987 and 2020 is 2.18%. With this high rate of deforestation, mechanisms to restore degraded forest ecosystems in this watershed will need to be put in place. The sustainable management of residual forest ecosystems that have escaped human pressure is necessary for the conservation of biodiversity for future generations.

VTOL UAVs for Forest Monitoring and Management via Remote Sensing: A Case Study in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

The utilization of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) has experienced a remarkable upsurge in various industries, including forestry. Their capacity to expeditiously and effectively cover large tracts of land has resulted in their widespread adoption as a valuable forest management and monitoring tool. The versatility of UAVs extends to their capability to perform quick and efficient surveys of large areas, inventory of tree species, and monitoring of forest health. This research paper reports on the successful utilization of VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) UAV that was designed and built at the IESSD (Institute of Earth Science and Sustainable Development) located in the AAA (Asia Aviation Academy) at KMITL (King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang) Prince of Chumphon Campus, Thailand. The VTOL UAV is employed for resource and environmental missions, as well as forest monitoring by using remote sensing technology. VTOL UAVs are used for aerial surveillance to conduct air photography, data collection, and processing for resource and environmental missions. This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the areas at risk of deforestation and forest encroachment in a particular region of Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, highlighting the potential for the resulting photographs to inform evidence-based decision-making and facilitate sustainable forest management practices. This study offers recommendations to develop VTOL UAVs remote sensing capabilities and mitigate deforestation and forest encroachment in Khao Yai National Park.

Anthropogenic Climate Change, Deforestation and Renewable Energy

Since the Industrial Revolution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, especially global CO2 emission (GCE) has greatly increased with the growth of global human population (GHP), which has caused climate change. Both GCE and GHP are positively related with the rise of global mean surface temperature (GMST). Our empirical research shows that the impact from GCE on GMST is 7.72 times of that from TSI, and the impact from GHP on GMST is 7.9 times of that from TSI. The growth rate of global surface temperature was slower from 1998 to 2012, which was mainly caused by the decadal cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean-La Niña. Deforestation and vegetation degradation affect climate change, feedback radiation between the atmosphere and the biosphere account for 30% of the variation in global surface radiation and precipitation. The share of renewable energy remains small in primary energy consumption due to their disadvantages.

Land Use Land Cover Dynamics of Oba Hills Forest Reserve, Nigeria, Employing Multispectral Imagery and GIS

Land use Land cover (LULC) has undergone progressive changes worldwide over the years. However, there is limited information available about these changes in Oba Hills Forest Reserve, Nigeria. The existing spatial analysis of the forest excluded important land use classes like settlements. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the dynamics of LULC in Oba Hills Forest Reserve between 1987 and 2019. Images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7, and Landsat 8 for the years 1987, 2001, 2013, and 2019 were obtained and subjected to preprocessing and classification using the maximum likelihood algorithm, change detection, and Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI). The coordinates of specific benchmark locations and other points were acquired for ground-truthing and developing Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Three distinct LULC classes were identified: forest, bare land (including open spaces, agriculture, rocks, and grasslands), and built-up areas. The forest cover in the reserve gradually decreased from 56% in 1987 to 47% in 2019, resulting in a total area loss of 455.4 hectares. Correspondingly, the other LULC classes experienced exponential expansion. Bare land increased from 44% in 1987 to 52% in 2019, while the built-up area expanded by 57.28 hectares. These changes are attributed to prevalent anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, grazing, logging, firewood collection, and population growth within the catchment area. The declining NDVI values in the forest reserve, from 0.52 to 0.44 within the years of assessment, further substantiated the substantial loss of forest cover. The DEM and topographical map highlighted notable steep slopes and elevations of up to over 550 m above sea level (asl) within the reserve, which have implications for forest growth and dynamics. In conclusion, this study reveals extensive rates of forest cover changes into bare land, primarily for agriculture, and settlements, and offers further recommendations to reverse the trend.

Analysis of Land Degradation in Ethiopia and Countermeasures

In Ethiopia soil conservation is primarily meant to improve agriculture production.Therefore,assessment of the existing erosion hazards and classifying the land according to its capability are essential.This paper depicts the land degradation status and causes,through an integrated assessment,and some measures to alleviate the problem are proposed.

Effect of Vegetation Changes on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau

Vegetation is one of the key factors affecting soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. The effects of vegetation destruction and vegetation restoration on soil erosion were quantified using data from long-term field runoff plots established on the eastern slope of the Ziwuling secondary forest region, China and a field survey. The results showed that before the secondary vegetation restoration period (before about 1866-1872), soil erosion in the Ziwuling region of the Loess Plateau was similar to the current erosion conditions in neighboring regions, where the soil erosion rate now is 8000 to 10000 t km-2 year-1. After the secondary vegetation restoration, soil erosion was very low; influences of rainfall and slope gradient on soil erosion were small; the vegetation effect on soil erosion was predominant; shallow gully and gully erosion ceased; and sediment deposition occurred in shallow gully and gully channels. In modern times when human activities destroyed secondary forests, soil erosion increased markedly, and erosion rates in the deforested lands reached 10000 to 24000 t km-2 year-1, which was 797 to 1682 times greater than those in the forested land prior to deforestation. Rainfall intensity and landform greatly affected the soil erosion process after deforestation. These results showed that accelerated erosion caused by vegetation destruction played a key role in soil degradation and eco-environmental deterioration in deforested regions.

Comparing the soil quality changes of different land uses determined by two quantitative methods

Soil quality is one of the most important environmental factors in sustaining the global biosphere and developing sustainable agricultural practices. A study was initiated in Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China to elucidate the soil quality changes of natural secondary succession, forest planting and agricultural practices after deforestation in the humid mountainous region. The soil qualities of six land use types (natural forestland, grassland, shrub land, secondary forestland, cultivated land and reforested land) were compared using two quantitative methods: the integrated soil quality index(QI) and soil deterioration index(DI). The QI values of natural forestland, grassland, shrub land, secondary forestland, cultivated land, reforested land were 0.8039, 0.3277, 0.9127, 0.6881, 0.0285 and 0.3183, respectively. The DI values were 0%, -14%, 12%, 1%, -26% and -18% respectively. Both indexes suggested that shrub land can restore soil properties. To compare the two methods more directly, a deduced index QI′ based on QI value was developed. The results showed that DI and QI′had a very high linear correlation coefficient (r=0.9775) despite the values were different. Both methods were efficient in evaluating the soil quality levels and DI was a more simple way in soil quality assessment, while QI could show more ecological meanings.

Soil Phosphorus Dynamics as Influenced by Land Use Changes in Humid Tropical, Southwest China

Land use changes can greatly influence soil phosphorus (P) dynamics, especially when converting native forests to agricultural land. Soils in Xishuangbanna, which is one of southwest China s tropical areas that maintain fragments of primary forests, were studied to a) evaluate the effect of two common land use changes, conversion of forests to agricultural land or rubber tree plantation, on the dynamics of available P and total P in bulk soils as well as total P in particle size fractions; b) assess the rel…

Effects of Accelerated Soil Erosion on Soil Nutrient Loss After Deforestation on the Loess Plateau

Soil erosion and nutrient losses on newly-deforested lands in the Ziwuling Region on the Loess Plateau of China were monitored to quantitatively evaluate the effects of accelerated soil erosion, caused by deforestation, on organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus losses. Eight natural runoff plots were established on the loessial hill slopes representing different erosion patterns of dominant erosion processes including sheet, rill and shallow gully (similar to ephemeral gully). Sediment samples were collected after each erosive rainfall event. Results showed that soil nutrients losses increased with an increase of erosion intensity. Linear relations between the losses of organic matter, total N, NH4-N, and available P and erosion intensity were found. Nutrient content per unit amount of eroded sediment decreased from the sheet to the shallow gully erosion zones, whereas total nutrient loss increased. Compared with topsoil, nutrients in eroded sediment were enriched, especially available P and NH4-N. The intensity of soil nutrient losses was also closely related to soil erosion intensity and pattern with the most severe soil erosion and nutrient loss occurring in the shallow gully channels on loessial hill slopes. These research findings will help to improve the understanding of the relation between accelerated erosion process after deforestation and soil quality degradation and to design better eco-environmental rehabilitation schemes for the Loess Plateau.

More than Carbon Stocks:A Case Study of Ecosystem-based Benefits of REDD+ in Indonesia

During the 15th Conference of the Parties （COP 15）, Parties agreed that reducing emissions from deforesta- tion and forest degradation and enhancing ＇removals of greenhouse gas emission by forests＇ （REDD＋） in developing countries through positive incentives under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC） was capable of dealing with global emissions. As REDD＋ seeks to lower emissions by stopping deforestation and for- est degradation with an international payment tier according to baseline scenarios, opportunities for ecosystem benefits such as slowing habitat fragmentation, conservation of forest biodiversity, soil conservation may be also part of this effort. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate ecosystem-based benefits of REDD＋, and to identify the rela- tionships with carbon stock changes. To achieve this goal, high resolution satellite images are combined with Normal- ized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） to identify historical deforestation in study area of Central Kalimantan, In- donesia. The carbon emissions for the period of 2000-2005 and 2005-2009 are 2.73 ×10^5 t CO2 and 1.47× 10^6 t CO2 respectively, showing an increasing trend in recent years. Dring 2005-2009, number of patches （NP）, patch density （PD）, mean shape index distribution （SHAPE_MN） increased 30.8%, 30.7% and 7.6%. Meanwhile, largest patch index （LPI）, mean area （AREA MN）, area-weighted mean of shape index distribution （SHAPE_AM）, neighbor distance （ENN_MN） and interspersion and juxtaposition index （IJI） decreased by 55.3%, 29.7%, 15.8%, 53.4% and 21.5% re- spectively. The area regarding as positive correlation between carbon emissions and soil erosion was approximately 8.9 x l03 ha corresponding to 96.0% of the changing forest. These results support the view that there are strong syner- gies among carbon loss, forest fragmentation and soil erosion in tropical forests. Such mechanism of REDD＋ is likely to present opportunities for multiple benefits that fall outside the scope of carbon stocks.