Chapter 13 - Aspects of forest degradation and inventory approaches for forest management

Abstract

Forest degadation is one of the major reasons responsible for climatic change and truly disturbing natural environmental conditions and processes. There is a need to identify the causes, consequences, and impacts responsible for the harmful problem of forest degradation. This chapter puts light on the direct and indirect causes and drivers responsible for forest degradation and their consequences on health, environment, life, etc. Along with this, the chapter emphasizes various inventory techniques used to monitor the extent of degradation, like REDD+, the carbon inventory approach, and a combination of both techniques, Time Series-Based Change Detection etc., which can be used to collect reproducible results in the form of digital data. After collection and interpretation of data, efforts are made to provide basic and deep knowledge to reduce forest degradation and to increase reforestation for the betterment of the environment so that life can smoothly survive on the earth, which can be done individually, with the help of local communities and by taking the help of various governmental and nongovernmental bodies.