THE APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING AND GIS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF SOME ECOLOGICAL CRETERIA AND INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF TROPICAL FOREST IN EAST KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA

摘要

Tropical forest degradation and/or deforestation are issues raising great concern among conservationrnscientists the world over. In particular, the rate of destruction of tropical forests, through the large extent ofrncommercial logging has attracted a lot of attention. Moreover, many studies and reports indicate that thisrndestruction is still increasing, given the rising demand for agricultural land, and wood products from tropicalrnforests, as a consequence of the rising world population. As tropical forest destruction increases, so doesrnthe demand for their sustainable management from sections of people with environmental or conservationrnconcerns. Consequently, at both international and national levels, a number of initiatives have come withrnsuggestions of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management determination. However, most ofrntheir propositions are still very broad and rarely find appropriate applicability at the forest management unitrnlevel. This study looks at some ecological criteria and indicators developed by one such type ofrnorganisation in Indonesia, known as Lembaga Ekolabel Indonesia (LEI). The objective of the study is torndemonstrate how remotely sensed data could support sustainable forest management by verifying somernecological criteria and indicators for tropical timber certification.