Land cover change and carbon stores in a tropical montane cloud forest in the Sierra Madre Oriental,Mexico

Tropical montane cloud forest is one of the ecosystems with the highest biomass worldwide, representing an important carbon store. Globally its deforestation index is –1.1%, but in Mexico it is higher than –3%. Carbon estimates are scarce globally, particularly in Mexico. The objective of this study was to simulate future land-cover scenarios for the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico, by analyzing past forest cover changes. Another objective was to estimate stored carbon in the two study areas. These objectives involve the generation of information that could be useful inputs to anti-deforestation public policy such as the REDD+ strategy. Remote sensing was used to measure land cover change and estimate carbon stocks. Satellite images from 2015, 2000 and 1986 were used, and Dinamica EGO freeware generatedmodels of future projections. Between 1986 and 2015, 5171 ha of forest were converted to pasture. The annual deforestation rates were –1.5% for Tlanchinol and –1.3% for the San Bartolo Tutotepec sites. Distance to roads and marginalization were highly correlated with deforestation. By 2030, an estimated 3608 ha of forest in these sites will have been converted to pasture. Stored carbon was estimated at 16.35 Mg C ha-1 for the Tlanchinol site and 12.7 Mg C ha-1 for the San Bartolo site. In the Sierra Madre Oriental deforestation due to land cover change(–1.4%) is higher than levels reported worldwide. Besides having high values of stored carbon(14.5 Mg C ha-1), these forests have high biodiversity. The models' outputs show that the deforestation process will continue if action is not taken to avoid the expansion of livestock pasturing. This can be done by paying incentives for forest conservation to the owners of the land. The results suggest that REDD+ is currently the most viable strategy for reducing deforestation rates in tropical montane cloud forests in Sierra Madre Oriental.     

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 deforestation 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 forest 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 relationships with carbon stock changes.To achieve this goal,high resolution satellite images are combined with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) to identify historical deforestation in study area of Central Kalimantan,Indonesia.The carbon emissions for the period of 2000-2005 and 2005-2009 are 2.73 × 10 5 t CO 2 and 1.47 × 10 6 t CO 2 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% respectively.The area regarding as positive correlation between carbon emissions and soil erosion was approximately 8.9 × 10 3 ha corresponding to 96.0% of the changing forest.These results support the view that there are strong synergies 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.     

Potential effects of future adoption of the REDD mechanism as a preventive measure against deforestation and forest degradation in North Korea

This study assesses potential effects of adaption to climate change in the future as a carbon related value using a baseline and credit approach, considering the implementation of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation(REDD) mechanism. Basic data were obtained for implementing the REDD mechanism in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) for scientific decision-making to prevent deforestation and forest degradation. The potential effects according to the implementation of the REDD mechanism in the DPRK based on forest status data(the latest) are as follows. If the deforestation rate is reduced to a level below 6% through a 20-year REDD mechanism beginning in 2011, 0.01–11.64 C-tons of carbon credit per ha could be issued for DPRK. Converted into CO?-tons per ha, this amounts to 0.03–42.68 CO?-tons, which translates to a minimum of 226,000 CO?-tons and a maximum of 289,082,000 CO?-tons overall for forests in DPRK. In terms of carbon price, this measures up to 1.10 million USD–1.4 billion USD, considering that the REDD carbon price in voluntary carbon markets in 2010 was around 5 USD.     

Assessment of causes and future deforestation in the mountainous tropical forest of Timor Island,Indonesia

The Mutis-Timau Forest Complex,one of the remaining mountainous tropical forest areas in Timor Island,eastern Indonesia that covers an area of 31,984 ha,tends to decrease gradually.Efforts to secure mountain forest functions and counteract the negative impact of declining forest areas are often constrained by data uncertainty on factors contributing to deforestation.For this reason,this study attempts to develop models of deforestation and predict future deforestation in the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex.We constructed models of deforestation that describe the relationship between deforestation and factors contributing to deforestation using spatial statistical models.In this model,we used the deforestation data for the 1987-2017 period obtained from a previous study as dependent variables and the potential causes of deforestation generated from Geographic Information System spatial analysis as independent variables.Using the probability of deforestation derived from the model,we predicted future deforestation under two different scenarios,namely,business-as-usual(as the reference scenario)and reducing emission fromdeforestation and forest degradation.Our findings showed that a positive relationship exists between probability of deforestation,distance to the settlement,and population density variables,whereas a negative relationship exists between likelihood of deforestation,elevation,slope,distance to the road,distance to the savanna,and forest management unit variables.During the 2017-2030 period,under the business-as-usual scenario,the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex will lose 1327.65 ha in forest area with an annual deforestation rate of 0.54%.Meanwhile,under the reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation scenario,the overall forest loss was estimated to be 1237.11 ha with an annual deforestation rate of 0.50%.The predicted area of avoided deforestation in 2017-2030 under the reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation scenario was 90.54 ha.Such data and information are important for the Mutis-Timau Forest Complex authority in prioritizing actions for combating deforestation and designing appropriate forest-related policies and supporting data for reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation programme or other incentive schemes in reducing deforestation.     

Spatial assessment of forest cover and land-use changes in the Hindu-Kush mountain ranges of northern Pakistan

Anthropogenic activities and natural processes are continuously altering the mountainous environment through deforestation, forest degradation and other land-use changes. It is highly important to assess, monitor and forecast forest cover and other land-use changes for the protection and conservation of mountainous environment. The present study deals with the assessment of forest cover and other land-use changes in the mountain ranges of Dir Kohistan in northern Pakistan, using high resolution multi-temporal SPOT-5 satellite images. The SPOT-5 satellite images of years 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013 were acquired and classified into land-cover units. In addition, forest cover and land-use change detection map was developed using the classified maps of 2004 and 2013. The classified maps were verified through random field samples and Google Earth imagery (Quick birds and SPOT-5). The results showed that during the period 2004 to 2013 the area of forest land decreased by 6.4%, however, area of range land and agriculture land have increased by 22.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Similarly, barren land increased by 1.1%, whereas, area of snow cover/glacier is significantly decreased by 21.3%. The findings from the study will be useful for forestry and landscape planning and can be utilized by the local, provincial and national forest departments; and REDD+ policy makers in Pakistan.     

Deforestation Trends and Spatial Modelling of its Drivers in the Dry Temperate Forests of Northern Pakistan–A Case Study of Chitral

Deforestation is a major environmental challenge in the mountain areas of Pakistan. The study assessed trends in the forest cover in Chitral tehsil over the last two decades using supervised land cover classification of Landsat TM satellite images from 1992, 2000, and 2009, with a maximum likelihood algorithm. In 2009, the forest cover was 10.3% of the land area of Chitral(60,000 ha). The deforestation rate increased from 0.14% per annum in 1992–2000 to 0.54% per annum in 2000–2009, with 3,759 ha forest lost over the 17 years. The spatial drivers of deforestation were investigated using a cellular automaton modelling technique to project future forest conditions. Accessibility(elevation, slope), population density, distance to settlements, and distance to administrative boundary were strongly associated with neighbourhood deforestation. A model projection showed a further loss of 23% of existing forest in Chitral tehsil by 2030, and degradation of 8%, if deforestation continues at the present rate. Arandu Union Council, with 2212 households, will lose 85% of its forest. Local communities have limited income resources and high poverty and are heavily dependent on non-timber forest products for their livelihoods. Continued deforestation will further worsen their livelihood conditions, thus improved conservation efforts are essential.     

High resolution land cover datasets integration and application based on Landsat and Globcover data from 1975 to 2010 in Siberia

Land cover is recognized as one of the fundamental terrestrial datasets required in land system change and other ecosystem related researches across the globe. The regional differentiation and spatial-temporal variation of land cover has significant impact on regional natural environment and socio-economic sustainable development. Under this context, we reconstructed the history land cover data in Siberia to provide a comparable datasets to the land cover datasets in China and abroad. In this paper, the European Space Agency(ESA) Global Land Cover Map(GlobCover), Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper(ETM), Multispectral Scanner(MSS) images, Google Earth images and other additional data were used to produce the land cover datasets in 1975 and 2010 in Siberia. Data evaluation show that the total user′s accuracy of land cover data in 2010 was 86.96%, which was higher than ESA GlobCover data in Siberia. The analysis on the land cover changes found that there were no big land cover changes in Siberia from 1975 to 2010 with only a few conversions between different natural forest types. The mainly changes are the conversion from deciduous needleleaf forest to deciduous broadleaf forest, deciduous needleleaf forest to mixed forest, savannas to deciduous needleleaf forest etc., indicating that the dominant driving factor of land cover changes in Siberia was natural element rather than human activities at some extent, which was very different from China. However, our purpose was not just to produce the land cover datasets at two time period or explore the driving factors of land cover changes in Siberia, we also paid attention on the significance and application of the datasets in various fields such as global climate change, geopolitics, cross-border cooperation and so on.     

面向对象方法和多源遥感数据的杭州湾海岸线提取分析

本文以1983-2011年的多源遥感数据为基础,利用GIS空间分析和地图代数功能,提取杭州湾海岸线,分析了其变迁的位置、长度,以及增加和减少的陆地面积。结果表明:受到自然和人为因素的影响,杭州湾南北两岸的海岸线变迁规律不同。杭州湾北岸1983-1993年共有60.2km的海岸线向陆迁移,最大迁移距离0.6km,减少的陆地面积共为23.5km2。1993-2011年由于围垦和工业填海北岸向海迁移。其中,1993-2002年最大迁移距离3.6km,新增陆地面积42.5km2,2002-2011年最大迁移距离2.9km,新增陆地面积61.0km2。由于淤积和围垦,杭州湾南岸海岸线不断向海迁移,1983-1993年、1993-2002年和2002-2011年向海迁移最大距离分别是1.8km、2.7km和5.1km,新增陆地面积分别为34.3km2、230.2km2及331.7km2。海岸线向海迁移的速度越来越快,规模越来越大。研究成果对于地图制图、滨海湿地生态资源管理,以及海岸线保护具有十分重要的意义。     

Exploring perspectives in assessing the quality of governance of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) pilot project in Cambodia: Use of Q Methodology

Public and policy makers alike are concerned about national and global deforestation and forest degradation. These issues pose a significant threat to social, economic and environmental welfare.Attempts to prevent forest loss and increased attention to pilot REDD+ projects in community forestry sites would both deliver rural livelihood benefits and help to reduce adverse climate impacts.However, there has been no significant exploration of the viewpoints of local experts to determine the monitoring and action needed to support communitybased forestry and improve the governance of REDD+pilot projects in Cambodia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the perceptions of local stakeholders towards the quality of governance of the first community forest REDD+ pilot project in Cambodia,employing Q-methodology. We adapted 11 indicators of the hierarchical framework of assessment of governance quality to design 40 Q-statements related to REDD+ governance or achievements. The 52 P-set ranked these Q-statements with respect to the community-based REDD+ pilot project. Our study revealed that local stakeholders held four distinct, and partially opposite, views, that:(1) the REDD+ project is successful because it is inclusiveness and capable of causing behavioral change;(2) REDD+ pilot projects should be led by government, not external or locally;and needs more resources;(3) the REDD+ pilot project has raised unrealistic expectations, would likely be a source of corruption and will probably not be successful for local people or halting deforestation;and(4) the REDD+ pilot project is inclusive but not very transparent and probably ineffective at protecting forest. Through these four varied perspectives from local people involved in the project,we can see that there remain serious challenges to the future of pilot community forestry REDD+ projects,including the complex interaction between the multinational actors and the local socio-ecological systems.To move forwards, this study suggested Cambodia should make a pro-poor REDD+ program,implementing more community-based REDD+projects which explicitly build the assets and capacity of the poorest households. This study also shows that Q-methodology can highlight the diverse viewpoints of local stakeholders concerning the quality of community forest REDD+ governance, helping policy makers, implementers and local stakeholders to better identify the challenges to be addressed.     

Socio-economic drivers of deforestation in Roghani Valley,Hindu-Raj Mountains,Northern Pakistan

Deforestation and associated ecological disturbances are the issues of global concern.Researchers have investigated a number of driving forces which accelerate the rate of deforestation at local and regional levels.These include poverty,population growth,market demand and prices,political instability,agricultural expansion and changes in property right and ownership regimes.This paper seeks to explore the impacts of population growth,changing tenure system and other socioeconomic factors on the forest cover of Roghani Valley,located in Hindu Raj Mountains,Northern Pakistan.The present study is mainly based on information collected through participatory observation,selfadministered interviews and questionnaire survey.Geographical Information System（GIS） database is also used for mapping and quantification.The results reveal that in the past three to four decades the study area has been subjected to severe deforestation and about half of the forest area has been converted into barren land.Thus,the area under natural forests decreased from 2099 to 1444 hectares in four decades.This large-scale deforestation is attributed to both proximate and under lying causes particularly traditional land tenure system and demographic development.Consequently,forest resources have been degraded and a number of plant species have disappeared from the forests of the study area while several others are in the process of disappearance.     

Land cover change in different altitudes of Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area,China: patterns and drivers

Topography, especially altitude, will influence the way, process and characteristics of land cover changes in mountainous area, simultaneously, the vertical difference of land cover changes will affect soil quality and regional ecological environment. Therefore, the gradient relationship analysis between land cover changes and altitude is very important for regional sustainability. This study investigated land cover dynamics based on land cover data from a typical mountainous area in the Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area, China, in 2000 and 2010, then explored the relationship between altitude and land cover change and analyzed different drivers of land cover change at different altitudes. Our findings are as follows. 1) From 2000 to 2010, the total area of land cover transition was 7167.04 km~2 or 2.8% of the region. The increasing area of build-up land(926.23 km~2) was larger than that of forest(859.38 km~2), suggesting that the urban construction speed was higher than that of reforestation. 2) Intensity of land cover transition in northwestern Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area was much larger than that of southeast part and their transition trend was also significantly different, which was consistent with regional population and economy. 3) Human activity was the most dramatic at altitudes between 0–500 m. For 500–1000 m, grassland mainly converted to forest and build-up land. Area of land cover transition was the greatest between 1000–1500 m, while above 1500 m, the transition of grassland was the most obvious. 4) The drivers of land cover change varied. Land cover change was positively correlated with gross domestic product and population density but was inversely related to relief amplitude. There were correlations between land cover change and distance to roads and rivers, and their correlations varied with altitude. By revealing patterns and causes of land cover changes in different altitudes, we hope to understand the vertical dependence of land cover changes, so as to improve land productivity and protect land ecological environment scientifically.     

Land Cover Changes and Drivers in the Water Source Area of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China from 2000 to 2015

The Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project(MR-SNWDP)in China,with construction beginning in 2003,diverts water from Danjiangkou Reservoir to North China for residential,agriculture and industrial use.The water source area of the MR-SNWDP is the region that is most sensitive to and most affected by the construction of this water diversion project.In this study,we used Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM)and HJ-1 A/B images from 2000 to 2015 by an object-based approach with a hierarchical classification method for mapping land cover in the water source area.The changes in land cover were illuminated by transfer matrixes,single dynamic degree,slope zones and fractional vegetation cover(FVC).The results indicated that the area of cropland decreased by 31%and was replaced mainly by shrub over the past 15 years,whereas forest and settlements showed continuous increases of 29.2% and 77.7%,respectively.The changes in cropland were obvious in all slope zones and decreased most remarkably(–43.8%)in the slope zone above 25°.Compared to the FVC of forest and shrub,significant improvement was exhibited in the FVC of grassland,with a growth rate of 16.6%.We concluded that local policies,including economic development,water conservation and immigration resulting from the construction of the MR-SNWDP,were the main drivers of land cover changes;notably,they stimulated the substantial and rapid expansion of settlements,doubled the wetlands and drove the transformation from cropland to settlements in immigration areas.     

Land use and land cover changes in small Carpathian catchments between the mid-19<Superscript>th</Superscript> and early 21<Superscript>st</Superscript> centuries and their record on the land surface

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes and their impact on the mountain environment were studied in six catchments (~10 km² each) in the Polish Western Carpathians from the mid-19^th century to the early 21^st century. The analysis of cadastral and orthophoto maps indicates that during the investigated period, the forest area increased, quantified by an annual change index (Annch), between +0.12% to +0.27%, with a decrease of arable land index to–0.45% and–2.28% in the analysed catchments. LULC changes were accompanied by a continuous increase in settlement developments (residential and farming houses) by 50%-140% as well as significant changes related to their spatial distribution. Abandonment of arable land and forest succession have resulted in the geomorphological transformation of hillslopes, which predominantly includes a decrease in used road density, their transformation to road cuts and gorges. Overpopulation and the domination agriculture in the past caused the expansion of unpaved roads density and then the fragmentation of hillslopes, as well as the development of agricultural terraces.     

1980s-2005 年内蒙古地区土地利用/覆被变化分析

近几十年来, 由气候变化和人类活动共同驱动的内蒙古地区土地利用/覆被变化(LUCC)较为剧烈, 其引发了一系列的生态环境问题。本文基于3 期LUCC数据, 借助于变化率指数、动态度指数、转类矩阵, 在全区和地级市尺度上, 分析了内蒙古地区土地利用/覆被变化的时空特征及驱动因素。研究结果显示, 受地形因素的影响, 研究区土地利用/覆被变化表现出明显的区域差异及区域趋同性。在经济发展和人口增长的双重压力下:(1)平原耕作区深受国家宏观政策的影响, 2000 年之后的“林地、高覆盖草地开垦”总体速度下降了近35%;(2) 平原耕作区北部边缘条带状地区、山区草原区受制于降水不显著的波动呈减少态势, 2000 年之后的“草地退化及荒漠化”趋势加强了近85%。研究结果为内蒙古地区土地资源的可持续利用与科学管理提供了依据。     

Land use changes in Northeast China driven by human activities and climatic variation

Human-induced land use/cover change (LUCC) forms an important component of global environmental change. Therefore, it is important to study land use/cover and its change at local, regional and global scales. In this paper we conducted the study of land use change in Northeast China, one of the most important agricultural zones of the nation. From 1986 to 2000, according to the study results obtained from Landsat images, widespread changes in land use/cover took place in the study area. Grassland, marsh, water body and woodland decreased by 9864, 3973, 1367 and 10,052km², respectively. By comparison, paddy field, dry farmland, and built-up land expanded by 7339, 17193 and 700km², respectively. Those changes bore an interactive relationship with the environment, especially climate change. On the one hand, climate warming created a potential environment for grassland and marsh to be changed to farmland as more crops could thrive in the warmer climate, and for dry farmland to paddy field. On the other hand, the changed surface cover modified the local climate. Those changes, in turn, have adversely influenced the local environment by accelerating land degradation. In terms of socio-economic driving forces, population augment, regional economic development, and national and provincial policies were confirmed as main driving factors for land use change. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the Knowledge Innovation Programs of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-341), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40871187, 40801208)     

Forest cover change assessment in conflict-affected areas of northwest Pakistan: the case of swat and shangla districts

This study examines the spatial and temporal forest cover changes in Swat and Shangla districts to understand the deforestation pattern in context of the recent security conflict in these districts. We used multi-resolution satellite images to assess the long term deforestation from 2001 to 2009 and also to identify episodic forest cutting areas appeared during the conflict period of Oct. 2007 - Oct. 2008. There are only 58 ha of deforestation identified during the conflict period while 1268 ha of gross annual deforestation were assessed during last eight years. Most of the deforestation patches persist around the administrative boundaries at sub-district levels (tehsils) which can be attributed to ambiguity in unclear jurisdiction between the forest official. The results highlight that the forest cutting appeared in Swat and Shangla during the conflict period is not as significant when compared with the long term deforestation pattern in the area. On the one side the results of the study are supportive to the picture that emerges from international studies which report high rate of deforestation in the country and on the other side it negates any relation between the security situation and the increasing deforestation in the north western Pakistan. The study concludes that deforestation assessments require verification by independent sources of data, such as satellite imagery to improve our understanding of deforestation processes.     

Evaluation on the two filling functions for the recovery of forest information in mountainous shadows on Landsat ETM + Image

In general,topographic shadow may reduce performance of forest mapping over mountainous regions in remotely sensed images.In this paper,information in shadow was synthesized by using two filling techniques,namely,roifill and imfill,in order to improve the accuracy of forest mapping over mountainous regions.These two methods were applied to Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM +) multispectral image from Dong Yang County,Zhejiang Province,China.The performance of these methods was compared with two conventi...     

Combining Geomatics and Conventional Methods for Monitoring Forest Conditions under Different Governance Arrangements

Introduction Assessment and systematic resource condition monitoring are essential components of long-term planning and management of forest resources. These requirements can be fulfilled using different methods and techniques. Traditionally, when the primary objective of forest management was tim- ber production, sample-based forest inventories were the sole method of determining forest condi- tions. Aerial photographs were frequently used for forest cover mapping during the third quarter of …     

Impacts of Land Cover Changes on Ecosystem Carbon Stocks Over the Transboundary Tumen River Basin in Northeast Asia

Understanding the effects of land cover changes on ecosystem carbon stocks is essential for ecosystem management and environmental protection, particularly in the transboundary region that has undergone marked changes. This study aimed to examine the impacts of land cover changes on ecosystem carbon stocks in the transboundary Tumen River Basin (TTRB). We extracted the spatial information from Landsat Thematic Imager (TM) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) images for the years 1990 and 2015 and obtained convincing estimates of terrestrial biomass and soil carbon stocks with the InVEST model. The results showed that forestland, cropland and built-up land increased by 57.5, 429.7 and 128.9 km², respectively, while grassland, wetland and barren land declined by 24.9, 548.0 and 43.0 km², respectively in the TTRB from 1990 to 2015. The total carbon stocks encompassing aboveground, belowground, soil and litter layer carbon storage pools have declined from 831.48 Tg C in 1990 to 831.42 Tg C in 2015 due to land cover changes. In detail, the carbon stocks decreased by 3.13 Tg C and 0.44 Tg C in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Russia, respectively, while increased by 3.51 Tg C in China. Furthermore, economic development, and national policy accounted for most land cover changes in the TTRB. Our results imply that effective wetland and forestland protection policies among China, North Korea, and Russia are much needed for protecting the natural resources, promoting local ecosystem services and regional sustainable development in the transnational area.     

Mid and late Holocene forest fires and deforestation in the subalpine belt of the Iberian range,northern Spain

The conversion of subalpine forests into grasslands for pastoral use is a well-knownphenomenon, although for most mountain areas the timing of deforestation has not been determined. The presence of charcoal fragments in soil profiles affected by shallow landsliding enabled us to date the occurrence of fires and the periods of conversion ofsubalpine forest into grasslands in the Urbión Mountains, Iberian Range, Spain. We found that the treeline in the highest parts of the northwestern massifs of the Iberian Range(the Urbión, Demanda, Neila, and Cebollera massifs) is currently between 1500 and 1600 m a.s.l., probably because of pastoral use of the subalpine belt, whereas in the past it would have reached almost the highest divides(at approximately 2100–2200 m a.s.l.). The radiocarbon dates obtained indicate that the transformation of the subalpine belt occurred during the Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Middle Ages. Forest clearing was probably moderate during fires prior to the Middle Ages, as the small size of the sheep herds and the local character of the markets only required small clearings, and therefore more limited fires. Thus, it is likely that the forest recovered burnt areas in a few decades; this suggests the management of the forest and grasslands following a slash-andburn system. During the Middle and Modern Ages deforestation and grassland expansion affected most of the subalpine belt and coincided with the increasing prevalence of transhumance, as occurred in other mountains in the Iberian Peninsula(particularly the Pyrenees). Although the occurrence of shallow landslides following deforestation between the Neolithic and the Roman Period cannot be ruled out, the most extensive shallow landsliding processes would have occurred from the Middle Ages until recent times.