标题：COMBINING SATELLITE AND GIS DATA TO ANALYZE CHANGES IN TROPICAL FORESTS ON CENTRAL HAINAN ISLAND IN RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL LOGGING BAN AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
摘要：Changes in natural forest cover in tropical areas have attracted international attention. Rubber and pulp plantations threaten Hainan Island’s natural tropical forests. Remote sensing provides a crucial tool for understanding how forests change in response to forest protection strategies and economic development. China’s government has adopted protective measures designed to balance forest protection and economic development on Hainan; however, the effect of both management and economic development on natural tropical forest remains unclear. To identify changes in forest types, object-oriented decision-tree identification techniques were developed using Landsat TM images to identify causes of forest change. GIS techniques allowed analysis of the forest’s spatial shift using elevation, slope, transportation corridors, natural reserves, and farmlands linked to three different periods of forestry policy and economic development from 1988 to 2008. The analysis shows: (1) Total tropical forest area increased from 1988 to 2008, while natural tropical forest area increased slightly from 1988 to 1998, but decreased significantly from 1998 to 2008, despite implementation of the "Natural Forest Protection Project." Meanwhile, economic forests, mainly rubber and pulp plantations, expanded from 1988 to 2008. (2) Spatial changes occurred. Natural tropical forest shifted from the lower piedmont to higher mountaintops, and economic forests shifted to higher elevations under the complex effects of multiple factors. (3) The observed changes in forest cover could be related to protective measures and economic development, with economic development seemingly having the strongest influence on the condition of the forests. Elevation, slope, transportation corridors, and farmlands also affected the shift of tropical forests.
