Spatially explicit monitoring of tropical forest aboveground carbon is crucial for effective forest conservation and transparent carbon loss reporting. This study combines near-real-time forest disturbance alerts (from all-weather radar data) with aboveground carbon stock estimates to provide high-resolution spatiotemporal carbon loss assessments for African rainforests. Analysis of 23 countries in 2019 and 2020 identified spatial and temporal hotspots of carbon loss, revealing varying drivers of forest disturbance and distinct monthly patterns linked to rainfall. The detailed mapping offers improved transparency, timeliness, and efficiency in assessing forest carbon changes for various applications.

Ovidiu Csillik, Johannes Reiche, Veronique De Sy, Arnan Araza, Martin Herold