Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.1
IUTI land use estimates for the years 1990 and 2008
GPG-LULUCF
class
IUTI land use
category/subcategory
1990
2008
Area (ha)
se %
Area (ha)
se %
Forest land
1. Forest land
9,141,355
0.1
9,653,216
0.1
2.1 Arable land
11,315,217
0.1
10,056,141
0.1
Cropland
2,682,761
0.3
3,114,765
0.3
2.2.1 Orchards, vineyards and
nurseries
134,091
1.3
144,376
1.3
2.2.2 Forest plantations
Grassland
3.1 Natural grassland and
pastures
2,195,754
0.3
1,874,449
0.3
1,867,138
0.3
1,991,200
0.3
3.2 Other wooded land
Wetlands
4. Wetlands
510,061
0.7
518,586
0.7
5. Settlements
1,644,010
0.4
2,140,903
0.3
Settlements
6. Other land
658,288
0.6
655,040
0.6
Other land
(se %
=
percent standard error)
Examples of estimates provided by IUTI so far are summarized in Tables
4.1
,
4.2
and
4.3
. Results show that:
1. the area under different GPG-LULUCF derived land use classes is estimated
with high level of statistical accuracy at country level, resulting in a standard
error lower than 1 % for most classes (Table
4.1
);
2. forest land estimates at district level have high levels of statistical accuracy: the
standard error is, by far, lower than 1 %, except for a few administrative units
(Table
4.2
);
3. as a consequence of the points above, IUTI provides reliable estimates of areas
subject to AF/R, D and FM activities (Table
4.3
).
On the whole, the amount of forest land remaining forest in the period 1990-2008
is estimated to exceed 9,000,000 ha; since 1990, nearly 220,000 ha of croplands
and nearly 400,000 ha of grasslands (including 250,000 of other wooded land)
have been converted to forest, while about 127,000 ha have been deforested, for a
balance of annual forest expansion equal to 28,000 ha y
−
1
.
4.2.2 ISCI Carbon Stock Inventory
ISCI inventory builds upon the INFC third sampling phase by which permanent
sample plots are established in the field, centred on points randomly selected from
the second phase point sample and stratified by administrative districts and for-
est types. Field measurements of tree biomass correlated variables (species, tree
height and diameter) and deadwood are taken on approximately 7,000 plots, while
integrative survey for soil carbon stock evaluation are carried out on a subsample
of about 1,500 plots. Field plot survey has been carried in the framework of INFC
on 2005 and should be repeated in 2015.
