Deforestation rates (1938-1988) of tropical lowland forests on the Andean foothills of Colombia

Deforestation races were estimated in 270 km(2) of lowland moist forest on the eastern slope of the Colombian Andes (300-800 m). Deforestation was quantified by determining areas of pasture, secondary growth, and forest in aerial photographs (1:19,000-1:60,000) taken in the 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Mean annual deforestation rate for the 1938-1988 period was 1.5 percent, and ranged from <0.1 percent (1938-1955) to 4.4 percent (1970s-1980s). Between the 1930s and the 1980s, areas covered by pasture and young secondary forest increased from 26-53 percent and from 2-14 percent, respectively. This suggests that, although there are areas with clear signs of forest regeneration, the overall trend is the conversion of mature tropical forests to pastures for cattle ranching.