This repository contains information on the forest cover in protected aeras and surrounding areas of the Paraguayan Chaco for the years 2000 until 2020. For this analysis the annual forest cover maps were used and the overlap between the individual protected areas and bufffer areas and the annual forest cover maps was calculated. 

The dataset is available in the WGS 84 / UTM zone 21S - Projected (EPSG:32721). 

External sources:
Source of protected areas shape file (without information on forest cover): Ministerio del Ambiente y Desarollo Sostenible (MADES)

The vector data contains following attributes:
Name = Name of the portected area
Zone = eihter "Protected area", "5km buffer", "10km buffer", or "15km buffer"
Category = type of protected area, NULL for buffer areas
Subsystem = administrative organisation, either "public" or "private", NULL for buffer areas
Creation = date on which the protected area was created, NULL for buffer areas
Area = area of each zone [m^2]
Loss[m2] = forest cover change [m^2] between 2020 and 2000: FA_2020-FA_2000
Loss[%]= forest cover change in percent between 2020 and 2000 with respect to the forest cover of 2000: 100*(FA_2020-FA_2000)/FA_2000
FA_2000 = forest cover in the protected area or buffer zone (see column "Zone") in 2000 [m^2]
...
FA_2020 = forest cover in the protected area or buffer zone (see column "Zone") in 2000 [m^2]

An open access publication with all technical details can be found here:
Da Ponte, E. & Garcia-Calabrese, M. & Kriese, J. & Cabral, N. & Pérez de Molas, L. & Alvarenga, M. & Caceres, A. & Gali, A. & García, V. & Morinigo, L. & Ríos, M. & Salinas, A.. (2021). Understanding 34 Years of Forest Cover Dynamics across the Paraguayan Chaco: Characterizing Annual Changes and Forest Fragmentation Levels between 1987 and 2020. Forests. 13. 25. 10.3390/f13010025. 

For further information please contact: jennifer.kriese@dlr.de.