An examination of forest cover change at Angkor, Cambodia, using satellite imagery, interviews and interpretation of historical events

Abstract In the three decades since the mid-1970s through to the early 2000s forest cover at the Angkor World Heritage Site, Cambodia has not progressed linearly but in response to different historical events. This research uses multiple methods in comparing satellite image classification with key informant interviews and other forms of data at the landscape scale and at case studies to provide an historical perspective on forest cover change. The earliest date corresponds to the beginning of the civil war in Cambodia through to a time when a number of events had contributed to significant change in forest pattern and extent at Angkor. The change observed is a result of regulatory controls on land use, ongoing subsistence resource use activities and other events and processes, and more broadly reflects a country in transition and a history of conflict relating to resource governance. The research demonstrates that multiple methods combining medium resolution satellite imagery with interview data and processes detectable at specific time periods can be used to understand patterns of forest change and establish links to processes on the ground.