Central American Vegetation/ Land Cover Classification and Conservation Status

This report assesses the degree to which both existing and proposed terrestrial protected areanetworks protect/would protect landscape-level biodiversity, which we represent as vegetation types delineated from remotely-sensed imagery. A comprehensive, standardized, and thematically appropriate map of [Central-American] vegetation and landcover types was developed by classifying AVHRR imagery (advanced very high resolution radiometer imagery -- 1 km2 resolution) using advanced digital image processing routines and expertise provided by a Central America Vegetation Working Group. The map identifies 17 remaining natural vegetation types. The classification accuracy of the map is estimated to exceed 80%.