In 2016, CIFOR research showed how putting landscapes and forests at the fore can promote integrated action with better outcomes for human well-being, equity and the environment.

Below is a list of this year’s top articles concerning CIFOR’s research, based on page views from Forests News’ readers.

1. Mapping the world’s biomass

A new map could present a big step forward for forest conservation. Because satellites only see what is on top of the canopy, they often fail to assess biomass on the ground. Now, scientists are combining satellite imagery with data from 14,000 ground plots.

2. Finding water amid the trees

In arid places, the planting of trees is discouraged out of the belief that trees reduce the availability of water. But scientists in Burkina Faso have found that when a certain number of trees are present, the amount of groundwater recharge is actually maximized.

3. Forest monitoring skills on the rise

Efforts to beat climate change have helped boost tropical countries’ capacities to measure forest carbon, according to a new study that analyzed 99 countries’ monitoring capacity.

4. Quantifying the drivers of South American deforestation

New research uses spatially and temporally explicit data to better understand deforestation trends in South America, providing welcome detail for policymakers and others looking to understand a 15-year period (1990-2005) of significant land-use change.

5. Farms vs. forests?

Agrarian change happens at the landscape scale, but making the transition to sustainable agriculture requires an understanding of local benefits and trade-offs. A new study examines seven multi-functional landscapes in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Zambia and Burkina Faso.