---

Gunung Merbabu National Park is among the newest National Park in Indonesia which officially established in 2004, according to Ministry of Forestry Decree 135/Kpts-II/2004.The latest research conducted by Forestry Research Center indicates that the forest cover of Gunung Merbabu National Park now is only 30 % of the whole area of the National Park. Any activities, such as fuel wood collecting and illegal cutting for charcoal combined with forest fire as natural event, has lead to forest cover loss in Gunung Merbabu National Park. However, the process of land cover change and the area that is at risk of being deforested is still poorly understood. This study aims to use of remote sensed data to detect the forest cover change using change detection method over the period 1991-2007 and to define areas vulnerable to deforestation.

---

Kristina dewi has been working for The Ministry of Forestry Republic of Indonesia since 1999. She studied Biology for Under Graduate Program in Gadjah Mada University Indonesia and continued her Master Degree in Faculty of Geo Information Science and Earth Observation The Netherlands

---