Mapping coconut plantations globally
The global distribution of coconut has been understudied. We present the first global coconut map using advanced deep learning techniques and satellite data from 2020. The accuracy of the map was high, confirming the feasibility of using satellite data to map coconut plantations with full canopy closure. The global coconut area was estimated to be 5.71 million hectares for closed-canopy coconut, but it increased to 36.72 million hectares when including sparse coconut areas. The Philippines, Indonesia, and India have the largest coconut areas. This study provides important data for assessing the impact of vegetable oil production and the relationship with sustainable development goals.
