INPE: Deforestation increases in the Cerrado and decreases in the Amazon.

Brazil Agency – Deforestation increased in the Cerrado and fell in the Legal Amazon from January to April 2023, compared to the same period last year. The data comes from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and is collected using the Real-Time Deforestation Detection System (DETER), available on the TerraBrasilis platform [http://terrabrasilis.dpi.inpe.br/].

In the case of the Amazon, the area lost was 1.132,45 square kilometers (km2) this year, a number about 41% smaller than that measured between January and April last year (1.967,69 km2), but equivalent to the deforestation that occurred in 2021 (1,153,27 km2) and 2020 (1.204,15 km2).

Deforestation in the Cerrado between January and April 2023 was the highest in the last five years, reaching 2.133 km2, according to Deter. This figure is about 14,5% higher than that recorded in the same period last year (1.886 km2). Considering only the month of April, deforestation alerts are 31% higher this year compared to 2022.

Alert

In a statement, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) noted that Deter conducts a rapid survey of alerts indicating evidence of changes in vegetation cover in the Amazon and Cerrado. This survey is considered the primary instrument for monitoring and controlling deforestation and forest degradation, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and other environmental agencies. However, the platform is not intended to accurately measure deforested areas, which is done by the Legal Amazon Deforestation Monitoring Project (PRODES), prepared annually by INPE.

"Given the scale of the analysis and the cloud cover that interferes with these measurements, it is impossible to guarantee that these figures are definitive. However, they constitute an important tool for planning and improving actions to combat illegal deforestation in these biomes. Therefore, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change ordered a rigorous investigation of the alerts identified by DETER to verify whether the deforestation was authorized by the states, as it is their responsibility to issue authorizations for the removal of native vegetation. The MMA also ordered verification of the legal basis for the authorizations issued, as well as immediate action by Ibama to issue citations and embargo on unauthorized deforested areas," the ministry stated.

Repercussion

Environmental organizations have echoed the Deter data. For WWF-Brazil, the Amazon results may indicate a reversal in the biome's destruction trend, but it's still too early to know whether this change will become permanent. "We welcome April's figures as a positive sign, but unfortunately, we can't yet speak of a downward trend in deforestation in the Amazon. The numbers are very high, and the dry season, which favors deforestation, hasn't begun," says Mariana Napolitano, Conservation Manager at WWF-Brazil.

Regarding the Cerrado, the situation is considered very alarming. Approximately 80% of deforestation alerts occurred in areas of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia, the so-called Matopiba region, which is currently the main agricultural expansion frontier in Brazil and one of the major biome destruction fronts in the world. In recent decades, the Cerrado has lost more than 50% of its original vegetation cover. The biome is primarily responsible for the country's water security, as it harbors important river basins and the largest reservoirs supplying water to major cities. Furthermore, it depends on a stable rainfall regime to guarantee productivity in agricultural activity itself.

The Ministry of the Environment (MMA) reported that the number of embargoes on the use of illegally deforested areas has increased by 216% since January. Meanwhile, the seizure of products resulting from environmental violations has increased by 210%, according to the ministry.

"In the Cerrado and other biomes (except the Amazon), there was a 169% increase in infraction notices from January to April compared to the average under the previous administration. The number of embargoes on the use of illegally deforested areas in the Cerrado and other biomes increased by 198%, and seizures of products resulting from environmental violations increased by 154% in the same period," the ministry highlighted.

According to the federal government, the new phase of the Amazon Deforestation Prevention and Control Plan (PPCDAm), reinstated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will be completed in May. In July, the Ministry of the Environment is expected to begin updating the Cerrado Deforestation Prevention and Control Plan (PPCerrado), which "will allow the expansion and intensification of the federal government's efforts, in partnership with state governments and society, to combat deforestation in the biome."