On August 3rd, the National Institute for Space Research ( I N P E ) re le a s e d n e w deforestation data for 2022 and 2023. According to the report, areas where deforestation was identifi ed in the Legal Amazon region dropped by 7.43% compared to the same period in 2021 and 2022, while the deforested areas in the Cerrado increased by 16.5%.

Just in July of this year (a month with high rates of fi res), the degraded area in the Amazon totaled 500 square kilometers (km²) (close to 50,000 soccer fi elds) — this is 66% less than the deforestation that took place over the same period in 2022 (1,487 km²). On the other hand, environmental degradation in the Cerrado increased by 26% (from approximately 485 km² to 611 km²).

How was it measured?

To measure deforestation rates, INPE used the period of 12 months between August and July of the following year as a reference — this enables the observation of a full cycle of wildfires. Wildfires intensify gradually from the month of March, after rainy season and cloudy skies, and peak in July.

The data published midyear comes from the Real-Time Deforestation Detection System (DETER), an INPE tool that helps monitor degraded areas of the Cerrado and the Amazon using sensors and satellites.

Although this is the mechanism used by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the official deforestation data for Brazil comes from the Amazon Deforestation Calculation Program (PRODES) and is usually released in November. “DETER has been an essential tool in monitoring deforested areas in real time and providing alerts for quick action, which help prevent illegal deforestation and protect biodiversity in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes,” explains INPE.

WHAT ARE THE CERRADO AND THE LEGAL AMAZON?

The Brazilian territory is divided into six different kinds of vegetation (or biome) and animal life, and each region has its own characteristics. The biomes are: the Amazon, caatinga, cerrado, Atlantic Forest, pampas, and Pantanal. The Legal Amazon is not a biome; it is a region that has been legally defined with the aim of fostering its development.

LEGAL AMAZON

CHARACTERISTICS: The Amazon biome prevails, with a humid climate, dense vegetation, and ample biodiversity.

AREA: 5,000,000 km² (more than half of Brazil’s territory).

LOCATION: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, and part of Maranhão states.

SOME ANIMALS NATIVE TO THE LEGAL AMAZON: pink river dolphin, capuchin monkey, blue macaw, and anaconda.

CERRADO

CHARACTERISTICS: There is a lot of ground vegetation (or underbrush), red soil, and distinct wet and dry seasons.

LOCATION: Goiás, Tocantins, Mato Grosso do Sul, southern Mato Grosso, western Minas Gerais, Federal District, western Bahia, southern Maranhão, western Piauí, parts of São Paulo state, and some small and isolated parts of Paraná state and the Amazon Rainforest (Amapá, Roraima, and Amazonas).

SOME ANIMALS NATIVE TO THE CERRADO: maned wolf, bush dog, giant anteater, seriema, and jararaca snake.

Sources: INPE, Federal Government, Agência Brasil, GreenPeace, InfoAmazônia, Ministry of the Environment, and O Eco.

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