Data from the Annual Report on Deforestation in Brazil for Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais presented and debated in a webinar show the challenges for zero deforestation in the region

The Annual Report on Deforestation in Brazil - 2020, produced using data from MapBiomas Alerta, revealed a 2% decrease in total deforestation in the Southeast region of the country compared to the previous year. In 2020, 26,159 hectares were deforested in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. In 2019, this figure was 26,811 hectares.

Despite the reduction, there is still a need to combat illegal deforestation in the region, as there is throughout the country. Actions that have already been taken and proposals for new solutions were discussed at an online event on Friday (2). The MapBiomas team and representatives from environmental agencies and the Public Prosecutor's Office presented regional data and showed how they integrate their systems and projects with what they extract from MapBiomas Alert.

The Southeast is made up of three biomes: the Atlantic Forest, the Cerrado and the Caatinga, and deforestation has occurred in all of them. And 30% of the loss of native vegetation occurred in the Forest Formation; 61% in the Savannah Formation; and 9% in the Grassland Formation.

The Southeast only accounts for almost 2% of the deforestation that has occurred in the country as a whole. It's important to note that this is a region where a great deal of degradation has already taken place and that, even with this total decrease, three of the four states still saw significant increases in deforestation.

In Minas Gerais, there was a 48% increase in the number of alerts identified, but a reduction in the average area, which resulted in a 4% reduction in the total area deforested. "It's not possible to speculate on the reason for the reduction, mainly because it's still a short time series," said Marcos Rosa, coordinator of MapBiomas' Atlantic Forest team and Mapbiomas' technical coordinator. "We know that the peak of deforestation is concentrated at the beginning of the year because of the Cerrado in Minas Gerais, which is more extensive than the Atlantic Forest area - where deforestation is more concentrated at the end of the year."

MapBiomas data shows that 73.6% of settlements fall on private property, i.e. where it is only possible to identify the cause by remote system. In addition, it is necessary to highlight the work of the State Public Prosecutor's Office and Operation Mata Atlântica em Pé, which has been expanding more and more, acting on these detected alerts. In 2020, 650 alerts were issued throughout the Atlantic Forest, which represents an area of 6,000 ha of deforestation. A total of more than R$32.5 million in fines was imposed.

For the second year running, the Annual Report on Deforestation in Brazil presents uniform and methodical data, making it possible to measure and compare the size of the problem, allowing for the monitoring and management of deforested areas in all of the country's biomes. "The data helps to understand the scenario and seek solutions, to build paths and deal with the challenges," says MapBiomas' institutional coordination coordinator, Magaly Oliveira.

Highlights of the Southeast region in the Annual Report on Deforestation in Brazil - 2020:

• 1,436 alerts detected, validated and refined (an increase of 50% compared to 2019);
• 26,159 hectares of deforestation (a decrease of 2% compared to 2019);
• almost all the states in the region saw an increase in deforestation compared to the previous year, except in Minas Gerais - even though it still has the largest deforested area - which is why there was a drop in the total area;
• Minas Gerais was the state with the largest total deforested area: 25,194.9 hectares (96% of the total deforested in the Southeast);
• São Paulo saw a loss of native vegetation of 406 hectares (an increase of 10% on the previous year - 369.4 ha), which is not even 2% of the deforestation detected in the region;
• in Rio de Janeiro, deforestation amounted to 317 hectares (1% of the region's deforestation). In 2019 there were 125 hectares, an increase of 154%;
• Espírito Santo saw deforestation of 241.7 hectares (1% of the region's deforestation), an increase of 125% compared to 2019 (107.3 ha);
• In the Southeast, 387 municipalities were recorded as having deforested, out of a total of 1668, or 23% of the cities;
• The 10 most deforested municipalities in 2020 belong to the state of Minas Gerais;
• The municipality with the largest deforested area in Minas Gerais was Buritizeiro (1,337 ha); in Rio de Janeiro, Belford Roxo (84.3 ha); in Espírito Santo, Aracruz (41.81ha); and in São Paulo, Natividade da Serra (33 ha).

Access the full 2020 Annual Deforestation Report at site do MapBiomas Alerta.

Imprensa MapBiomas
imprensa@mapbiomas.org
Liuca Yonaha – (11) 94186-4029