Project supports innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges
9 de outubro de 2024
MapBiomas, a collaborative network made up of NGOs, universities and technology companies, was announced as one of the initiatives selected by the The Audacious Project - one of the most prestigious global collaborative funding programs between TED and NGOs. The project seeks to support innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.
The selection of MapBiomas reflects the recognition of its work over almost a decade, carrying out annual mapping of land use and land cover based on open and collaborative science. This funding will allow the network to expand its activities, with the goal of mapping and monitoring 70% of tropical forests in 20 countries by 2030.
“The support of The Audacious Project further strengthens Brazilian science and our ability to tackle the global climate crisis,” says Julia Shimbo, the project's scientific coordinator.
Created in 2018, The Audacious Project chooses 10 projects each year that have the potential to bring about significant change in critical areas such as environmental preservation, public health and education. The recognition of MapBiomas puts Brazil at the center of the global discussion on climate solutions.
Problem
Tropical forests are vital for reducing global emissions and combating climate change. But they are vanishing at an alarming rate, due to human activities like deforestation and agricultural expansion. Every year, an area of tropical forest the size of Texas is lost. Deforestation, agriculture and other land use drive nearly 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This destruction not only accelerates climate change but also endangers 80% of the world’s documented species and threatens the livelihoods of local Indigenous communities. Despite global leaders making major commitments toward ensuring sustainable land-use practices in forests, progress is slow and enforcement is difficult, costly and sometimes dangerous. To drive real change, governments and other key stakeholders need actionable data and tools.
Big Idea
Operating in South America and Indonesia, where activities like slash-and-burn farming and illegal logging are most severe, MapBiomas is a collaborative network of over 100 local organizations that produces free, accessible, annual maps that make land-use change clearly visible. Using highly accurate, locally relevant methods, their maps track nearly 40 years of change with up to 30 land classifications per country, revealing shifts in land cover over time. By 2030, MapBiomas plans to map and monitor land use change across over 20 countries holding 70% of the world’s tropical forests using this approach. This will drive better conservation policy, promote more responsible business practices and enable swifter legal action against violators, all while holding government decision-makers accountable for their conservation, restoration, sustainable land use goals.
Plan
MapBiomas will achieve their ambitious plan by building a network of local organizations — including NGOs, universities, public institutions and tech startups — that can create the most up-to-date, locally relevant maps using satellite imaging like NASA’s Landsat and tools such Google Earth Engine. Once developed, these maps — which track activities like illegal mining and changes in forest types — will be made widely accessible, online and open to all. By providing this critical data, MapBiomas will continue to drive informed decision-making, empowering governments, businesses and communities to take meaningful action against deforestation. In the final step, member organizations share knowledge and tactics across the MapBiomas network, halting deforestation and allowing tropical forests to absorb more carbon than they emit.
Tasso Azevedo, coordenador geral do MapBiomas
Why will it Succeed?
With more than 100 partner organizations across 14 countries, MapBiomas has, over the past decade, established a strong track record in combating deforestation and land-use change, particularly in Brazil. In Brazil, their maps have led to over $130 million in fines for deforesters, blocked over $1 billion in loans and resulted in 553 embargoes in protected areas. Their maps have also enabled incredible actions, like the shutting down of illegal airstrips used by gold miners in a remote region of northern Brazil. MapBiomas’ data is trusted by governments, banks and environmental agencies, and has validated over 400,000 events of deforestation across 8.6 million hectares of land.