The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) is responsible for monitoring deforestation, degradation and fires in Brazil. The Satellite Deforestation Monitoring Program (PRODES) performs satellite monitoring of clearcut deforestation in Brazil. Initially, the program monitored the entire length of the Brazilian Legal Amazon, and more recently, it has been expanded to all biomes. Burns and fires are monitored through the Burns Program, which generates data related to the use of fire in vegetation. All data are available on the TerraBrasilis portal, a web platform developed by INPE for access, consultation, analysis and dissemination of geographic data. The portal provides several products generated and distributed daily, such as geographical coordinates of fire and deforestation outbreaks, fire meteorological risk and mapping of burned and deforested areas.
Deforestation in Brazilian biomes
WHAT IS DEFORESTATION AND FOREST CLEARING?
Deforestation refers to the conversion of areas of primary vegetation to other land uses due to anthropogenic actions. In the case of forest areas, the process is called forest clearing and begins in an intact forest, usually culminating in total conversion to other types of cover. This covers both extreme stages and the gradient of degradation over time caused by continuous logging and/or successive forest fires – Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE, 2024a).
Considering the mapping of all biomes, in 2022 there was an increase in the deforested area in Brazil of approximately 2.5 million hectares, concentrated in the regions of the new frontier of deforestation (route that passes through the surroundings of Porto Velho/ RO, Humaitá/AM, Apuí/AM, Itaituba/PA, Novo Progresso/PA, São Félix do Xingu/PA and Altamira/PA) and MATOPIBA (agricultural expansion region located between the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia).
Source: forest database of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB, 2024a) and deforestation database of the Satellite Deforestation Monitoring Program (PRODES/INPE, 2024a).
1Forest clearing data refers to deforestation occurring in plant physiognomy areas classified as forest (forest types), without considering secondary vegetation. The data are the result of cross-referencing the deforestation mask from the Satellite Deforestation Monitoring Program (PRODES) and the Brazilian Forest Service's forest database.
1Forest clearing data refers to deforestation occurring in plant physiognomy areas classified as forest (forest types), without considering secondary vegetation. The data are the result of cross-referencing the deforestation mask from the Satellite Deforestation Monitoring Program (PRODES) and the Brazilian Forest Service's forest database.
2The blank areas represent other non-forest vegetation, water and deforestation that have occurred previously.
Fires and burnings
In 2022, of the total 29.2 million hectares burned in the country, 12.1 million were in forest areas. Over the years, between 40% and 50% of the burned area occurs in forest types.
Source: forest database of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB, 2024a) and database of fires of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE, 2024c).
NATIONAL POLICY FOR INTEGRATED FIRE MANAGEMENT
Law no. 14.944/2024 establishes the National Policy for Integrated Fire Management (PNMIF), which regulates and promotes inter-institutional articulation for the disciplined and sustainable use of fire in Brazil. The policy is based on the concept of Integrated Fire Management (MIF), a management model that integrates ecological, cultural, social and technical aspects for the controlled use of fire, the prevention of fires, the preservation of biodiversity and the maintenance of traditional and historical practices of the use of fire. Thus, PNMIF's main objectives are:
• Prevent the occurrence of forest fires and reduce the intensity, severity and impacts of fires through the establishment of MIF and the promotion of controlled, traditional or prescribed use of fire;
• Encourage agroforestry practices that replace the use of fire or promote integration with integrated fire management practices through technical assistance and rural extension;
• Recognize, respect and foster the traditional and adaptive use of fire by indigenous peoples, quilombola communities and other traditional communities, directing participatory, strategic and integrative planning for the use of fire and the adoption of security measures;
• Strengthen and improve the response to forest fires, including firefighting;
• Promote accountability actions on the unauthorized and improper use of fire, in accordance with current legislation.
PNMIF recognizes the ecological role of fire in pyrophytic ecosystems, such as the Cerrado, where fire, natural or provoked, is necessary for the functioning of the biome. Thus, it considers and regulates the use of fire as a tool for the management, conservation and maintenance of biodiversity in these ecosystems, in addition to regulating the use of fire for the control of alien or invasive species. PNMIF distinguishes the presence and uses of fire between:
• Forest fires: any uncontrolled or unplanned fire that requires response, regardless of the ignition source;
• Controlled fires: planned, monitored and controlled use for agroforestry purposes
• Prescribed burns: planned, monitored and controlled use for conservation, research or management purposes with pre-defined objectives in the MIF plan;
• Traditional and adaptive use: ancestral and traditional practice used by indigenous and quilombola communities in activities such as agriculture, hunting and extractivism, reflecting their culture, worldview and environmental management.