Report About Soy Monitoring in Amazon Released

Hello reader!

It follows one communicates published on the day (10/13) in the website of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) noting that the INPE released data on the Monitoring of Soy in the Amazon Region.

Duda Falcão

Report About Soy Monitoring

in Amazon Released

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Based on data from the National Institute for Space Research (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais - INPE), a report released latest Thursday (10/13) shows that in the fourth year of Soy Moratorium, corresponding to 2010-2011 crop, was possible to identify the presence of soybeans on 11,698 hectares (45 sq.miles) that were deforested after July 2006. The number increased significantly over the previous crop year (2009-2010), when 6,295 hectares (24 sq.miles) were mapped.

The monitoring results were presented in Brasilia by the Soy Task Force (Grupo de Trabalho da Soja - GTS), which also announced the moratorium renewal for one more year, until January 31, 2013.

Check here the report “Soybean Planting in the Amazon Biome: Fourth year of Mapping and Monitoring”.

Since July 24, 2006, the Soy Moratorium established the commitment made by ABIOVE’s and ANEC’s industry and exporting members not to acquire soybeans from areas in the Amazon Biome that were deforested as from 2006.

The Moratorium satellite monitoring is a partnership between INPE and GTS, made up of ABIOVE and ANEC member companies, Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, Bank of Brasil and civil society organizations (International Conservation, Greenpeace, IPAM, TNC and WWF-Brasil).

According to INPE, the Soy Moratorium is an example of the spatial data hole to promote environmental responsibility actions and contain forest clearing. Based on this monitoring program, GTS reaffirmed that Brazilian soybean production is a deforestation factor under control in Amazon.

"The soybean crop area corresponds to 0.3% of Amazon deforestation. Brazil has 24.1 million ha of soybean crops, of which 1.9 million ha (8%) in the Amazon Biome," said Bernardo Rudorff, researcher from INPE.

To monitor the Soy Moratorium performance, INPE uses methodology specially developed to detect the presence of agricultural crops in deforested areas. In addition to the information generated by INPE, data bases at FUNAI (National Native Indians Foundation), IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental & Renewable Natural Resources Institute), IBGE (Brazilian Geographic & Statistical Institute) and IMAZON (Institute of the Amazon People & Environment) were used. A company was hired by GTS to make a specific air-survey. Field visits also were made and legal documentation researched to identify the rural properties in order to consolidate the information.

Source: WebSite of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE)