Mar 01, 2010
System To Monitor Deforestation Continues To Expand In Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The Brazilian government continues its efforts to limit illegal deforestation in the Amazon Region of northern Brazil. By the end of 2010 the government hopes to have 110,000 property owners in the state of Para as part of their satellite monitoring system to limit deforestation. While early stages of the program are focused on the state of Para where deforestation is most evident, by the end of 2011, they hope to have in the system all the properties that are within the Amazon Region of the states of Mato Grosso, Para, Rondonia, and the Island of Marajo. The Minister of Agriculture initiated the project and 15,000 properties were part of the initial pilot project in 2009.
The focus of the program for now is the southeastern part of the state of Para where the spread of cattle ranching is the primary cause of illegal deforestation. The goal of the program is to monitor the property owners via satellite technology to insure adherence to existing environment laws regarding the amount of land a property owner is allowed to clear. This is a multi agency endeavor involving the state government of Para, the Agricultural Federation of Para, The National Meteorological Institute, Embrapa, The Brazilian Supermarket Association, the National Development Bank, and numerous meat packers.
The first phase of the program is to determine the coordinates of each property. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture go onto each property and register the boundaries of the property via GPS systems. Once the coordinates of a property is identified, then the initial satellite photos are taken to determine the type and extent of vegetation on each property including the amount of pastures and existing forest. Thereafter, a new satellite photo will be taken every six months to determine if any of the existing forest had been cleared illegally.
If it is determined that the rancher cleared new forest land illegally, he will not be issued a document called GTA (Guia de Transito Animal - Permit to Transport Animals), which is necessary for anyone to transport animals in Brazil. Without this document, a rancher is not allowed to transport his animals from one ranch to another or to the slaughterhouse. Up until this year, the GTA was issued in paper form, but starting in 2010 it will be issued electronically allowing easy cross referencing between ranchers who want to move animals and ranchers who have cleared land illegally.
Once the system is fully intergraded across all of Brazil, regulators will be able to reference the source of the animals in real time.