An innovative system (Degrad) created by Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) in order to identify areas in process of deforestation, has got now a full page at the website. Accessing Inpe’s homepage, starting with the Amazon’s link, the internaut can get into Degrad’s, as well as systems like Prodes and Deter.
The preliminary Degrad’ survey, whose data are available in that Page, registered 14,915 km2 of areas degraded in 2007 and 24,932km2 in 2008. The new system was developed for mapping the chart yearly, and areas in deforestation process precisely, which are not able to be computed by Prodes system, that only identifies “shallow CUT”, or rather areas where the native forestall coverage was totally cut out.
Being in charge of registering the partial fall of the Forest, caused by fire or selective wood extraction, the Degrad’s can be of important subsidy to the surveillance departments and this way can prevent the shallow cut phase.
The systems
Based on satellite images, the deforestation monitoring in the Amazon state accomplished by Inpe is recognized internationally by its excellence and pioneering. Nowadays there are three systems in operation that have got independent performances, nevertheless with complementary activities.
About 20 years of history, Prodes has been considered the biggest forest surveillance program, for covering every year a range of 4 millions km2. Its result shows us the shallow cut annual rate in the Amazon state, and has been of great help when writing the public region policy.
Since 2004, Inpe has been operating the Deter’system – Deforestation Detection in Real Time. A bit less detailed than Prodes – due to the sensors that cover up the Amazon with bigger frequency, even with images of less space resolution – Deter is more extensive and includes both shallow cut and the occurrences of forestall degradation. In 2008, the raising of degradation revealed by Deter motivated the creation of Degrad system.
For more information, please visit www.obt.inpe.br/degrad.
