Of the ten municipalities that deforested the most, nine are located in Mato Grosso

The reduction in deforestation in the Cerrado resulted in a 10% decrease in the number of alerts between 2019 and 2020 in the Midwest region. There were 5,617 alerts registered and 239,255 hectares of native vegetation suppressed during this period, according to the Annual Deforestation Report in Brazil - 2020, produced from data from MapBiomas AlertThis and other data were presented in a webinar on Friday, July 23, on the MapBiomas YouTube channel. The event featured the participation of monitoring and enforcement agencies.

But there is no reason to celebrate. Ane Alencar, coordinator of the Cerrado team at MapBiomas and director of Science at IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), explains that the 10% reduction is mainly due to the decrease in deforestation that occurred in the Cerrado. "However, in the portion of the Amazon covering the Midwest states and in the Pantanal, deforestation increased. So, the numbers do not reveal the real condition of what is happening. This is connected with the increase in fires in both biomes, in 2019 and in 2020."

The state of Mato Grosso was the champion in deforested area, despite a 11.6% reduction compared to 2019. Mato Grosso do Sul was the only one that recorded an increase in deforested area, with 34% more in comparison - which represented 178,183 hectares in 2020. It is also the second state in the Midwest that deforested the most, followed by Goiás. The least deforestation of native vegetation in the last year was in the Federal District.

Of the 467 municipalities in the region, 308 experienced deforestation, according to the report. Among the top ten municipalities in the Midwest that registered the highest subtraction of native vegetation, nine are in Mato Grosso and one in Mato Grosso do Sul. By state, in Mato Grosso, the champion was Colniza, with 18,362 hectares devastated. Corumbá, with 12,667 hectares deforested, was the leading municipality in Mato Grosso do Sul. In Goiás, Niquelândia ranked first, with a destroyed area of ​​1,454 hectares. Brasília, in the Federal District, completes the list, with 16 hectares of vegetation suppressed.

Highlights about the Midwest region in the Annual Deforestation Report in Brazil - 2020:

– 5,617 alerts detected, validated, and refined (a 10% reduction compared to 2019);
– 239,255 hectares of deforestation (9% less compared to 2019);
– In the Midwest, 308 municipalities registered deforestation out of a total of 467.
– Mato Grosso was the deforestation champion in the Midwest, despite a 11.6% reduction in deforested area compared to 2019. Other states also reduced their deforested areas: Goiás by 30% and the Federal District by 83%. In comparison, Mato Grosso do Sul was the only state with an increase in deforested area, with 34%. The municipalities with the largest deforested areas per state were: Colniza/MT (18,362 ha); Corumbá/MS (12,667 ha); Niquelândia/GO (1,454 ha); and Brasília/DF (16 ha).
– Among the top ten municipalities with the largest deforested areas in the Midwest are: Colniza (MT), with 18,362 hectares destroyed; Aripuanã (MT), with 13,538 hectares devastated; third is Corumbá (MS), which deforested 12,667 hectares. The fourth position is occupied by União do Sul (7,249 ha), in Mato Grosso, followed by another municipality in Mato Grosso, Nova Bandeirantes, with 6,701 hectares. Sixth in the ranking is another municipality in MT, Comodoro (6,456 ha). Nova Ubiratã, with 6,383 hectares deforested, Feliz Natal (6,213 ha), Rondolândia (6,158 ha), and Juara, with 5,473 hectares deforested, all in Mato Grosso, complete the list.

Access the full 2020 Annual Deforestation Report on the MapBiomas Alert.