Deforestation Report (SAD) September 2012

Check the data on deforestation and forest degradation in the Amazon in September 2012.
Martins, H., Fonseca, A., Souza Jr., C., Sales, M., & Veríssimo, A. (2012). Forest Transparency for the Brazilian Amazon (September 2012) (p. 13). Belém.

In September 2012, SAD has detected 431 square km of deforestation in the Legal Amazon. This represented a 154% increase compared to September 2011. Out of this total, most (68%) took place in Pará, followed by Mato Grosso (14%), Rondônia (12%), Amazonas (3%), and Tocantins (2%). Among the counties, deforestation was more concentrated in Altamira (PA) and Cumaru do Norte (PA). Accumulated deforestation from August to September 2012, corresponding to the two first months of current deforestation calendar summed 663 square meters. Compared to the previous year [August to September 2011], when deforestation summed 410 square meters, a 62% increase was observed. Degraded forests in Legal Amazon summed 283 square km in September 2012. Compared to September 2011, a reduction of 57% was observed, when forest degradation summed 658 square kilometers; forest degradation was mainly observed in Pará (45%) and Amazonas and Rondônia.
Accumulated forest degradation from August 2012 to September 2012 summed 343 square meters. Compared to the former period – August 2011 to September 2011, when forest degradation summed 789 square km, a 57% reduction was noticed.
In September 2012, deforestation detected by SAD involved 6.7 million tons of carbon [with error margin of 505 tons], what corresponds to 24.7 million tons of equivalent CO2.
In September 2012, cloud covering was significantly reduced what allowed to monitor up to 80% of the Legal Amazon.
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