<p>Join our webinar for an overview of the satellite imagery and resources available on GFW. We will be joined by partners from KSAT and Planet to share how this satellite imagery can help users investigate what’s happening in the world’s forests. <a href="https://wri.zoom.us/webinar/register/7617086143771/WN_8_Q9dGGwQT2mqRpd4LgRZA" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Register here!</a></p>


Investigating Deforestation with Satellite Imagery

An aerial shot shows the contrast between forest and agricultural landscapes near Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil.

Data and Research

GFW is first and foremost a data-driven platform. Read the latest forest research and analysis.

Data and Research | Global Forest Watch Blog

amazon

amazon | Global Forest Watch Blog

Bolivia

Bolivia | Global Forest Watch Blog

boreal

boreal | Global Forest Watch Blog

Brazil

Brazil | Global Forest Watch Blog

deforestation

deforestation | Global Forest Watch Blog

DRC | Global Forest Watch Blog

Ghana

Ghana | Global Forest Watch Blog

Indonesia

Indonesia | Global Forest Watch Blog

Malaysia

Malaysia | Global Forest Watch Blog

tree cover loss

tree cover loss | Global Forest Watch Blog

Mikaela Weisse

Liz Goldman

Sarah Carter

Tropical Primary Forest Loss Worsened in 2022, Despite International Commitments to End Deforestation

La perte de forêts primaires tropicales s’est aggravée en 2022, malgré les engagements internationaux visant à mettre fin à la déforestation

Perda de florestas tropicais primárias piora em 2022 apesar dos compromissos internacionais para acabar com o desmatamento

Empeoró La Pérdida De Bosques Tropicales Primarios en 2022, A Pesar De Los Compromisos Internacionales Contra La Deforestación

Tingkat Kehilangan Hutan Primer Tropis pada tahun 2022 Memburuk, Terlepas dari Komitmen Global untuk Mengakhiri Deforestasi

Tropical primary forest loss was 10% higher in 2022 than in 2021 despite international commitments, according to new data on GFW.

Tropical Primary Forest Loss Worsened in 2022 | GFW Blog

Comment

Global Forest Watch Content

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Paige Johnson

fires

fires | Global Forest Watch Blog

Tropical Deforestation

Tropical Deforestation | Global Forest Watch Blog

Forest Loss Remained Stubbornly High in 2021

La pérdida de bosques se mantuvo obstinadamente elevada en 2021

Perda florestal permanece resistentemente alta em 2021

Kehilangan Hutan Tetap Tinggi di Tahun 2021

La perte des forêts est restée chroniquement élevée en 2021

Forest loss, including tropical deforestation, remained stubbornly high in 2021 according to new data on the Global Forest Watch.

What Happened to Forests in 2021? | Global Forest Watch Blog

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Amanda Dimartini

Commodities

Read about the role forests play in the production of commodities around the world.

Commodities | Global Forest Watch Blog

agriculture

agriculture | Global Forest Watch Blog

Argentina

Argentina | Global Forest Watch Blog

commodities

commodities | Global Forest Watch Blog

crops

crops | Global Forest Watch Blog

Dry Forests

Dry Forests | Global Forest Watch Blog

Ecosystems

Ecosystems | Global Forest Watch Blog

<p>Martina Schneider is a GIS Analyst with Global Forest Watch. She supports the GFW team in preparing data and developing content for the GFW platform and web application.</p>



<p>As a graduate student, Martina specialized in applying GIS in the fields of environmental science and natural resources management. Specifically, she studied wildfire ecology and environmental factors that contribute to risk of ignition. In addition, Martina worked at Ducks Unlimited, the world's leader in wetland and waterfowl conservation, where she was part of a team updating the National Wetlands Inventory in Minnesota.</p>



<p>Martina holds an M.S. in Geographic Information Systems from Eastern Michigan University and a B.S. in Geography from Texas A&amp;M University.</p>



<p>She lives in Baltimore, MD with her husband and dog.</p>

Martina Schneider

Luiz Amaral

<p>As a Strategic Solutions &amp; Engagement Specialist for Latin America, Luiz works with the Global Forest Watch team to expand GFW´s uptake and impact across the region. Luiz supports the GFW team on the development of strategic business positioning with stakeholders from the private food and agriculture sector, governments, civil society organizations and other institutions.</p>



<p>Luiz has an extensive background in agricultural engineering and has worked in the Brazilian farming sector for 18 years. He focused on agricultural production systems in his early career, spending nine years working in sugar cane mills within the country´s northeast and southeast regions. Besides leading the agricultural activities, Luiz partnered with research institutions to promote innovative technologies and working practices to optimize agricultural productivity while also improving energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions.</p>



<p>Prior to joining WRI, Luiz spent nine years as a Strategic Customer Manager in a multinational company where he managed distinct roles in the sales, environmental processes, safety and business development initiatives. Additionally, Luiz collaborated to build a cross-functional strategy for the company, designed to find synergies within different inner divisions such as crop-protection, sustainable solutions, industrial biosciences and safety, intended to foster lasting relationships with key agri-industrial clients.</p>



<p>Luiz holds a bachelor’s degree from University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), an MBA in Business Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), and an MSc in Sustainable Resources: Economics, Policy and Transitions from University College London (UCL). While at the UK, he also earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business, from University of Cambridge.</p>

Luiz Calado

<aside id="textbox"> <div><em>Tree cover loss does not always <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/data-methods" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">equal deforestation</a>, as it is difficult to know whether the clearing will result in a permanent land use change. However, pairing the loss data with annual soy data allows us to confirm the land use change permanence and gets us closer to understanding true deforestation patterns. We refer to these changes as “forests replaced by soy”. There is also some disagreement about how well the tree cover loss data captures forests in some biomes. For example, in the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, the large presence of tree plantations in the same area as soy results in an overestimation of the area of forest replaced by soy. While in other regions without natural occurring trees, such as Pampas, results are underestimated. However, loss still indicates annual change trends and the level of threat experienced by these important ecosystems. GFW frequently reports on humid primary forest loss, however this analysis reports all tree cover loss to include the Chaco and Cerrado biomes as they are important habitats and soy growing regions in South America that are outside the humid tropics. Official Brazilian government deforestation data (PRODES) was not used as it did not allow for cross country comparisons. The statistics presented here represent tree cover that was eventually replaced by soy production areas regardless of whether it happened legally or illegally.</em></div> </aside>



<p>As global food demand increases so too does the potential destruction of natural ecosystems to accommodate growing commodity production. Understanding deforestation related to agriculture is essential to developing strategies that solve these challenges. Recent research from World Resources Institute shows that <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/forest-extent-indicators/deforestation-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">8.2 million hectares</a> of forest were replaced by soy between 2001-2015 globally, of which 7.9 million hectares of conversion occurred in South America. Soy is also grown in large quantities in the United States, China and India, but in South America production is expanding into forests, threatening important ecosystems.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00729-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New data</a> from Texas Tech University and University of Maryland, <a href="https://gfw.global/2ZObmQM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">available on GFW and GFW Pro</a>, enables anyone to see the extent of soy production within South America at a 30×30-meter resolution, per harvest year, from 2000 onward. To better understand the trends of soy production on the continent’s forests, we combined the new data with annual tree cover loss data and focused only on yearly soy expansion– new areas of soy planted per year from 2001 onward.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Annual tree cover loss within soy production areas" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog-v4_Figure-1-1.png" width="100%"></div>



<p>The dynamics of soy replacing forests in South America are complex because soy is often planted several years after tree cover is initially cleared. During the interim period land can be used for other purposes, typically pasture for grazing cattle. We classify the impacts of soy production as follows:</p>



<ul><li>Soy can have a direct impact on forests when land is cleared and immediately converted to soy production. We consider any forest loss that occurred three years before soy establishment as immediate conversion.</li><li>Soy can have a delayed impact when forests are cleared and used for other purposes for several years (three or more years for our analysis) prior to soy establishment. <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/forest-extent-indicators/deforestation-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Our previous analysis</a> shows that between 2001-2015 in South America, soy directly converted 3.9 million hectares of forest and had a delayed impact on the remaining 4.0 million hectares.</li><li>Just like any other crop, soy could also be a driver of indirect land displacement. As the area of available land is finite, land use change in one area could be indirectly linked to land use changes elsewhere. Our analysis cannot quantify the impact of indirect land displacement.</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Soy Expansion Threatens Ecosystems Beyond the Brazilian Amazon</h2>



<p>Historically, expansion of soy production in the Brazilian Amazon has faced intense public scrutiny, prompting action by both public and private sector actors. For example, <a href="https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Policy-Brief-Part-I-How-to-Navigate-the-Complexity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brazil’s Forest Code</a> directs farmers in the Amazon to set aside 80% of their property as a forest reserve, and under the <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/soy-moratorium-averted-new-jersey-size-loss-of-amazon-rainforest-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Soy Moratorium</a>, traders agreed not to purchase soy grown on land cleared after 2008. However, in 2019 just 14% of all expansion across South America occurred in the Amazon. Our analysis shows that soy expansion has also impacted other important ecosystems that have received less attention.</p>



<div class="flourish-embed" data-src="story/1046368?163031"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" width="100%">Each box outlined in black denotes the total soy expansion in each region in 2019. Gray is new soy expansion in areas that weren’t forested in 2000, yellow represents direct forest conversion (less than three years between conversion and soy expansion) and blue represents delayed use of cleared forest land for soy (up to 20 years between conversion and soy expansion.</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In Brazil Forest Area Replaced by Soy in the Cerrado is Comparable to the Amazon</h2>



<p>Situated south of the Amazon, the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0704" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerrado is the most biodiverse savanna ecosystem in the world</a>. Land use planning and scientific advancements during the 1980s and 1990s transformed the Cerrado into an agricultural powerhouse for soy, cattle, and other commodities at the expense of millions of hectares of forests and native vegetation. Over the last 20 years the extent of soy production in this biome has more than doubled, and in 2019 a third of the entire South American soy planted area was located in the Cerrado.</p>



<p>Environmental protections in the Cerrado are <a href="https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Policy-Brief-Part-I-How-to-Navigate-the-Complexity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">less strict than in the Amazon</a>, and both biomes have experienced comparable total forest area replaced by soy over the last 20 years. Furthermore, the amount of direct forest conversion to soy in the Cerrado is almost twice as high as the Amazon, where large quantities of soy are still being planted on land where forest was cleared more than 15 years ago.</p>



<p>Rates of direct annual conversion have trended downward over the last several years, but delayed conversion has been relatively stable. Even if not a direct attribution, such delayed effect is relevant as studies have <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab003a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">demonstrated</a> that expectations of future increase in land’s value, which occurs when an area is converted to agriculture, have impacts on decisions to deforest. Even if soy does not occupy the land right after it is deforested, the expectation that it could do so in the future can also be considered a driver of deforestation.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog_Graphic-3-2.png" width="100%">Each column represents the total area of soy expansion in each harvest year. Yellow represents the proportion of that yearly expansion taking place in areas recently deforested and blue in areas that were forested more than three years before soy expansion happened.</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Direct&nbsp;Conversion of&nbsp;Forests to&nbsp;Soy&nbsp;is&nbsp;Decreasing in Argentina, but&nbsp;Not&nbsp;Fast&nbsp;Enough</h2>



<p>Only a very small share of soy production in Argentina has come at the expense of forests as the crop is primarily grown in the Pampas grasslands. However, due to the considerable extent of land area occupied by soy across the country, Argentina is still second to Brazil in terms of total forest area replaced by soy. Soy primarily replaced forests in the northwestern portion of the country, where soy expansion threatens forests and other native vegetation in the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146731/deforestation-in-argentinas-gran-chaco" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gran Chaco</a>. This highly biodiverse ecosystem is the largest dry forest in South America and a prominent frontier of agricultural expansion.</p>



<p>During the last ten years in Argentina the extent of forest area replaced by soy per year has more than halved, and during the same time period the area of direct conversion of forests to soy also plummeted, falling from 87,000 to 12,000 hectares in 2019. However, the declining rate of direct forest conversion has not kept pace with the declining area of overall soy expansion, which has fallen at a much faster rate.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Rate of Argentinian soy expansion is falling faster than rate of direct conversion of forests to soy" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog-v4_Figure-4-1.png" width="100%"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Soy&nbsp;Production&nbsp;in Paraguay&nbsp;Remains Concentrated&nbsp;in the Atlantic Forest</h2>



<p>Paraguay is home to two key forested ecosystems: the Chaco in the west and the Atlantic Forest in the east. The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and one of the most endangered as current forest cover is only a <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2015/12/photo-essay-paraguays-last-remaining-remnant-of-intact-atlantic-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fraction of what it once was</a>. This biome is where soy expansion has primarily replaced forests, and our analysis shows that direct conversion of forests to soy in this biome has trended downward over the last several years, falling from a peak of 22,000 hectares in 2013 to 5,000 hectares in 2019. However, the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay is protected by a Zero Deforestation Law, passed in 2004 in response to high rates of deforestation in the early 2000s. Direct conversion of forests to soy should not be taking place in this biome at all and are, by definition, illegal.</p>



<p>As available land in the east shrinks, concerns about agriculture creeping into the Chaco have grown. However, our analysis found that while the area of planted soy in western Paraguay has increased over the last 20 years, overall soy production in Paraguay remains concentrated in the east, accounting for approximately 98% of all soy planted across the country in 2019. Likewise, forest area replaced by soy is concentrated in eastern Paraguay, and in 2019, 86% of forest replaced by soy in Paraguay was located in this region of the country. Soy cannot yet be considered a significant direct driver of deforestation in the Paraguayan Chaco, and conversion of forests is mainly linked to other commodities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Soy&nbsp;Replacing&nbsp;Forest&nbsp;in&nbsp;Bolivia&nbsp;Creates a&nbsp;New&nbsp;Hotspot of&nbsp;Deforestation</h2>



<p>Although Bolivia produces&nbsp;far&nbsp;less soy than its neighbors, the expansion&nbsp;of soy production&nbsp;is largely occurring at the expense of forests. In 2019,&nbsp;soy&nbsp;replaced&nbsp;49,000 hectares of forest, accounting for 80% of the entire&nbsp;soy&nbsp;expansion&nbsp;area&nbsp;in the country. Direct pressure on forests is high as well, and during the same year,&nbsp;soy directly&nbsp;converted&nbsp;22,000 hectares of&nbsp;forest.&nbsp;This area is comparable to other regions where&nbsp;the overall extent of&nbsp;soy&nbsp;expansion is much higher.&nbsp;For&nbsp;comparison,&nbsp;in 2019, 29,000 hectares of forest in the Brazilian Amazon was&nbsp;directly&nbsp;converted for soy expansion and&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Cerrado&nbsp;40,000 hectares of forest was converted.</p>



<p>In 2020 the country was among <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/top-ten-lists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the top ten countries for humid tropical primary forest loss</a>. Soy is largely replacing forests in the Chiquitano Dry Forests, a <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0212" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unique transitionary biome</a> situated between the Amazon and drier forests of the Chaco. If nothing changes, it’s likely that deforestation will continue to increase, placing all three biomes at risk.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Direct conversion in 2019 harvest year is comparable between Bolivia, the Amazon and the Cerrado" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog-v4_Figure-5-1.png" width="100%"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sustainable&nbsp;Soy&nbsp;Production&nbsp;Will&nbsp;Require&nbsp;a&nbsp;Holistic&nbsp;Approach</h2>



<p>Focusing sustainability efforts on a single commodity does not fully address the challenges of deforestation in South America, and the indirect impact of soy on forests may be larger than what our analysis shows because of its links to other commodities. Soy often replaces pasture because cattle grazing is typically the activity that first occupies land once forests are cleared. Between 2000 and 2015, 45.1 million hectares of forest was replaced by pasture globally, over five times that of soy. Soy is also an important source of animal feed, primarily for poultry and pork, as well as also aquaculture. Further, the value of forests areas, pasture areas and cropland changes over time, meaning that the expectation of land value increases with crop expansion is a key driver of deforestation as well.</p>



<p>As global demand for soy and other commodities rises, pressures for bringing more land into production will also continue. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-020-00194-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Numerous studies</a> have confirmed that the Soy Moratorium has played a key role in reducing forest conversion to soy in the Amazon, but a prominent criticism is that it could potentially drive forest conversion to soy in other ecosystems. Likewise, Paraguay’s Deforestation Moratorium only applies to the Atlantic Forest, and, although our analysis shows that soy production in the country is concentrated in this biome, the Chaco is still a vulnerable agricultural frontier. If only the Brazilian Amazon or Paraguay’s Atlantic Forest are off limits, there is additional pressure placed on forests and other natural ecosystems.</p>



<p>There are&nbsp;several&nbsp;mechanisms that can help&nbsp;achieve sustainable production goals. Governments can tackle direct risk of land conversion by implementing&nbsp;and enforcing&nbsp;laws. Both governments and companies&nbsp;need&nbsp;to&nbsp;send clear&nbsp;policy and&nbsp;market signals&nbsp;to&nbsp;help end the perversive cycle of land price speculation&nbsp;and land grabbing.&nbsp;In addition, corporations should adhere to due-diligence practices when procuring suppliers (both direct and indirect)&nbsp;and&nbsp;transparently demonstrate&nbsp;progress over time. Finally, efforts to boost&nbsp;productivity&nbsp;of&nbsp;soy and other commodities on existing agricultural land should be&nbsp;emphasized,&nbsp;while&nbsp;also&nbsp;linked with ecosystem protection measures and investments in new technologies.&nbsp;These strategies will help meet growing global food demand and ensure economic growth in South America while preserving its forests and natural resources.&nbsp;</p>



<style type="text/css"></style>

The Commodity Report: Soy Production’s Impact on Forests in South America

<aside id="textbox"> <div><em>Tree cover loss does not always <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/data-methods" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">equal deforestation</a>, as it is difficult to know whether the clearing will result in a permanent land use change. However, pairing the loss data with annual soy data allows us to confirm the land use change permanence and gets us closer to understanding true deforestation patterns. We refer to these changes as “forests replaced by soy”. There is also some disagreement about how well the tree cover loss data captures forests in some biomes. For example, in the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, the large presence of tree plantations in the same area as soy results in an overestimation of the area of forest replaced by soy. While in other regions without natural occurring trees, such as Pampas, results are underestimated. However, loss still indicates annual change trends and the level of threat experienced by these important ecosystems. GFW frequently reports on humid primary forest loss, however this analysis reports all tree cover loss to include the Chaco and Cerrado biomes as they are important habitats and soy growing regions in South America that are outside the humid tropics. Official Brazilian government deforestation data (PRODES) was not used as it did not allow for cross country comparisons. The statistics presented here represent tree cover that was eventually replaced by soy production areas regardless of whether it happened legally or illegally.</em></div> </aside>



<p>As global food demand increases so too does the potential destruction of natural ecosystems to accommodate growing commodity production. Understanding deforestation related to agriculture is essential to developing strategies that solve these challenges. Recent research from World Resources Institute shows that <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/forest-extent-indicators/deforestation-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">8.2 million hectares</a> of forest were replaced by soy between 2001-2015 globally, of which 7.9 million hectares of conversion occurred in South America. Soy is also grown in large quantities in the United States, China and India, but in South America production is expanding into forests, threatening important ecosystems.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00729-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New data</a> from Texas Tech University and University of Maryland, <a href="https://gfw.global/2ZObmQM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">available on GFW and GFW Pro</a>, enables anyone to see the extent of soy production within South America at a 30x30-meter resolution, per harvest year, from 2000 onward. To better understand the trends of soy production on the continent’s forests, we combined the new data with annual tree cover loss data and focused only on yearly soy expansion– new areas of soy planted per year from 2001 onward.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Annual tree cover loss within soy production areas" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog-v4_Figure-1-1.png" width="100%"></div>



<p>The dynamics of soy replacing forests in South America are complex because soy is often planted several years after tree cover is initially cleared. During the interim period land can be used for other purposes, typically pasture for grazing cattle. We classify the impacts of soy production as follows:</p>



<ul><li>Soy can have a direct impact on forests when land is cleared and immediately converted to soy production. We consider any forest loss that occurred three years before soy establishment as immediate conversion.</li><li>Soy can have a delayed impact when forests are cleared and used for other purposes for several years (three or more years for our analysis) prior to soy establishment. <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/forest-extent-indicators/deforestation-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Our previous analysis</a> shows that between 2001-2015 in South America, soy directly converted 3.9 million hectares of forest and had a delayed impact on the remaining 4.0 million hectares.</li><li>Just like any other crop, soy could also be a driver of indirect land displacement. As the area of available land is finite, land use change in one area could be indirectly linked to land use changes elsewhere. Our analysis cannot quantify the impact of indirect land displacement.</li></ul>



<h2>Soy Expansion Threatens Ecosystems Beyond the Brazilian Amazon</h2>



<p>Historically, expansion of soy production in the Brazilian Amazon has faced intense public scrutiny, prompting action by both public and private sector actors. For example, <a href="https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Policy-Brief-Part-I-How-to-Navigate-the-Complexity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brazil’s Forest Code</a> directs farmers in the Amazon to set aside 80% of their property as a forest reserve, and under the <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/soy-moratorium-averted-new-jersey-size-loss-of-amazon-rainforest-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Soy Moratorium</a>, traders agreed not to purchase soy grown on land cleared after 2008. However, in 2019 just 14% of all expansion across South America occurred in the Amazon. Our analysis shows that soy expansion has also impacted other important ecosystems that have received less attention.</p>



<div class="flourish-embed" data-src="story/1046368?163031"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" width="100%">Each box outlined in black denotes the total soy expansion in each region in 2019. Gray is new soy expansion in areas that weren’t forested in 2000, yellow represents direct forest conversion (less than three years between conversion and soy expansion) and blue represents delayed use of cleared forest land for soy (up to 20 years between conversion and soy expansion.</div>



<h2>In Brazil Forest Area Replaced by Soy in the Cerrado is Comparable to the Amazon</h2>



<p>Situated south of the Amazon, the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0704" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cerrado is the most biodiverse savanna ecosystem in the world</a>. Land use planning and scientific advancements during the 1980s and 1990s transformed the Cerrado into an agricultural powerhouse for soy, cattle, and other commodities at the expense of millions of hectares of forests and native vegetation. Over the last 20 years the extent of soy production in this biome has more than doubled, and in 2019 a third of the entire South American soy planted area was located in the Cerrado.</p>



<p>Environmental protections in the Cerrado are <a href="https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Policy-Brief-Part-I-How-to-Navigate-the-Complexity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">less strict than in the Amazon</a>, and both biomes have experienced comparable total forest area replaced by soy over the last 20 years. Furthermore, the amount of direct forest conversion to soy in the Cerrado is almost twice as high as the Amazon, where large quantities of soy are still being planted on land where forest was cleared more than 15 years ago.</p>



<p>Rates of direct annual conversion have trended downward over the last several years, but delayed conversion has been relatively stable. Even if not a direct attribution, such delayed effect is relevant as studies have <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab003a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">demonstrated</a> that expectations of future increase in land’s value, which occurs when an area is converted to agriculture, have impacts on decisions to deforest. Even if soy does not occupy the land right after it is deforested, the expectation that it could do so in the future can also be considered a driver of deforestation.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog_Graphic-3-2.png" width="100%">Each column represents the total area of soy expansion in each harvest year. Yellow represents the proportion of that yearly expansion taking place in areas recently deforested and blue in areas that were forested more than three years before soy expansion happened.</div>



<h2>Direct&nbsp;Conversion of&nbsp;Forests to&nbsp;Soy&nbsp;is&nbsp;Decreasing in Argentina, but&nbsp;Not&nbsp;Fast&nbsp;Enough</h2>



<p>Only a very small share of soy production in Argentina has come at the expense of forests as the crop is primarily grown in the Pampas grasslands. However, due to the considerable extent of land area occupied by soy across the country, Argentina is still second to Brazil in terms of total forest area replaced by soy. Soy primarily replaced forests in the northwestern portion of the country, where soy expansion threatens forests and other native vegetation in the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146731/deforestation-in-argentinas-gran-chaco" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gran Chaco</a>. This highly biodiverse ecosystem is the largest dry forest in South America and a prominent frontier of agricultural expansion.</p>



<p>During the last ten years in Argentina the extent of forest area replaced by soy per year has more than halved, and during the same time period the area of direct conversion of forests to soy also plummeted, falling from 87,000 to 12,000 hectares in 2019. However, the declining rate of direct forest conversion has not kept pace with the declining area of overall soy expansion, which has fallen at a much faster rate.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Rate of Argentinian soy expansion is falling faster than rate of direct conversion of forests to soy" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog-v4_Figure-4-1.png" width="100%"></div>



<h2>Soy&nbsp;Production&nbsp;in Paraguay&nbsp;Remains Concentrated&nbsp;in the Atlantic Forest</h2>



<p>Paraguay is home to two key forested ecosystems: the Chaco in the west and the Atlantic Forest in the east. The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and one of the most endangered as current forest cover is only a <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2015/12/photo-essay-paraguays-last-remaining-remnant-of-intact-atlantic-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fraction of what it once was</a>. This biome is where soy expansion has primarily replaced forests, and our analysis shows that direct conversion of forests to soy in this biome has trended downward over the last several years, falling from a peak of 22,000 hectares in 2013 to 5,000 hectares in 2019. However, the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay is protected by a Zero Deforestation Law, passed in 2004 in response to high rates of deforestation in the early 2000s. Direct conversion of forests to soy should not be taking place in this biome at all and are, by definition, illegal.</p>



<p>As available land in the east shrinks, concerns about agriculture creeping into the Chaco have grown. However, our analysis found that while the area of planted soy in western Paraguay has increased over the last 20 years, overall soy production in Paraguay remains concentrated in the east, accounting for approximately 98% of all soy planted across the country in 2019. Likewise, forest area replaced by soy is concentrated in eastern Paraguay, and in 2019, 86% of forest replaced by soy in Paraguay was located in this region of the country. Soy cannot yet be considered a significant direct driver of deforestation in the Paraguayan Chaco, and conversion of forests is mainly linked to other commodities.</p>



<h2>Soy&nbsp;Replacing&nbsp;Forest&nbsp;in&nbsp;Bolivia&nbsp;Creates a&nbsp;New&nbsp;Hotspot of&nbsp;Deforestation</h2>



<p>Although Bolivia produces&nbsp;far&nbsp;less soy than its neighbors, the expansion&nbsp;of soy production&nbsp;is largely occurring at the expense of forests. In 2019,&nbsp;soy&nbsp;replaced&nbsp;49,000 hectares of forest, accounting for 80% of the entire&nbsp;soy&nbsp;expansion&nbsp;area&nbsp;in the country. Direct pressure on forests is high as well, and during the same year,&nbsp;soy directly&nbsp;converted&nbsp;22,000 hectares of&nbsp;forest.&nbsp;This area is comparable to other regions where&nbsp;the overall extent of&nbsp;soy&nbsp;expansion is much higher.&nbsp;For&nbsp;comparison,&nbsp;in 2019, 29,000 hectares of forest in the Brazilian Amazon was&nbsp;directly&nbsp;converted for soy expansion and&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Cerrado&nbsp;40,000 hectares of forest was converted.</p>



<p>In 2020 the country was among <a href="https://research.wri.org/gfr/top-ten-lists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the top ten countries for humid tropical primary forest loss</a>. Soy is largely replacing forests in the Chiquitano Dry Forests, a <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0212" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unique transitionary biome</a> situated between the Amazon and drier forests of the Chaco. If nothing changes, it’s likely that deforestation will continue to increase, placing all three biomes at risk.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Direct conversion in 2019 harvest year is comparable between Bolivia, the Amazon and the Cerrado" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GFW-Soy-blog-v4_Figure-5-1.png" width="100%"></div>



<h2>Sustainable&nbsp;Soy&nbsp;Production&nbsp;Will&nbsp;Require&nbsp;a&nbsp;Holistic&nbsp;Approach</h2>



<p>Focusing sustainability efforts on a single commodity does not fully address the challenges of deforestation in South America, and the indirect impact of soy on forests may be larger than what our analysis shows because of its links to other commodities. Soy often replaces pasture because cattle grazing is typically the activity that first occupies land once forests are cleared. Between 2000 and 2015, 45.1 million hectares of forest was replaced by pasture globally, over five times that of soy. Soy is also an important source of animal feed, primarily for poultry and pork, as well as also aquaculture. Further, the value of forests areas, pasture areas and cropland changes over time, meaning that the expectation of land value increases with crop expansion is a key driver of deforestation as well.</p>



<p>As global demand for soy and other commodities rises, pressures for bringing more land into production will also continue. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-020-00194-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Numerous studies</a> have confirmed that the Soy Moratorium has played a key role in reducing forest conversion to soy in the Amazon, but a prominent criticism is that it could potentially drive forest conversion to soy in other ecosystems. Likewise, Paraguay’s Deforestation Moratorium only applies to the Atlantic Forest, and, although our analysis shows that soy production in the country is concentrated in this biome, the Chaco is still a vulnerable agricultural frontier. If only the Brazilian Amazon or Paraguay’s Atlantic Forest are off limits, there is additional pressure placed on forests and other natural ecosystems.</p>



<p>There are&nbsp;several&nbsp;mechanisms that can help&nbsp;achieve sustainable production goals. Governments can tackle direct risk of land conversion by implementing&nbsp;and enforcing&nbsp;laws. Both governments and companies&nbsp;need&nbsp;to&nbsp;send clear&nbsp;policy and&nbsp;market signals&nbsp;to&nbsp;help end the perversive cycle of land price speculation&nbsp;and land grabbing.&nbsp;In addition, corporations should adhere to due-diligence practices when procuring suppliers (both direct and indirect)&nbsp;and&nbsp;transparently demonstrate&nbsp;progress over time. Finally, efforts to boost&nbsp;productivity&nbsp;of&nbsp;soy and other commodities on existing agricultural land should be&nbsp;emphasized,&nbsp;while&nbsp;also&nbsp;linked with ecosystem protection measures and investments in new technologies.&nbsp;These strategies will help meet growing global food demand and ensure economic growth in South America while preserving its forests and natural resources.&nbsp;</p>



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The combination of new data on soy production with annual tree cover loss shows sustainable soy production will require a holistic approach

Soy Production’s Impact on Forests in South America | GFW Blog

Australia

Australia | Global Forest Watch Blog

climate change

climate change | Global Forest Watch Blog

COVID-19

COVID-19 | Global Forest Watch Blog

Primary Rainforest Destruction Increased 12% from 2019 to 2020

La Destrucción de los Bosques Primarios Aumentó un 12 % de 2019 a 2020

A Destruição das Florestas Tropicais Primárias Aumentou em 12% de 2019 a 2020

Kerusakan Hutan Hujan Primer Meningkat Sebesar 12% dari Tahun 2019 hingga Tahun 2020

Entre 2019 et 2020, la Destruction de la Forêt Tropicale Primaire a Augmenté de 12 %

2020 tree cover loss data reveals the world lost 4.2 million hectares of primary rainforests last year— an area the size of the Netherlands.

What Happened to Global Forests in 2020? | Global Forest Watch Blog

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3dc298e411f65b199fc3734919d6934e?s=96&d=mm&r=g

Sarah Ruiz

Users in Action

Hear stories from the forest defenders working in the field.

Users in Action | Global Forest Watch Blog

community monitoring

community monitoring | Global Forest Watch Blog

government

government | Global Forest Watch Blog

Indigenous lands

Indigenous lands | Global Forest Watch Blog

mexico

mexico | Global Forest Watch Blog

Peru

Peru | Global Forest Watch Blog

Small grants fund

Small grants fund | Global Forest Watch Blog

Colton Naval

<p>Global Forest Watch (GFW) is thrilled to announce this year’s Small Grants Fund (SGF) recipients. Now entering its sixth year, the <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gfw.global/31hlWMJ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Small Grants Fund</a> supports civil society organizations around the world applying GFW tools and data to their forest monitoring work. The GFW team reviewed hundreds of applications and selected 13 exciting new projects that will harness the power of local stakeholders to protect the world’s tropical forests through innovation.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The 2020 Small Grants Fund Grantees</strong></h3>



<p>The 2020 SGF recipients are a dynamic cohort of organizations dedicated to protecting forest landscapes in South and Central America, Africa and Southeast Asia. This year’s projects apply satellite-based forest monitoring technologies to law enforcement, advocacy, data journalism, civil society monitoring and government response.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><u><strong>Protecting public lands with improved coordination</strong></u></h3>



<p>The <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/11/6-barriers-protecting-and-restoring-forests-and-strategies-overcome-them" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">complicated dynamics of forest governance</a> are considered one of the main barriers to curbing global deforestation. With multiple agencies responsible for governing forests —even within a single country— priorities can become fragmented, undermining attempts to protect forests. But <a href="http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/4696/OP-43.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">research suggests</a> that collaborative management between civil society and governments can lead to better forest governance outcomes. Recognizing this, many of the 2020 grantees focused their projects on better coordinating forest monitoring efforts at the local level with regional and national environmental authorities.</p>



<div class="imageright"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="small grants fund 2020 recipient ambio" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Participacion-de-jovenes-y-mujeres-1-scaled.jpg" width="100%">Members of Ambio monitor ecosystems in their communities. Photo by Ambio.</div>



<p>In Mexico, <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://ambio.org.mx/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Ambio</strong></a><strong> </strong> is working with community monitors and state agencies to curb deforestation across 11 protected areas in the state of Chiapas.</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://earthinnovation.org/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth Innovation Institute</a></strong> (EII) is supporting the municipal government and local communities of San Vicente del Caguán, Colombia in their efforts to strengthen the protection of the Pato-Balsillas Peasant Reserve Zone.</p>



<p><strong><a href="http://genesisbengkulu.or.id/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Genesis Bengkulu Foundation</a></strong> will build forest monitoring capacity and coordinate with local communities and environmental authorities to protect 75,777 hectares of forest in the Seblat Forest Landscape of Indonesia. Also in Indonesia, previous SGF recipient <strong><a href="http://www.haka.or.id/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">HAkA</a></strong> will continue to support the monitoring capacity of forestry government agencies operating in the Leuser Ecoystem.</p>



<p>The Madagascar-based NGO, <strong><a href="http://www.nytanintsika.org" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ny Tanintsika</a>,</strong> will train local patrollers in 10 community forest management associations to use GFW to monitor deforestation activities in the Ambositra-Vondrozo (COFAV) protected area of Madagascar. In Cameroon, former SGF recipient <strong><a href="http://www.saild.org" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">SAILD</a></strong> will train conservation management units and communities to monitor deforestation threats within Deng Deng National park.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em><u>Supporting Indigenous and local community lands</u></em></h3>



<p>Four grantees are working to protect Indigenous and community lands from deforestation<strong>. <a href="http://www.fapi.org.py" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAPI</a></strong> will work with the Payipie Ichadidie Totobiegoso (OPIT) Indigenous organization in Paraguay to develop a pilot territorial monitoring system to control deforestation in Indigenous lands, and act as a coordinator for submitting complaints to the relevant environmental authorities.</p>



<p>The Bolivian-based organization, <strong><a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.ibifbolivia.org.bo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal</a> (IBIF) </strong>will connect the Indigenous Organization of Native Communities of Lomerío (CICOL) with the country’s forest authority for investigation into illegal deforestation.</p>



<p>In Malaysia, <strong><a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.kuasaperak.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KUASA</a> </strong> will be training the Orang Asli Indigenous communities of the Titiwangsa Central Forest Spine to use GFW and facilitating a series of consultations between the Orang Asli and federal and state government authorities.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em><u>Preventing illegal deforestation on concessions and privately held lands</u></em></h3>



<p>Former SGF recipient, <strong><a href="http://www.ampaperu.info" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">AMPA</a></strong>, will continue their work strengthening control and surveillance monitoring systems across 43 conservation initiatives in the San Martin region of Peru. In Brazil, <strong><a href="http://www.icv.org.br" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instituto Centro de Vida</a> (ICV)</strong> will train the Mato Grosso Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPMT) to use GFW to curb deforestation and hold landholders accountable for environmental crimes.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><em><u>Harnessing digital media to expose tropical deforestation</u></em></h3>



<p>Two grantees are utilizing data journalism and GFW to highlight the negative environmental and social impacts of tropical deforestation. Working in collaboration with the investigative environmental journalism agency, Oxpeckers, <strong><a href="https://medium.com/code-for-africa" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Code for Africa</a></strong> will train 10 Central African journalists to use GFW tools and data to investigate deforestation in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and publish a series of data journalism projects on the findings. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<div class="imageright"><img decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ANP06775_26-de-novembro-de-2019-scaled.jpg" width="100%">A burned rubber plantation in Brazil. Photo by Avener Prado / Repórter Brasil.</div>



<p><strong><a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.reporterbrasil.org.br" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reporter Brasil</a></strong> will build on their previous SGF project to raise awareness of the destructive impacts of pro-development policies proposed by the current Brazilian administration. Reporter Brasil will publish three stories using GFW data to highlight how proposed bills&nbsp;would increase destruction of the Amazon, particularly in Indigenous areas.</p>



<p>Each project will run from August 2020 through July 2021. Check out our <a href="https://gfw.global/31hlWMJ" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">grants and fellowships page</a> to learn more about this year’s grantees, the Small Grants Fund program and details on how to apply for next year’s SGF cycle.</p>



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<p></p>

Introducing Global Forest Watch’s 2020 Small Grants Fund Recipients

<p>Global Forest Watch (GFW) is thrilled to announce this year’s Small Grants Fund (SGF) recipients. Now entering its sixth year, the <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://gfw.global/31hlWMJ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Small Grants Fund</a> supports civil society organizations around the world applying GFW tools and data to their forest monitoring work. The GFW team reviewed hundreds of applications and selected 13 exciting new projects that will harness the power of local stakeholders to protect the world’s tropical forests through innovation.</p>



<h3><strong>The 2020 Small Grants Fund Grantees</strong></h3>



<p>The 2020 SGF recipients are a dynamic cohort of organizations dedicated to protecting forest landscapes in South and Central America, Africa and Southeast Asia. This year’s projects apply satellite-based forest monitoring technologies to law enforcement, advocacy, data journalism, civil society monitoring and government response.</p>



<h3><u><strong>Protecting public lands with improved coordination</strong></u></h3>



<p>The <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/11/6-barriers-protecting-and-restoring-forests-and-strategies-overcome-them" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">complicated dynamics of forest governance</a> are considered one of the main barriers to curbing global deforestation. With multiple agencies responsible for governing forests —even within a single country— priorities can become fragmented, undermining attempts to protect forests. But <a href="http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/4696/OP-43.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">research suggests</a> that collaborative management between civil society and governments can lead to better forest governance outcomes. Recognizing this, many of the 2020 grantees focused their projects on better coordinating forest monitoring efforts at the local level with regional and national environmental authorities.</p>



<div class="imageright"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="small grants fund 2020 recipient ambio" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Participacion-de-jovenes-y-mujeres-1-scaled.jpg" width="100%">Members of Ambio monitor ecosystems in their communities. Photo by Ambio.</div>



<p>In Mexico, <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://ambio.org.mx/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Ambio</strong></a><strong> </strong> is working with community monitors and state agencies to curb deforestation across 11 protected areas in the state of Chiapas.</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://earthinnovation.org/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth Innovation Institute</a></strong> (EII) is supporting the municipal government and local communities of San Vicente del Caguán, Colombia in their efforts to strengthen the protection of the Pato-Balsillas Peasant Reserve Zone.</p>



<p><strong><a href="http://genesisbengkulu.or.id/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Genesis Bengkulu Foundation</a></strong> will build forest monitoring capacity and coordinate with local communities and environmental authorities to protect 75,777 hectares of forest in the Seblat Forest Landscape of Indonesia. Also in Indonesia, previous SGF recipient <strong><a href="http://www.haka.or.id/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">HAkA</a></strong> will continue to support the monitoring capacity of forestry government agencies operating in the Leuser Ecoystem.</p>



<p>The Madagascar-based NGO, <strong><a href="http://www.nytanintsika.org" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ny Tanintsika</a>,</strong> will train local patrollers in 10 community forest management associations to use GFW to monitor deforestation activities in the Ambositra-Vondrozo (COFAV) protected area of Madagascar. In Cameroon, former SGF recipient <strong><a href="http://www.saild.org" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">SAILD</a></strong> will train conservation management units and communities to monitor deforestation threats within Deng Deng National park.</p>



<h3><em><u>Supporting Indigenous and local community lands</u></em></h3>



<p>Four grantees are working to protect Indigenous and community lands from deforestation<strong>. <a href="http://www.fapi.org.py" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAPI</a></strong> will work with the Payipie Ichadidie Totobiegoso (OPIT) Indigenous organization in Paraguay to develop a pilot territorial monitoring system to control deforestation in Indigenous lands, and act as a coordinator for submitting complaints to the relevant environmental authorities.</p>



<p>The Bolivian-based organization, <strong><a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.ibifbolivia.org.bo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal</a> (IBIF) </strong>will connect the Indigenous Organization of Native Communities of Lomerío (CICOL) with the country's forest authority for investigation into illegal deforestation.</p>



<p>In Malaysia, <strong><a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.kuasaperak.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KUASA</a> </strong> will be training the Orang Asli Indigenous communities of the Titiwangsa Central Forest Spine to use GFW and facilitating a series of consultations between the Orang Asli and federal and state government authorities.</p>



<h3><em><u>Preventing illegal deforestation on concessions and privately held lands</u></em></h3>



<p>Former SGF recipient, <strong><a href="http://www.ampaperu.info" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">AMPA</a></strong>, will continue their work strengthening control and surveillance monitoring systems across 43 conservation initiatives in the San Martin region of Peru. In Brazil, <strong><a href="http://www.icv.org.br" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instituto Centro de Vida</a> (ICV)</strong> will train the Mato Grosso Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPMT) to use GFW to curb deforestation and hold landholders accountable for environmental crimes.</p>



<h3><em><u>Harnessing digital media to expose tropical deforestation</u></em></h3>



<p>Two grantees are utilizing data journalism and GFW to highlight the negative environmental and social impacts of tropical deforestation. Working in collaboration with the investigative environmental journalism agency, Oxpeckers, <strong><a href="https://medium.com/code-for-africa" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Code for Africa</a></strong> will train 10 Central African journalists to use GFW tools and data to investigate deforestation in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and publish a series of data journalism projects on the findings. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<div class="imageright"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="" src="https://dev-global-forest-watch-blog.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ANP06775_26-de-novembro-de-2019-scaled.jpg" width="100%">A burned rubber plantation in Brazil. Photo by Avener Prado / Repórter Brasil.</div>



<p><strong><a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.reporterbrasil.org.br" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reporter Brasil</a></strong> will build on their previous SGF project to raise awareness of the destructive impacts of pro-development policies proposed by the current Brazilian administration. Reporter Brasil will publish three stories using GFW data to highlight how proposed bills&nbsp;would increase destruction of the Amazon, particularly in Indigenous areas.</p>



<p>Each project will run from August 2020 through July 2021. Check out our <a href="https://gfw.global/31hlWMJ" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">grants and fellowships page</a> to learn more about this year’s grantees, the Small Grants Fund program and details on how to apply for next year’s SGF cycle.</p>





<p></p>

Introducing Global Forest Watch's 2020 Small Grants Fund Recipients

This year's SGF recipients will bring GFW tools and data to more people who can take action against deforestation.

GFW's 2020 Small Grants Fund Recipients | Global Forest Watch Blog

Introducing Global Forest Watch&#8217;s 2020 Small Grants Fund Recipients

Large logs sit on a truck bed in a forest concession in Ghana.

2019 Data

2019 Data | Global Forest Watch Blog

Colombia

Colombia | Global Forest Watch Blog

Cote D'Ivoire

Cote D'Ivoire | Global Forest Watch Blog

We Lost a Football Pitch of Primary Rainforest Every 6 Seconds in 2019

Perdimos el Equivalente a un Campo de Futbol de Selva Tropical Primaria Cada 6 Segundos en 2019

Kita Kehilangan Hutan Hujan Primer Seluas Lapangan Sepak Bola Setiap 6 Detik Pada 2019

Perdemos um Campo de Futebol de Floresta Tropical Primária a Cada 6 Segundos em 2019

Nous Avons Perdu un Terrain de Football de Forêt Tropicale Primaire Toutes les 6 Secondes en 2019

The 2019 data reveals that several countries suffered record tree cover losses, and fires created astonishing impacts in primary forests and beyond.