The challenge

The measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of REDD+ results requires transparent and consistent data on deforestation, degradation and increase of forest carbon stocks, as well as estimates of the amount of carbon per unit of area measured. Decision 1/CP. 16 ("c", paragraph 71), requests Parties aiming to undertake REDD+ activities, in the context of the provision of adequate and predictable support, and in accordance with national circumstances and respective capabilities to develop a robust and transparent national forest monitoring system for the monitoring and reporting of REDD+ activities. If appropriate, subnational monitoring and reporting of REDD+ activities is allowed, as an interim measure.

Brazil has a huge territory and vast areas of native vegetation, which is a challenge for measuring REDD+ results. This challenge has been addressed through remote sensing technologies, data from RADAMBRASIL carbon map and field surveys, which allows for estimating emissions and removal of CO₂ in the land use change and forestry sector.

Concentrating efforts in the Amazon

In recent decades, Brazil has developed its systems for monitoring forest cover considerably, especially in the Amazon region. Deforestation data for clearcutting of forested areas in the Amazon, are assessed annually by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE, in Portuguese), through PRODES (link in Portuguese), which has a time series initiated in 1988.

In addition to PRODES, INPE has developed other systems to monitor the Amazon and provide additional information:

• Deter is real time deforestation detection system. It guides environmental enforcement efforts, tracking deforestation polygons on a daily basis. Its time series started in 2004. (link in Portuguese)
• Degrad monitors forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon. Its time series started in 2007. (link in Portuguese)
• TerraClass provides data on land use in the deforested areas identified by PRODES. The assessment provides valuable information on the dynamics of land use in the region, providing guidance to plan land-use policies for the Amazon. (link in Portuguese)

Initiatives in the other biomes

The other Brazilian biomes - Cerrado, Caatinga, Mata Atlântica, Pantanal and Pampa - are monitored by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA, in Portuguese), through the Project of Satellite Deforestation Monitoring of the Brazilian Biomes (PMDBBS, in Portuguese) . The project produced data on accumulated deforestation for the period between 2002 and 2008 and deforested area in 2009. Deforested area in 2010 in the Cerrado biome is also available. INPE and IBAMA have been working together to deliver forest monitoring system for the Cerrado. As of 2016, this system should generate annual deforestation assessments, consistent with what PRODES does with the Legal Amazon. In addition to that, the Brazilian government has plans to establish forest monitoring systems to carry out systematic assessment of all of its biomes in the near future.

Considering that forest fires occur in all Brazilian biomes and that it contributes to forest degradation, INPE has developed a specific satellite monitoring system for fire outbreaks and forest fires and to calculate and assess the risk of fire nationwide (INPE-Queimadas, in Portuguese). With the available information, INPE is developing a methodology to automate the calculation of the estimated burned area and the ensuing emissions.

The improvement of monitoring systems and protocols for the entire Brazilian territory - particularly for areas outside the Amazon - is required to enable payments for REDD+ results achieved at the national level. For the moment, Brazil's submissions of REDD+ results include data on the Amazon only.