Satellite Surveillance

The new licensing system is based upon an georeferenced satellite image - a satellite picture of the relevant property, plus other information - which can be retained by the owner of a particular property and which contains details of the areas being exploited, areas to be exploited and those areas to be preserved - according to current legislation - are entered. The image-chart is then compared with the data obtained from the satellite images stored on a databased maintained by the monitoring body. In this way, irregular logging on target properties can be verified.

Owners of properties discovered to be acting against the law have an opportunity to legalize their situation by signing a "Conduct Adjustment Accord" with the State Attorney's Office, undertaking to remedy any damage that has been caused. The whole process is in accordance with the Brazilian Forest Code (Law Number 4.771/65), which determines that in Amazônia 80% of woodland on any property cannot be felled. According to the same law, any forest near to aquifers or on the sides and tops of mountains must be preserved.

In addition to regularizing rural properties and training those bodies responsible for applying environmental policies, the new environmental licensing system has contributed towards changing the mentality of producers as regards the use and economic occupation of forest areas. Furthermore, the system has succeeded in contributing to the broadening and consolidation of protected areas, since compensation mechanisms can be adopted in the course of the regularization process leading to the acquisition of private forests near to protected areas.

In view of the promising results that have been obtained from the system in the state of Mato Grosso, the Ministry of the Environment has negotiated its use, from 2002 onwards, in the states of Pará and Rondônia, which, together with the state of Mato Grosso, have the highest deforestation figures of all Amazônia. The overall objective is to expand the system to the whole region from the next year onwards.