The initiative We're watchingThe organization, comprised of various socio-environmental organizations that works to identify and combat deforestation and violations of the territorial rights of traditional peoples and communities in the Cerrado, is launching a website with an exclusive platform for monitoring the biome this Environment Month. The page www.tamodeolho.org.br It features a new tool that offers advanced resources for filtering and viewing important information about deforestation cases and provides technical support so that any citizen can report them to the appropriate authorities.
The public will also be able to access general information about the initiative's activities, publications, studies, and other related content, all with the purpose of providing accurate and up-to-date data for the development of effective strategies in identifying priority cases and political and legal advocacy focused on the Cerrado region.
The "Tamo de Olho" (Watching) initiative operates throughout the Cerrado biome, focusing its efforts on the states of MATOPIBA (Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia), Brazil's main agricultural frontier and the region most impacted by the expansion of agribusiness. The initiative utilizes satellite data and information from public geospatial databases to promote legal and political advocacy and support grassroots organizations in developing strategies to defend their territories and combat deforestation.
Recently released data shows that the Cerrado has risen to the top of the deforestation ranking in Brazil. The numbers are alarming, with records of 1.326 km² of devastation in May alone. This number represents an 83% increase compared to the same period of the previous year, according to information recently released by the DETER System of INPE (National Institute for Space Research).
In this context, traditional peoples and communities, who play a fundamental role in biodiversity conservation and the sustainable generation of income in the biome, have their rights severely impacted by territorial conflicts and the use of natural resources, such as water. Among the groups affected by the conversion of the biome for agricultural expansion are quilombola communities, geraizeiros, vazanteiros, riverside dwellers, artisanal fishermen, indigenous peoples, and others.
The monitoring platform
With the goal of providing more comprehensive information and strengthening efforts to defend the Cerrado biome and the rights of traditional populations, the new "We're Watching" platform It offers resources to identify and prioritize cases of deforestation in the Cerrado. Through interactive maps or lists, users can access the ranking of cases, selecting criteria such as location, period, overlap with indigenous lands, quilombola territories, conservation units and other protected areas, and much more. In addition, it is possible to download georeferenced files containing detailed information about the cases of interest.
The data for the new tool comes from various sources, including MapBiomas Alerta. The “Tamo de Olho” platform also meticulously processes the collected information, including correcting overlaps in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) data to ensure the accuracy of the analyses performed.
Based on a selection made by users, MapBiomas data is cross-referenced with other databases, such as those of the MMA (Ministry of the Environment); FUNAI (National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples) and INCRA (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform).
I'm on the map
Another important database used is Tô No Mapa, an application for self-mapping territories of Traditional Peoples and Communities and Family Farmers, which has already identified 241 communities.
About Tamo de Olho
The initiative, launched in 2021, is carried out through a partnership between WWF-Brazil, the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), the Cerrado Network, the Cerrados Institute and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), in addition to the collaboration of the Observatory of Socio-environmental Conflicts of MATOPIBA.
Learn more www.tamodeolho.org.br
Photo: ISPN Archive/André Dib
Text: Press offices of Rede Cerrado, WWF and ISPN