METHODOLOGICAL NOTE FOR THE USE OF MAPBIOMAS ALERTA DATA IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR AND RURAL CREDIT ANALYSIS
The MapBiomas Alerta initiative provides deforestation/conversion alerts from various sources (such as DETER/INPE, GFW, SAD etc.) ont a public and free platform. These alerts have been verified, validated and spatially overlaid with government territorial databases (SICAR/SFB, SIGEF/INCRA, IBAMA, ICMBio etc.). Details about the methodology are available at: https://alerta.mapbiomas.org/metodologia.
It is important to note that MapBiomas does not evaluate the legality, responsibility, and/or restrictions regarding the validated and published alerts on the MapBiomas Alerta platform. Therefore, users interested in using the information contained in deforestation reports, including financial institutions, are responsible for evaluating such information based on documents and information obtained from the parties involved or competent public agencies.
The MapBiomas Alerta initiative aims to verify, validate, refine, and analyze each deforestation alert detected by automated systems using high-resolution satellite imagery. It provides detailed reports with territorial cross-referencing in a public, transparent, and free manner. To qualify the alerts, MapBiomas uses and consumes the embargo database from environmental agencies, as well as other public databases related to vegetation suppression authorizations (ASV), alternative land use (UAS), and other databases on infraction notices or actions carried out and made available by the competent public agencies. The MapBiomas Alerta initiative is constantly improving and updating so that information that qualifies the alerts (SIGEF properties, CAR properties, Conservation Unit boundaries, vegetation suppression or alternative land use authorization, embargoes and lifting of embargoes, inspection actions, etc.) is as up-to-date and complete as possible. We always make available the source, month, and year that these databases were consulted so that users, when necessary, can use the most up-to-date official information in their analyses and decisions.
The MapBiomas Alerta platform reports any validated loss of natural vegetation based on high-resolution satellite imagery, without evaluating the legality or responsibility of the deforestation. When there is an authorization for vegetation suppression (ASV) or alternative land use authorization (UAS) that has been registered and published in SINAFLOR (IBAMA) corresponding to the alert area, or voluntarily added by a user on the platform, this information remains public in the respective alert report for any user who accesses it.
Any regularization, authorization acquisition, commitment terms, or equivalents should be addressed with the competent government agency and do not result in the removal or cancellation of the alert on the MapBiomas Alerta platform. The eventual cancellation of an alert will only occur if it is technically proven that there has been no loss or removal of native vegetation.
We emphasize that, in the case of credit analysis by financial institutions, it is recommended that managers and responsible staff request documentation from the client to verify the legality of the deforestation/conversion and internally verify the procedures adopted by the institution to evaluate financing requests in such situations.
Without prejudice to the exclusive responsibility of the financial institution operating rural credit to request and analyze the documents related to the deforestation alert, we suggest some precautions in the credit analysis:
- Define a minimum overlapping area with the property, considering the specificities of the regions and biomes, to avoid, for example, a neighboring deforestation affecting the credit of a property due to small discrepancies that may exist in the databases. The report of the alert in the rural property presents both the total area in hectares of the deforestation and the area deforested within the property. This information can be used to calculate the percentage of the alert that occurred within the property.
- Não considerar para restrição de crédito alertas de que tenham como vetor de pressão “Eventos Climáticos Extremos”, que incluem áreas de perda de vegetação nativa por deslizamentos, inundações, fortes ventos e outros.
- Adopt specific procedures for analyzing rural settlements and collective Rural Environmental Registrations (CARs) to prevent deforestation in individual lots from impacting access to credit for the entire community.
For further clarifications, please contact us via email at suporte.alerta@mapbiomas.org.