The Brazilian research institute using cutting-edge technology to stave off deforestation in the Amazon   

Imazon has developed AI deforestation prediction models that inform policies and help law enforcement protect the Amazon rainforest, while promoting sustainable economic growth      

The dark green area on a digital map, studded with yellow, orange and red dots, may not mean much to an untrained eye. But for the researchers at the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment, a Brazilian and Amazonian non-profit scientific institution known as Imazon, this map tells a dramatic story of the fight for the survival of the Amazon rainforest – the largest ecosystem in the world that produces 20 per cent of the planet's oxygen. 

Each dot is a place where Imazon believes deforestation will occur, and each colour signals the degree of the risk, based on satellite data and artificial- intelligence-based modelling.   In 2021, the year of the map’s launch, these dots helped identify 15,000 square kilometres of high-risk forest areas -- 71 per cent of which was subsequently saved; informed more than 4,400 environmental legal cases and helped uncover 99 per cent of illegal deforestation.  

"Brazil will not be the same without the Amazon rainforest. And the planet will not be the same," says Carlos Souza, an Associate Researcher at Imazon. The dotted map on his screen, created from satellite imagery, shows the areas facing the threat of deforestation by cattle ranching and logging industries.  

The institute has tracked the dynamics of deforestation in the Amazon from 1985 to 2024. Its goal was to not merely engage in a scientific exercise or create a historic record, but to come up with a practical tool that would enable Brazilian society  – its government, its law enforcement and its businesses – to work together to prevent further destruction of the Amazon, and at the same time support sustainable economic growth.  "I believe we sparked a movement. The Amazon is a great laboratory," Souza says.  

Imazon was established 35 years ago through the efforts of American ecologist Christopher Uhl. Uhl came to Brazil as a visiting researcher in the 1980s and grew increasingly concerned about the limited understanding and rare documentation of changes taking place in the Amazon. The creation of the institute marked the emergence of a new generation of scientists specializing in this field.   

The organization's first office was a small house, where 15 researchers worked at odd hours, so they could share the only three computers they had. Since then, Imazon has published over a thousand studies, including 144 books.    

Today, the institute uses artificial intelligence to analyse large volumes of satellite data and develop accurate prediction models. Of all its deforestation alerts, 73 per cent have occurred within 4 kilometres of the predicted location. These early warnings inform government policies and strengthen law enforcement. "This is a significant paradigm shift that artificial intelligence, cloud computing and new algorithms allow, giving us even more precise information about the near future of the Amazon and helping prevent scenarios of destruction," Souza says.  

Imazon's data has been used by institutions like the National Monetary Council, which distributes agricultural credits based on applicants' environmental compliance. The institute also has official partnerships with several prosecutor's offices in the region to eliminate deforestation caused by illegal ranching and logging.   

Besides data analysis, Imazon carries out extensive fieldwork with local communities to support sustainable practices and protected forest areas. "Science doesn't come from the outside — it comes from within. So, we bring our research knowledge and connect it with local ancestral knowledge [and] the wisdom of the peoples of the forest — Indigenous, Riverside, and Quilombola Peoples," says Ritaumaria Pereira, Imazon's Executive Director.  

One of Imazon's big achievements was helping to break down the false dichotomy between "conservation" and "development." When the organization was established, the conversation surrounding the sustainable use of forest resources was highly polarized.  

While some groups refused to believe that sustainable forest management was possible and thought that any timber extraction in the Amazon should be forbidden, others sought to engage in predatory extraction without any protection measures or regulation.  

Imazon's research demonstrated that sustainable timber extraction was possible and that forest management regulations could significantly reduce the environmental impact of the industry while maintaining its economic gains.  

"In fact, Brazil has already shown that it can do its homework. Between 2004 and 2012, deforestation dropped by 84 per cent. During the same period, the Amazon's GDP more than doubled. And that dismantles the entire notion that economic development is tied to devastation," Pereira says.  

However, despite these significant gains that must be acknowledged and celebrated, deforestation in the Amazon remains a pressing issue not only for the governments in the region but for the entire world.  

"Even with all this arsenal of tools for monitoring, we continue losing the forest — at a lower intensity, at a lower annual rate, but deforestation continues every year," Souza says. He believes that achieving net zero deforestation is a realistic goal, which can be accomplished through the restoration of deforested and unproductive areas, bringing back biodiversity and capturing carbon. 

While Imazon can continue leveraging the newest technology and educating various actors on best forest management practices, success will ultimately depend on the political will and accountability.  

"When I started working, I thought the challenge was technological. I thought it was a lack of information. It's not. Today it's clear that what we need are assertive public policy decisions for conservation and sustainable use of Amazon resources," Souza says. Then he adds with an attitude of cautious optimism, indispensable to his work: "It is still possible to win this battle. I am very hopeful. There is still time. But we don't have much time."