Exploratory analysis of Recurrent deforestation warnings in the Brazilian Amazon

Given the role tropical forests play in the Earth’s ecosystem, we need to take advantage of already existing datasets and use them in innovative ways to deepen our understanding of it. In this study, we analyzed the deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon from 2016 to 2021 to assess the spatial distribution of deforestation by recurring degradation. Our findings show that the number of alerts aligns with the well-known deforestation arc and includes forest areas with up to four alerts spaced four years apart, with an average gap of two years between the first and second alerts, and one year between the second and third. These results highlight DETER's potential as a valuable data source for monitoring the progression of deforestation through repeated degradation events.