Alarming patterns of mature forest loss in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Controlling tropical deforestation requires a detailed understanding of its drivers. Here we provide for the first time a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative time-series analysis of mature forest loss within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a well-known global biodiversity hotspot. From 2010 to 2020 we detected 14,401 deforestation polygons, resulting in a loss of 186,289 ha, most of it with a high likelihood of illegality. This loss occurred mainly in small-sized patches on private lands for agricultural expansion, although it also occurred in protected areas and indigenous lands. Deforestation is concentrated in two hotspots involving different agricultural actors and land use change processes. This scenario poses risks of species extinction, ecosystem service losses, and a weakened capacity to address climate change in a densely populated region. This data challenges the effectiveness of the current mechanisms used to face deforestation. However, our data provides subisidies to prevent it and move towards zero deforestation.