A new JBS-funded Pantanal forest fire taskforce comprising one degree, Brigada Aliança, Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP) and Polo Socioambiental Sesc Pantanal, has been launched with the aim of protect 2.5 million hectares of the biome through early fire detection, big data analysis and rapid response.
The Embrace the Pantanal initiative will combine highly equipped and qualified forestry brigades with next generation analytical, operational and community impact data, to avoid an estimated 15 million tons of CO2 throughout the project. JBS is investing R$ 26 million (US$ 5.33 million) in the initiative.
Initially more than 2.5 million hectares (an area roughly the size of Belgium) will be monitored in Serra do Amolar, the central Pantanal region, overseen by IHP which had more than 90% of its protection network affected by the 2020 mega fires.
Early detection of outbreaks will be facilitated by Pantera software developed by umgrauemeio. The 24/7 system processes high resolution images captured from the communication tower through an artificial intelligence algorithm and automatically identifies the fire teams outbreaks and notifies the cameras. There are plans to triple the scope of the area protected in a second phase.
Embrace the Pantanal is part of a larger Embrace the Forest initiative providing a holistic approach to monitor and manage firefighting in real time, while protecting biodiversity through the integrated Pantera platform for managing forest fires.
Umgrauemeio aims to expand the preserved area in the Pantanal after the first phase as well as extend the project to other national parks and reserves, such as Chapada dos Veadeiros (Goiás), Chapada dos Guimarães (MT), and areas of the Amazon.
“These resources and satellite information provide a breakthrough for fire outbreak detection,” commented Liège Correia, JBS Friboi’s director of Sustainability. “ Actions like this benefit the entire livestock value chain, as fires devastate the ecosystem, seriously harm rural properties and release polluting gases into the atmosphere that causes global warming.”
“In 2020, it was disturbing to see 26% of the Pantanal, one of the world’s main UNESCO biosphere reserves, be consumed by fire, compromising more than 4 million hectares, killing about 17 million vertebrates and emitting millions of tons of CO2 in the atmosphere”, commented Osmar Bambini, Chief Innovation Officer and co-founder of umgrauemeio, when describing the motivation to design the Pantanal monitoring strategy and resilience plan.
The task force brings together Public Ministry representatives, scientists and researchers, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector with the common goal of supporting local institutions that historically fight fires in the biome.