Imazon

Imazon, formally the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment, is a Brazilian nonprofit research organization headquartered in Belém, Pará. Its work is centered on conserving the Amazon rainforest while promoting forms of economic and social development that are compatible with environmental protection. The institute was established on 10 July 1990 at the initiative of American ecologist Christopher Uhl, who was then a visiting researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, together with Adalberto Veríssimo, David McGrath and Paulo Barreto. Its original mission was to support sustainable development in the Brazilian Amazon through independent research, applied fieldwork and public-policy engagement. Imazon operates at the intersection of environmental monitoring, economics, land-use governance, law, climate policy and sustainable production. Its research has examined deforestation, forest degradation, the rehabilitation of cleared land, forestry, agriculture and cattle ranching, particularly in the eastern Amazon. The institute has also worked directly with timber operators to identify harvesting practices that reduce ecological damage. In addition to producing research for academic and public audiences, Imazon has been consulted by Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and other public institutions during the preparation of environmental policy documents. A central part of Imazon’s identity is the conversion of scientific analysis into practical monitoring and decision-support tools. In 2006, it developed the Deforestation Alert System, known in Portuguese as Sistema de Alerta de Desmatamento, or SAD. The system uses remote sensing and analytical methods to identify and communicate signs of deforestation in the Amazon. Imazon later contributed data and technical capabilities to broader forest-monitoring initiatives, including collaboration with the World Resources Institute on Global Forest Watch. Its monitoring outputs have also been made accessible through online visualization tools developed with technology partners, enabling users to inspect and annotate mapped forest changes. The institute is supported by Brazilian and international donors and collaborates with public agencies, private organizations, universities and nongovernmental groups. Brazil’s Ministry of Justice has recognized it as a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest, or Oscip, a legal status for qualifying public-interest civil-society organizations. By 2016, Imazon reported a substantial body of work comprising more than 300 technical papers, 150 articles on technical and public-policy issues, and 111 books. The International Center for Climate Governance ranked Imazon 53rd globally among independent centers working on economics and climate-change policy in 2015. Imazon is best understood not as a consumer-facing brand but as an independent Amazon-focused knowledge institution. Its influence comes from research credibility, field experience, environmental data, monitoring systems and participation in policy discussions. Its principal audiences include government decision-makers, researchers, civil-society organizations, responsible businesses, journalists and the public. The organization’s continuing role is to make environmental change in the Amazon more measurable and visible while supporting policies and land-use practices intended to reduce deforestation and improve the sustainability of regional development.

Imazon was founded in Belém, Pará, on 10 July 1990 by ecologist Christopher Uhl, Adalberto Veríssimo, David McGrath and Paulo Barreto. The organization emerged from a need for independent, locally grounded research on the relationship between economic activity and environmental change in the Brazilian Amazon. Its founding mission was to promote sustainable development in the region, an objective that required combining ecological science with knowledge of forestry, agriculture, ranching, land tenure, law and public administration. During its development, Imazon became known for applied studies of the eastern Amazon. Researchers investigated how timber extraction could be conducted with lower environmental impact, examined the economics of forest use, and assessed options for restoring areas that had already been cleared. This approach distinguished the institute from organizations focused solely on advocacy: Imazon sought to produce evidence that could be used by public authorities, businesses and civil-society groups when designing or evaluating land-use policies. The institute’s work expanded into systematic environmental monitoring. In 2006, Imazon introduced the Deforestation Alert System, or SAD, to identify and communicate indications of forest loss. The system used algorithms and remote-sensing information to make deforestation trends more timely and accessible. Later technical collaborations helped connect Imazon’s monitoring outputs with online mapping and annotation tools. Imazon also partnered with the World Resources Institute in the development of Global Forest Watch, a platform intended to support near-real-time monitoring of forests worldwide. In December 2009, Google demonstrated its cloud-based Earth Engine concept using Imazon’s SAD data, together with data from the Carnegie Institution for Science’s CLASlite system, to show how users could visualize changes in forest cover. This helped illustrate the wider value of Imazon’s work: research and monitoring generated in the Amazon could be integrated into digital tools used by international audiences. Imazon has maintained a collaborative funding and operating model, receiving support from national and international donors while working with government agencies, private organizations and nongovernmental institutions. Brazil’s Ministry of Justice designated it as a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest. The institute has also contributed to policy preparation for Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and other public bodies. By 2016, its published output included more than 300 technical papers, 150 technical or public-policy articles and 111 books, according to the organization’s cited reference material. Its work has covered environmental monitoring, sustainability, economics, law, public policy and climate change. The institute’s research reputation reflects both long-term regional specialization and the practical use of its findings in conservation planning and governance. In 2015, the International Center for Climate Governance ranked Imazon 53rd among independent centers worldwide working on economics and climate-change policy. Imazon remains an active Amazon-focused nonprofit whose principal institutional assets are its research record, monitoring expertise, partnerships and ability to communicate environmental conditions to decision-makers and the public.

• 2016

  Publication record exceeds 300 technical papers

  [1]Imazon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  Cited reference material reports that Imazon had published more than 300 technical papers, 150 technical or public-policy articles and 111 books by this point.

• 2015

  Recognition in climate-policy research ranking

  [1]Imazon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  The International Center for Climate Governance ranks Imazon 53rd worldwide among independent centers focused on economics and climate-change policy.

• 2009

  Earth Engine demonstration incorporates Imazon monitoring

  [1]Imazon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  Google demonstrates cloud-based forest-change visualization using Imazon’s deforestation-alert data.

• 2006

  Launch of the Deforestation Alert System

  [1]Imazon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  Imazon develops the Sistema de Alerta de Desmatamento to detect and disseminate information about deforestation in the Amazon.

• 1990

  Imazon is founded in Belém

  [1]Imazon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

  Christopher Uhl, Adalberto Veríssimo, David McGrath and Paulo Barreto establish Imazon with a mission to promote sustainable development in the Brazilian Amazon.

Independent nonprofit research institute translating scientific, geospatial and field-based knowledge into Amazon conservation policy and sustainable-development practice.

• Environmental monitoring system · 2006

  Sistema de Alerta de Desmatamento (SAD)

  Imazon’s Deforestation Alert System uses remote-sensing information and analytical algorithms to identify signs of forest clearing in the Amazon. Its purpose is to make deforestation information available more quickly than conventional annual assessments and to support enforcement, research, journalism and public accountability. The system became one of the institute’s most recognizable technical contributions.

• Research and policy analysis · 1990

  Amazon conservation research

  Imazon produces studies covering deforestation, forest degradation, restoration of cleared land, forestry, agriculture, ranching, climate change, environmental law and public policy. The work combines field research and economic analysis with practical recommendations for government agencies, businesses and civil-society organizations operating in or concerned with the Brazilian Amazon.

• Reports, articles and books · 1990

  Technical publications

  The institute disseminates its findings through technical papers, public-policy articles, reports and books. These publications address environmental conditions and development choices in the Amazon and are intended for both specialist and policy audiences. The documented output includes hundreds of technical papers and a substantial book catalogue.

• 2009

  Extend monitoring through digital and international partnershipsStrategy

  Background

  Forest-monitoring data could reach a broader audience when integrated with cloud computing, online mapping and international forest-information platforms.

  Action taken

  Imazon worked with technology and conservation partners, including Vizzuality, Google Earth Engine-related initiatives and the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch effort.

  Aftermath

  Imazon’s Amazon monitoring outputs became part of demonstrations and platforms designed to help users visualize and examine forest change.

  Source

• 2006

  Create a dedicated deforestation-alert platformProduct launch

  Background

  Existing information about Amazon forest loss needed to become more timely and usable for monitoring and public decision-making.

  Action taken

  Imazon developed the Sistema de Alerta de Desmatamento, using algorithms and remote-sensing data to identify and communicate deforestation alerts.

  Aftermath

  The system became a foundation for Imazon’s monitoring work and was later used in technology collaborations involving online mapping and forest-change visualization.

  Source

1. 1Imazon — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Imazon official websiteimazon.org.br