Mapping soybean expansion and associated natural vegetation loss across South America 2000-2019

Keywords: Agriculture, Deforestation, Soybean, South America, Landsat, Sentinel 2, MODIS
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 36

Abstract

Agricultural extensification at the expense of natural vegetation loss is a central environmental issue in the tropics as well as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. A prominent goal of public and private policies mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss is to achieve zero-deforestation in the global supply chain of key commodities, such as palm oil and soybean. Here we mapped annual soybean expansion in South America between 2000 and 2019 by combining satellite observations and statistical field data. From 2000-2019, the area cultivated with soybean more than doubled from 26.4 Mha to 55.1 Mha. Most soybean expansion occurred on pastures originally converted from natural vegetation for cattle production. The most rapid expansion occurred in the Brazilian Amazon, where soybean area increased more than 10-fold, from 0.4 Mha to 4.6 Mha. Across the continent, 9% of forest loss was converted to soybean by 2016. Soy-driven deforestation was concentrated at the active frontiers, nearly half located in the Brazilian Cerrado. Efforts to limit future deforestation must consider how soybean expansion may drive deforestation indirectly by displacing pasture or other land uses. Holistic approaches that track land use across all commodities coupled with vegetation monitoring are required to maintain critical ecosystem services. The developed 30m resolution, annual soybean map product is freely available at: https://glad.earthengine.app/view/south-america-soybean