Improved estimates of forest cover and loss in the Brazilian Amazon in 2000-2017

The data, information and knowledge on the tropical forest area and its dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon remain contentious. We use time-series satellite images to quantify annual forest area, loss and gain in the Brazilian Amazon during 2000-2017. We find that forest area was -15% higher than the estimate by the official Brazilian forest dataset (PRODES), but annual forest-loss rates were twice the PRODES estimates (-0.027 x 10(6) km(2) yr(-1) during 2001-2016). Forest-loss rates increased again after 2013. The El Nino and drought year (2015/2016) drove large forest area loss. The cumulative forest-loss area within the protected areas (which include -50% of forests in the region) was -11% of the total forest-loss area, which highlights the roles of protected areas in forest conservation.