Mata Atlântica em Pé operation targets illegal deforestation in Brazil

The Mata Atlântica em Pé 2026 operation, a multi-state environmental enforcement initiative, has identified significant illegal deforestation in the Brazilian states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte.

In Ceará, authorities identified over 134 hectares of illegal clearing across 14 municipalities. The coordinated effort involving the Public Ministry of Ceará, Semace, Ibama, and environmental police resulted in 23 infraction notices, 26 embargoes, and R$ 508,000 in fines. The operation utilized geospatial intelligence and remote monitoring systems like MapBiomas Alerta to identify 30 deforestation alerts.

In Rio Grande do Norte, the operation identified approximately 31.86 hectares of illegal deforestation across nine municipalities. This action led to 10 infraction notices, four embargoes, and R$ 2,888,250 in fines. The enforcement in this state was conducted by the Public Ministry, Ibama, Idema, and the Environmental Policing Battalion, combining satellite imagery analysis with on-site inspections.