Biomass changes in Xingu Indigenous Park, Brazil

This view of Xingu Indigenous Park and surrounding area, in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil, shows the above-ground biomass (AGB) increases and decreases between 2005 and 2024. Biomass information is derived from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative Biomass initiative. Disturbance and regrowth information was interpreted from the Joint Research Council Tropical Moist Forest product (JRC-TMF).

Areas with decreased above-ground biomass (shown in red) have lost organic matter such as tree branches, trunks and vegetation, through processes such as wildfires or selective logging, thereby releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Area showing loss of biomass are circled near the centre and at the top-right of the image.

Areas with increased above-ground biomass (shown in yellow) have, on the other hand, undergone regrowth and regeneration, thereby capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it within organic material. One area with notable biomass increase is circled on the far-right of the image.

At the top-left of the image, there is an area of undisturbed forest with natural above-ground biomass fluctuations.

The Xingu Indigenous Park is indigenous territory in the Brazilian Amazon. It was first created in 1961 as a national park to protect the environment and Xingu Indigenous peoples in the area.

Read full story: Improved reporting needed on forest carbon emissions