Forty-two percent of the Amazon Forest has been declared as protected, but deforestation is still a present threat. This presentation discusses what measures Brazil has taken to reduce deforestation in the Amazon Forest, why deforestation is still occurring, and what barriers there are to intensifying agricultural land use as an alternative to clearing more land. Paulo Barreto of IMAZON (Amazon Institute of People and the Environment) gave this presentation on 15 June 2012 at the ‘Economic and policy drivers of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon’ side event organised by CIFOR at Rio+20. The event aimed to review the recent economic and social drivers of the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon region, and to analyse to what extent environmental policies have been effective in decreasing deforestation rates recently.

1. Moving from reducing
deforestation to efficient land use
Paulo Barreto
IMAZON
pbarreto@imazon.org.br

2. 42% of territory as protected areas

3. Confiscation of 3,000 cattle
June 2008
Photos: IBAMA

4. 10,000 embargoed areas
as of early April 2012
in the three States with most deforestation
Source: http://siscom.ibama.gov.br/mapas/

5. Why so much deforestation?
• Poor enforcement
• Subsidized rural credit
• Small holders

6. 2005‐2009
Rosa et al, in press

7. 11 million hectares of underutilized pasture
Source of data: INPE/EMBRAPA

8. Why excessive deforestation?
Tax evasion
Quasi‐open
Low land
access to
tax
land
Extensive
land use

9. Barriers to intensification
Land
suitability
Excessive
rainfall
Topography

10. Barriers to intensification
Risk
Unclear land
tenure
Unstable
environmental
rules

11. Barriers to intensification
Capacity
Knowledge
Poor
infrastructure

12. Stable and
robust Smart
environmental infrastructure
laws
Land tenure
Training
and tax Efficient
land
use