Is Brazil now in control of deforestation in the Amazon?

Abstract

In the past 10 years, deforestation in the Amazon has been annually decreasing, the figures in 2014 representing less than 20 % of what they were in 2004. Does this mean Brazil now controls the phenomenon? Answering this question is a complex task because deforestation unfolds through several dimensions: economic (what are the rationales behind deforestation), social (access to land, land conflicts), environmental (impacts on climate, local or global effects, biodiversity) and geopolitical (the role of Brazil in international negotiations on climate and GES emissions). The enormous size of the Amazon rainforest adds to this complexity, as the issues at stake are not necessarily the same throughout the region. Despite this complexity, we will provide a synthesis of the principal issues underlying deforestation. We will first recall how, when and where this phenomenon appeared and expanded in the Brazilian Amazon, and what the consequences are on multiple scales. We will then analyse the causes and the social stakeholders involved. Lastly, we will present the actions led by the Brazilian Federal government since 2004 to curb the phenomenon. The conclusion will lead us to think about the limits of current policies and the challenges which remain to be addressed.