Deforestation Control Research Articles

Transition in environmental governance in the Brazilian Amazon: emergence of a new pattern of socio-economic development and deforestation

Socio-economic development in the Brazilian Amazon is currently reaching national averages although deforestation activity has been declining for a decade. As a consequence, recent studies rejected the widely agreed boom-and-bust development hypothesis that deforestation first generates an economic boom, which is then followed by a collapse as forest resources are depleted. Here, we confirm these studies that there is no boom-bust cycle and suggest that a new pattern of relationship between deforestation and socio-economic development has emerged following an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). In this scenario, environmental degradation increases in the early stages of economic development and decreases in later stages as the economy develops and wellbeing increases. To validate this assumption, we conducted the first sub-municipal analysis of socio-economic development and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon for the 2000–2010 period. Our results confirm the emergence of an EKC relationship with a turning point beyond which socio-economic growth does not appear anymore to be a driver of deforestation. We also emphasize that areas subjected to active deforestation in 2010 present lower socio-economic indicators than stabilized areas, pointing to the precarious socio-economic situation of areas still undergoing active deforestation. We put these results in perspective by considering Brazilian efforts to ensure a transition in environmental governance with the objective of promoting land use sustainability through control of deforestation at the same time as supporting socio-economic development.

Monitoring negotiation strategy for Forestry Voluntary Carbon Market with North Korea

South Korea launched a national carbon-trading scheme (including forestry carbon offsets) in January 2015 to stimulate corporate efforts in reducing carbon emission. South Korean enterprises are under an obligation to search for offset forests, and North Korean forests represent a potential option. This study begins by identifying whether satellite imagery could be used for Forestry Voluntary Carbon Market in North Korea by interdisciplinary interpretation. Close interaction between social science and remote sensing discipline examined negotiation monitoring target such as government failure for deforestation control and calculating opportunity cost, and seek out matches between the technical capabilities of satellites and monitoring negotiation requirements. The second part of this study presented referential variables, stakes and chips of negotiation such as measurement, reporting and verification enforcement methodology, types of forest carbon markets and human rights-based approach as springboards to prepare for intergovernmental dialogue with North Korea. This research could be a valuable reference for utilizing the capabilities of satellites in monitoring negotiation with North Korea by suggesting realistic interdisciplinary interaction between remote sensing and social Science.

Stochastic Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Tipping Risk

One of the major potential consequences of climate change is damage to earth’s ecosystems, damage which could manifest itself in the form of tipping risks. We establish an economic growth model of ecosystem tipping risks, set in the context of possible forest dieback. We consider different specifications of impacts arising from the forest dieback tipping point, specifications such as changes in the system dynamics of the forests, changes in the forest mass, and impacts on economic output. We also consider endogenous and exogenous tipping point probabilities. For each specification we compute the optimal policies for forest management and emission control. Our results show qualitative differences in patterns of post-tipping event, optimal forest harvest, and either precautionary or aggressive pre-tipping event harvest patterns, a feature consistent with the findings of the existing literature. Optimal control of deforestation and carbon dioxide emission reduction also exhibits varied patterns of post- and pre-tipping levels depending on the nature of the tipping risk. Still, today’s optimal policy is one of more stringent emissions control in presence of a potential forest dieback tipping point.

Analyzing the Spatial Dynamics of Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon

Historically, development in Brazilian Amazon was promoted by permits of deforestation under soft territory control or supervision. However, due to the importance of this biome for biodiversity and ecosystem balance in a global perspective, Brazilian's government has tightened deforestation control. This work investigates the spatial pattern of deforestation in a cross-section and time perspective using global and local spatial data analysis. Global results indicate the existence of high spatial correlation and that deforestation holds concentrated across space, despite the efficacy of policy mechanisms adopted for controlling and reducing the level of deforestation in Legal Amazon. Furthermore, local results support the hypothesis of high spillover effects. Considering the spatial analysis results, we highlight some implications for policy design aiming deforestation control.

Is Brazil now in control of deforestation in the Amazon?

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.

Does certification improve biodiversity conservation in Brazilian coffee farms?

Socio-environmental certification uses evaluation criteria to promote the conservation of the natural environment and landscape connectivity, with the aim of constructing agricultural landscapes more suitable for biodiversity conservation. To test this, we examine whether socio-environmental certification of Brazilian coffee farms contributes to local conservation, particularly in terms of deforestation control, habitat protection and regeneration, and connectivity. The analysis compared changes in landscape structure and connectivity in certified farms before (1995–2002) and after nine years from the beginning of the certification process (2002–2011), using as a reference the surrounding landscape and a control group of non-certified farms. To quantify changes in landscape connectivity we used probabilistic indices of functional connectivity based on graph theory, and two species of terrestrial mammals with contrasting dispersal capacities and habitat requirements: Priodontes maximus (giant armadillo) and Marmosops incanus (gray slender mouse opossum). Our results show that changes in the last decade have been subtle, but that certified farms differ from surrounding areas for the greater deforestation control and habitat availability for both land cover types, and for the greater connectivity for P. maximus. The difference between certified and non-certified farms is not clear-cut, however, we have evidence that the certified farms contributed more than the surrounding areas to the conservation of the studied species when the balance of gains and losses of connectivity is considered. The subtle differences in temporal changes and groups might be partially explained by the fact that certified farms already had a different conservation profile at the beginning of the certification process. Despite the limitations in the sampling size (small number) and time scale (only nine years after certification) which may hinders the detection of certification effects, our findings indicate that certification was important in controlling deforestation and the conversion of new natural areas to agricultural lands.

Potential land availability for agricultural expansion in the Brazilian Amazon

The Amazon hosts one of the largest stocks of arable land in the world. However, little is known about the available extent of agricultural land in conformity with legal, agronomical and environmental requirements. This study aims to identify and quantify potentially available areas for agricultural expansion in the Brazilian Amazon considering the extent of: (i) legally available forested lands, (ii) previously converted lands with suitable productive capacity and (iii) previously converted lands free of land use conflicts. This analysis was carried out by integrating georeferenced information on land use, soil fertility, terrain slope, biomass, protected areas and land use policies (e.g. Brazilian Forest Code) into a conditional decision support procedure, based on Boolean inference techniques. Our results showed that 11.69% (493,103.03km2) of the Brazilian Amazon would be potentially available for agricultural expansion in the year 2010. This area was essentially dominated by forests (59.37%), followed by previously converted lands (40.63%). The extent of this area was equivalent to 75.86% of the total cultivated area in Brazil in 2010. However, the effective usage of these areas would have direct political and environmental implications. First, it is expected that the effective usage of available forests would detract recent achievements of the Brazilian Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon, which has reduced deforestation by 79% from historical rates. Moreover, the conversion of these areas could result in a committed emission of 13±1Pg CO2eq to the atmosphere which is equivalent to the total emissions from land cover change registered in Brazil during the 2000–2010 period. Therefore, the compensation of environmental liabilities stands as the most consistent destination for the available forests mapped in this study. To minimize environmental impacts, agricultural expansion in the Brazilian Amazon should be restricted to already converted areas. This land cover class totalizes 200,000km2, which could support agricultural expansion without promoting the advance of deforestation.

DETER-B: The New Amazon Near Real-Time Deforestation Detection System

The Brazilian Legal Amazon (BLA), the largest global rainforest on earth, contains nearly 30% of the rainforest on earth. Given the regional complexity and dynamics, there are large government investments focused on controlling and preventing deforestation. The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) is currently developing five complementary BLA monitoring systems, among which the near real-time deforestation detection system (DETER) excels. DETER employs MODIS 250 m imagery and almost daily revisit, enabling an early warning system to support surveillance and control of deforestation. The aim of this paper is to present the methodology and results of the DETER based on AWIFS data, called DETER-B. Supported by 56 m images, the new system is effective in detecting deforestation smaller than 25 ha, concentrating 80% of its total detections and 45% of the total mapped area in this range. It also presents higher detection capability in identifying areas between 25 and 100 ha. The area estimation per municipality is statistically equal to those of the official deforestation data (PRODES) and allows the identification of degradation and logging patterns not observed with the traditional DETER system.

The parallel materialization of REDD + implementation discourses in Brazil

The concept of Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) dominates international debates on the role of forests in climate change mitigation, but concrete implementation remains a challenge. In contrast to this general trend, Brazil emerged as a noteworthy exception due to the widespread implementation of major REDD+ initiatives. This research paper aims at understanding the implementation of REDD+ in Brazil from a discursive perspective. The analysis identifies two discourses that are guiding the implementation of REDD+ in different ways. On the one hand, advocates of a sustainable development discourse conceive REDD+ as a centralized mechanism to foster pre-existing deforestation control and sustainable economic activities through centralized mechanisms such as the Amazon Fund. On the other hand, a number of disconnected actors follow a carbon commodification discourse inspired by the idea of neoliberal conservation and create REDD+ projects to provide carbon offset to voluntary markets. The analysis of these discourses reveal that implementation processes do not rely on discursive convergence, but rather culminate in the parallel development and implementation of distinct REDD+ discourses that are at the same time competing, coexisting and collaborating on different levels.

Deforestation control policies in Brazil: sovereignty versus the market

After achieving a 76% reduction in the annual rate of deforestation in the Amazon using command and control policies, the Brazilian government developed a national REDD+ strategy, which it has since merged with its reform of the Forest Code. This is an important political, economic and environmental step in view of the amounts of land, carbon and money involved. This article addresses Brazil's insistence on sovereignty over its forest resources and questions the capacity of carbon markets to assist in conservation. We start by describing the success of Brazil's efforts to halt deforestation. We then identify player strategies in the ‘Sovereignty versus the market’ debate surrounding the implementation of REDD+. Finally, we discuss whether the markets for land- and forest-based environmental services encouraged by the Forest Code have the potential to contribute to further reductions in deforestation.

Deforestation Control and Agricultural Supply in Brazil

AbstractBrazil has dramatically increased its agricultural area under cultivation, in the process becoming a major food exporter at the cost of natural forests. A new challenge is to meet the food demands of an expanding world population in the face of pessimistic climate change scenarios and the increasing scarcity of land. Can Brazil help meet rising world food demand while conserving its tropical rainforests? To address this question we simulate outcomes using a large dynamic multiregional computable general equilibrium model of Brazil to model land use over 20 years in 90 zones and 14 agricultural sectors. The model features a land‐use change module based on a transition matrix obtained from satellite imagery. We analyze two scenarios of deforestation reduction, both linked to actual policy proposals. Model results indicate several mechanisms that allow food output to increase without expanding land supply. In particular, we stress the role of Brazil's vast, low‐yield pasture area as a source of future cropland. Thus, we find that controlling deforestation leads to rather small decreases in food output—which could be neutralized by tiny exogenous productivity improvements. We conclude that the decrease in deforestation will not significantly compromise Brazilian agricultural supply capacity in the foreseeable future.

What Comes after Deforestation Control? Learning from Three Attempts of Land-use Planning in Southern Amazonia

According to recent reports on deforestation control, Brazil’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are successful. This is attributed to a combination of command-and-control style of public regulation and civil society pressure. Looking beyond decreasing deforestation rates reveals a different picture for the future of GHG optimized land use in Brazil. Command-andcontrol regulation seems to work as long as prohibitive measures against deforestation are concerned. However, as soon as tailormade policies for complex issues such as land-use planning are required, the outcomes are ambiguous. Comparing the origins, the actors and the perspectives of three different cases of resource governance in Southern Amazonia, we show that the major challenges of regulation attempts are the lack of transparency and the appropriation of state agencies by powerful groups. Due to institutional weakness, the various regulation efforts fail to consider the system links needed for effective implementation. To conclude, we provide suggestions to possibly overcome the problems through innovative forms of governance.

Election-driven weakening of deforestation control in the Brazilian Amazon

Commodity prices, exchange rate, infrastructural projects and migration patterns are known and important drivers of Amazon deforestation, but cannot solely explain the high rates observed in 1995 and 2003–2004 in six Brazilian Amazon states. Deforestation predictions using those widely applied drivers can underestimate deforestation rates by as much as 50%. We show that years with the highest deforestation rates also correlate with large administrative shifts caused by presidential elections which results in periods of managerial instability associated with episodic inefficiency, leading to weak institutions unable to properly combat illegal deforestation. Although surveillance and regulatory action plans to combat deforestation have held back deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon since 2005, our results suggest that environmental management institutions should be aware such administration shifts set a burden on the policy targets associated with conservation policies. Institutional vulnerability immediately after major elections is an acknowledged fact in Brazil, though it has been mostly disregarded as an indicator of ecological threat.

Implementando Pagamentos por Serviços Ambientais no Brasil:

O texto analisa a evolução das políticas e programas de Pagamentos por Serviços Ambientais (PSA) no Brasil e discute as implicações dos modelos preponderantes para a conciliação entre conservação e desenvolvimento. Os PSA emergiram de iniciativas de diversificação produtiva e de transição agroecológica. Entretanto, sua institucionalização em politicas públicas favorece a convergência para medidas de restrição de uso da terra e de restauração florestal. Essa mudança está ligada a: 1) a ênfase dada pelo governo à s medidas de controle do desmatamento, 2) as expectativas de financiamentos por REDD e 3) as perspectivas de inclusão dos PSA no Código Florestal. Ela é reforçada pelo uso preponderante de satélites para o monitoramento dos projetos, o que produz um sistema binário de representação da paisagem. Isso justifica modelos convencionais de intensificação da agricultura e de proteção da natureza que não levam em conta atividades agropecuárias provedoras de serviços ambientais. Assim, o ingresso dos agricultores nos programas de PSA depende, mais do que nunca, do seu acesso à s redes e cientifico-técnicas que estruturam os arranjos institucionais locais.

Reflections on the international climate change negotiations: A synthesis of a working group on carbon emission policy and regulation in Brazil

This short communication presents a synthesis of a Working Group on Carbon Emission Policy and Regulation held at the University of Sao Paulo, in Brazil. The document looked at the problems with the international negotiations, the options for Brazil as it attempts to control emissions, and ways to leverage the mitigation process. Several options are currently being proposed, but these are neither clear in order to support a solid polycentric approach with adequate metrics, nor a robust international coordination and a sound scientific communication. Brazil has a central role in this process, for having successful initiatives on renewable energy and deforestation control. Its leadership can demonstrate how such policies might take shape. However, the country´s future is uncertain in terms of low carbon development. Although the country is still well positioned among BRICS to find practical solutions to the stalemate in international cooperation, several internal challenges need to be harmonized.

O perfil dos desmatamentos em Mato Grosso, após implementação do licenciamento ambiental em propriedades rurais

O Sistema de Licenciamento Ambiental de Propriedades Rurais (SLAPR) foi implantado no estado do Mato Grosso, no ano de 2000, num processo de descentralização da política florestal para os estados. O principal objetivo do SLAPR era a redução dos desmatamentos ilegais no estado e causou grande expectativa nos elaboradores/gestores de politica pública na época de sua implantação. Este artigo quantificou e qualificou os resultados dos desmatamentos ocorridos dentro do Sistema, bem como do nível de sua regularização que a política conseguiu provocar no estado até o ano 2007. Para elaborar o trabalho, foram utilizadas ferramentas de Geoprocessamento, extraindo os vetores dos limites das propriedades da base digital da Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente de Mato Grosso (SEMA-MT) até 2006 e da dinâmica de desmatamentos entre 2000 e 2007. Também foram utilizados documentos informando o número de desmatamentos autorizados no período. Entre os resultados, verificou-se que o sistema licenciou, no período, grandes propriedades rurais (média de 1.500 ha) havendo altas taxas de autorização de desmatamentos. A quantidade de 1.420.500,50 hectares foram desmatados em propriedades rurais licenciadas em todo o estado do Mato Grosso, no período de 2000 a 2007, representando um incremento de 32% em relação ao acumulado no período anterior, entre 1995 e 1999. A maior parte desse desmatamento contou com autorização legal. O estudo também concluiu que houve desmatamentos em reserva legal dentro das propriedades licenciadas, apesar de que tal infração tenha sido menor em relação às propriedades fora do sistema. A autorização de desmatamento caiu drasticamente após 2005, mostrando que o sistema funcionou melhor quando todo estado estava com altas taxas de desmatamento e com polígonos maiores de desmatamento. O estudo sinaliza para cuidados na análise dos dados numéricos de desmatamento no SLAPR, indicando em que aspectos a euforia apresentada na época de sua implementação veio ou não a se confirmar, apontando as armadilhas e vicissitudes desse tipo de instrumento de políticas públicas ambientais.

How is local knowledge about plants distributed among residents near a protected area?

The interactions between people and plants may result in knowledge of plant resources. This knowledge can vary according to factors such as age, gender, occupation, resource availability, urbanization and restrictions on the use of native resources. This study aimed to understand the interaction between people and plants in two rural communities surrounding the National Forest (FLONA) of Ibirama, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Specifically, the study aimed to investigate the distribution of local knowledge of plants according to gender, age and occupation of residents in these communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted followed by free listing and guided tours. A total of 104 interviews were conducted with adult men and women, who cited 475 plants found in the region that are used for numerous purposes. Of these plants, 184 are cultivated, 183 are extracted and 8 are cultivated and extracted. In general plant knowledge is shared between communities, in relation to gender, age and occupation. However, there are differences in the knowledge of timber resources, which is found to be higher among men and people with 41 years or more in age. These differences can be attributed to the influence of urban centers and the presence of the National Forest. However, respondents also view the FLONA positively, once they recognize the advances related to the conservation of nature, since there is greater control of deforestation and an increase in local avifauna. It is necessary to develop strategies to involve communities in the management of protected areas in order to ensure effective conservation of natural resources and the maintenance of local plant knowledge.

Indicators of deforestation in the Southern Brazilian Pre-Amazon

In recent years, Amazonian deforestation has become a question of global concern. Deforestation in Amazon is a complex phenomenon in nature and has been related to traditional agriculture expansion. In this work, land use, socioeconomic and conservation indicators, combined with statistical analysis, were used to understand forces associated with patterns of deforestation. This approach was applied in Southern Brazilian Pre-Amazon in Mato Grosso State, which represents an extensive rain forest-savanna ecotone, located in the south border of Amazon biome. Based on data from the last two agricultural censuses (1995/1996–2006), we compared agricultural expansion in this area and Mato Grosso state. Results have shown that 85 % of state deforestation was concentrated in Southern Pre-Amazon and was closely related to increase in number of cattle and pasture area. PCA results pointed that population (92 %), number of cattle (86.5 %), pastures (84.2 %) and tractors (78.4 %) were variables with highest positive correlation to deforestation. It showed that GDP contributes to an individual axis and has a low correlation to deforestation (37.8 %). Conservation units and indigenous reserves also contribute to a single axis and were negatively correlated to temporary crops area. Results revealed a significant reduction in production and commercialization of extractive products in the region, revealing that the main, almost only conservation policy in Mato Grosso remains the creation of Special Areas. We suggest that further studies are necessary to screen development alternatives to simple cutting trees down. It is important to diversify strategies for deforestation control, and development aspects must be more seriously considered to reach a sustainable deforestation control policy.

Payments for ecosystem services in Amazonia. The challenge of land use heterogeneity in agricultural frontiers near Cruzeiro do Sul (Acre,Brazil)

Amazonia became a target area for Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) initiatives in deforestation. We analysed the implementation of a PES scheme in Acre (Brazil) by taking into account land use heterogeneity in an agricultural frontier. Justified by the modernisation of deforestation control policies, the programme promotes agricultural intensification through fire-free practices. In this way, the PES tends to focus on long-established settlements, where farmers are wealthier and the landscape is dominated by pasture. Agricultural intensification may be adapted to foster reforestation. In order to curb deforestation a specific policy is needed for targeting remote areas where initial stages of deforestation usually take place. Bypromoting only land sparing, PES programmes in Amazonia may lose sight oftheir socio-economic and environmental objectives due to limited spatial targeting.

Brazil's evolving proposal to control deforestation: Amazon still at risk

SUMMARYBrazil's National Plan for Climate Change (PNMC [Plano Nacional sobre Mudança do Clima]) brought the good news of quantified ‘objectives’ for deforestation reduction in Brazilian Amazonia, a departure from past policy, under which the Brazilian government has steadfastly refused any quantitative goals deforestation reduction in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the ‘objectives’ given in the PNMC carry no consequences if they are not met, other than possible suspension of contributions to the new Amazon Fund. The PNMC offers little information on how deforestation would be reduced, which is critical to achieving the results it proposes. Effective control of deforestation is needed both to avoid direct loss of the forest and to leverage the international commitment needed to contain global warming within a reasonable limit, such as 2°C. This is approximately the limit for avoiding replacement of substantial areas of Amazonian forest by either savannah or degraded secondary scrub. Brazil needs to move quickly to take the lead in the effort to halt global warming because it is one of the countries with the most to lose from climate change, including risk to the country's Amazon forest.