Avoided Deforestation Linked to Environmental Registration of Properties in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

We quantified the avoided deforestation impacts of environmental land registration in Brazil's Amazonian states of Mato Grosso and Pará between 2005 and 2014. We find that the program reduced deforestation on registered lands. The magnitude of the effect implies that deforestation in the two states would have been 10% higher in the absence of the program. The impacts of registration varied over time, likely due to changing suites of policies linking environmental registration to land use incentives. Our results also reveal that agriculturally suitable lands and those located in regions undergoing the most land-use change were more likely to be registered than those in less suitable, less dynamic regions. We conclude that environmental registration is an important first step in implementing avoided deforestation policies targeting private landholders.

The role of supply-chain initiatives in reducing deforestation

“…These monitoring data have also been essential to efforts by companies to avoid purchasing soy and beef from deforested areas 21,22 . Brazil's rural environmental registry (Portuguese acronym CAR) is another centerpiece to ensure accountability of private sector standards, but coverage is not yet complete and most CAR registries are self-declared and not validated 73 . When governments are unable or unwilling to provide data, non-profit platforms (e.g., Global Forest Watch, Trase), private monitoring companies, and civil society-corporate partnerships are collecting some of the data needed to improve traceability and transparency 74 .…”

Estimating the Potential for Conservation and Farming in the Amazon and Cerrado under Four Policy Scenarios

“…While some studies suggest that these public policies were the primary drivers of reduced clearing in the Amazon [6][7][8][15][16][17][18], others have emphasized the role of zero-deforestation commitments made by members of the private sector [5,19,20]. However, since 2013, clearing rates have again been rising in the Amazon [9], and pressure to further clear land may be spilling over into the Cerrado [21].…”

Extensive Production Practices and Incomplete Implementation Hinder Brazil’s Zero-Deforestation Cattle Agreements in Pará

“…Recent research suggests that the existence of multiple, complementary policies, including those from both public and private sectors, can be effective at reducing deforestation on private properties (Alix-Garcia et al., 2018; L’Roe et al., 2016). Indeed, the Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM), which was implemented by the private sector but relies heavily on public data, has been one of the great conservation success stories (Brown & Koeppe, 2013; Gibbs et al., 2015; Kastens et al., 2017).…”