moving from reducing deforestation to efficient land use
DESCRIPTION
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.TRANSCRIPT
42% of territory as protected areas
Confiscation of 3,000 cattle June 2008
Photos: IBAMA
10,000 embargoed areas as of early April 2012
in the three States with most deforestation
Source: http://siscom.ibama.gov.br/mapas/
Why so much deforestation?
• Poor enforcement• Subsidized rural credit• Small holders
2005‐2009
Rosa et al, in press
11 million hectares of underutilized pasture
Source of data: INPE/EMBRAPA
Why excessive deforestation?
Extensive land useExtensive land use
Quasi‐open access to land
Quasi‐open access to land
Tax evasionTax evasion
Low land tax
Low land tax
Barriers to intensification
Land suitabilityLand
suitability
Excessive rainfall
Topography
Barriers to intensification
Risk
Unclear land tenure
Unstable environmental
rules
Barriers to intensification
Capacity
Knowledge
Poorinfrastructure
Efficient land use
Land tenure and tax
Stable and robust
environmental laws
Smart infrastructure
Training