Strengthening Brazil’s Forest Protection in a Changing Landscape

Between 2004 and 2012, Brazil's Amazon deforestation rates fell by nearly 80%, but the nature of the clearings shifted. While large-scale deforestation was curtailed by remote sensing-based monitoring, small-scale clearings (25 hectares or less) grew from 25% to over 50% of overall annual clearings because they are difficult for current systems to detect. Analysis of Mato Grosso and Pará shows that landholders adapted their behavior to avoid detection, with smallholders in Pará emerging as primary agents of clearing. The report recommends enhancing monitoring technology and tailoring policies to regional differences.

• Brazil's annual Amazon deforestation rates decreased by nearly 80% between 2004 and 2012, largely due to conservation policies introduced in 2004, including a remote sensing-based monitoring and enforcement program.
• Deforestation has shifted toward small-scale clearings of 25 hectares or less, which are mostly undetected by current monitoring systems; these now account for more than half of all annual clearings, up from a quarter.
• In Mato Grosso, property holders shifted from medium- and large-scale clearings to smaller tracts to escape detection by the remote-enforcement program.
• In Pará, small-size property holders were the primary agents of forest clearing and were more likely to elude monitoring systems than those in Mato Grosso due to a historical prevalence of small-scale deforestation.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2015). Strengthening Brazil’s Forest Protection in a Changing Landscape. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/strengthening-brazils-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. Strengthening Brazil’s Forest Protection in a Changing Landscape. 2015. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/strengthening-brazils-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=Strengthening Brazil’s Forest Protection in a Changing Landscape |date=17 August 2015 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/strengthening-brazils-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2015strengthening, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{Strengthening Brazil’s Forest Protection in a Changing Landscape}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2015}, month = aug, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/strengthening-brazils-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }