Como DETER o Desmatamento na Amazônia?

This executive summary by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) evaluates the impact of command-and-control policies on deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, specifically focusing on the role of the Real-Time Deforestation Detection System (DETER). The study finds that DETER-based enforcement was the primary driver of deforestation deceleration in the 2000s, preventing significant forest loss without negatively impacting local agricultural production.

• The implementation of the Real-Time Deforestation Detection System (DETER) was the primary driver for the reduction of deforestation in the Amazon during the 2000s. DETER uses satellite information to identify deforestation hotspots every 15 days, allowing the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) to focus monitoring and law enforcement activities more precisely and rapidly than previous methods based on anonymous reports.
• Command-and-control policies based on DETER significantly reduced deforestation between 2007 and 2011. The study estimates that these policies prevented the deforestation of over 59,500 km² of forest; without this policy change, total deforestation in the Amazon Biome during this period would have exceeded 101,000 km² instead of the observed 41,500 km².
• In a hypothetical scenario where no fines were applied (representing a total absence of command-and-control measures) between 2007 and 2011, it is estimated that over 164,000 km² of forest would have been deforested. This suggests that overall monitoring and law enforcement efforts preserved more than 122,000 km² of forest.
• A cost-benefit analysis indicates that the monetary benefits of carbon retention from preserved forests far outweigh the operational costs of the monitoring agencies. With an Ibama budget of USD 560 million (2011) and an INPE budget of USD 125 million (2010), any carbon price above 0.76 USD/tCO2 would compensate for the costs of law enforcement in the Amazon.
• The study found no evidence of a trade-off between forest conservation and economic growth in the region. The number of fines applied by Ibama in a given municipality did not have a negative effect on local agricultural production, suggesting that productivity gains can replace the need for expanding production into forested areas.
• The Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm) introduced critical institutional changes, including increased staffing and qualification for Ibama and the establishment of a legal basis for punishing environmental crimes through fines, embargos, and asset seizures. It also allowed for the identification and differentiated treatment of 'priority municipalities' with high deforestation rates.

APA

Assunção, J., Gandour, C., & Rocha, R. (2013). Como DETER o Desmatamento na Amazônia? Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Como-DETER-o-Desmatamento-na-Amazonia-O-Impacto-da-Mudanca-na-Politica-de-Comando-e-Controle-Sumario-Executivo1.pdf

Chicago

Assunção, Juliano, Clarissa Gandour, and Romero Rocha. Como DETER o Desmatamento na Amazônia? Climate Policy Initiative, 2013. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Como-DETER-o-Desmatamento-na-Amazonia-O-Impacto-da-Mudanca-na-Politica-de-Comando-e-Controle-Sumario-Executivo1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Assunção |first1=Juliano |last2=Gandour |first2=Clarissa |last3=Rocha |first3=Romero |title=Como DETER o Desmatamento na Amazônia? |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=May 2013 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Como-DETER-o-Desmatamento-na-Amazonia-O-Impacto-da-Mudanca-na-Politica-de-Comando-e-Controle-Sumario-Executivo1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{assuno2013como, author = {Assunção, Juliano and Gandour, Clarissa and Rocha, Romero}, title = {{Como DETER o Desmatamento na Amazônia?}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Como-DETER-o-Desmatamento-na-Amazonia-O-Impacto-da-Mudanca-na-Politica-de-Comando-e-Controle-Sumario-Executivo1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }