Degradação Florestal na Amazônia

The briefing analyzes forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon from 2007 to 2016, defining it as the partial loss of forest biomass. It finds that degradation is more widespread than clear-cut deforestation, averaging 11,000 km2 per year, and is concentrated in the 'Arco do Desmatamento', specifically in Mato Grosso and Pará. The study highlights that the relationship between degradation and subsequent deforestation varies by land tenure category: while conversion is low in protected territories, it is higher in small private properties and rural settlements, where degradation may serve as a low-cost precursor to total forest removal. The authors argue that degradation should be used as an indicator of imminent environmental damage to better allocate scarce public resources.

• Forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon is a large-scale phenomenon that typically affects a greater area than clear-cut deforestation, with an annual average of 11,000 km2 of degraded forest between 2007 and 2016.
• Degradation is geographically concentrated in the 'Arco do Desmatamento', with the states of Mato Grosso and Pará accounting for an average of 75% of degraded areas and 64% of deforested areas annually.
• While only 9% of degraded areas are converted to deforestation within three years on average across the Amazon, degradation often serves as a signal for imminent deforestation in the surrounding area rather than just at the exact site.
• The conversion of degradation to deforestation varies significantly by land tenure: it is consistently low in protected territories, whereas small private properties and rural settlements show a higher rate of degradation followed by nearby or local deforestation, likely due to the lower cost of gradual vegetation removal.
• The primary drivers of forest degradation in Brazil are identified as logging and fires, with logging causing collateral biomass loss through access roads and falling trees, and fires reducing forest resilience through repeated burns.
• There are indications that the proportion of degradation followed by local or nearby deforestation increased in the final years of the study sample across all land tenure categories.

APA

Gandour, C., Menezes, D., Vieira, J. P., & Assunção, J. (2021). Degradação Florestal na Amazônia. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DQ-Degradacao-Florestal-Amazonia.pdf

Chicago

Gandour, Clarissa, Diego Menezes, João Pedro Vieira, and Juliano Assunção. Degradação Florestal na Amazônia. Climate Policy Initiative, 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DQ-Degradacao-Florestal-Amazonia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gandour |first1=Clarissa |last2=Menezes |first2=Diego |last3=Vieira |first3=João Pedro |last4=Assunção |first4=Juliano |title=Degradação Florestal na Amazônia |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DQ-Degradacao-Florestal-Amazonia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gandour2021degradao, author = {Gandour, Clarissa and Menezes, Diego and Vieira, João Pedro and Assunção, Juliano}, title = {{Degradação Florestal na Amazônia}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DQ-Degradacao-Florestal-Amazonia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }