Degradação Florestal na Amazônia

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2007 and 2016, defining it as the partial loss of forest biomass. The study finds that degradation is more widespread than clear-cutting deforestation and often serves as a precursor to it, though this relationship varies significantly by land tenure category. The authors argue that forest degradation is currently under-prioritized in public policy and should be used as an indicator for imminent environmental damage to better allocate conservation resources.

• Forest degradation is defined as the "perda parcial de biomassa florestal" (partial loss of forest biomass). Unlike clear-cutting, which involves total or near-total removal of vegetation, degradation involves a gradual removal of vegetation over time, meaning a degraded area lacks the same "estrutura florestal, resiliência e funções de uma floresta intacta" (forest structure, resilience and functions of an intact forest).
• In the Brazilian Amazon, the primary drivers of forest degradation are logging and fires. Logging causes biomass loss not only from the removal of specific commercial species but also through the creation of access roads, storage yards, and damage caused by falling trees. Fires typically destroy fragile plants first, reducing the resilience of the remaining forest and making it more vulnerable to subsequent burns.
• Between 2007 and 2016, forest degradation affected a larger area than clear-cutting deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, with an annual average of 11,000 km2 of degraded forest—double the annual average of deforested area. Annual degraded areas ranged from a minimum of 2,700 km2 in 2014 to a maximum of 23,700 km2 in 2016.
• Forest degradation is geographically concentrated in the "Arco do Desmatamento" (Arc of Deforestation). On average, the states of Mato Grosso and Pará account for 75% of the degraded area and 64% of the deforested area annually in the Amazon.
• While only 9% of degraded areas are converted to deforestation within three years on average across the whole Amazon, the relationship varies by land tenure. In protected territories, conversion is consistently low. In contrast, small private properties and rural settlements show a high occurrence of degradation followed by nearby deforestation, likely because degradation is a lower-cost way for resource-limited owners to remove vegetation.
• The study suggests that forest degradation can serve as an "indicador de dano ambiental iminente" (indicator of imminent environmental damage), alerting authorities that a region will likely be targeted for deforestation soon. The authors note that the proportion of degradation followed by local or nearby deforestation increased in the final years of the sample across all land 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} }