BRAZIL’S NEW FOREST CODE

The 2012 Forest Code governs private land use in Brazil through Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Forest Reserves, utilizing the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) for monitoring. It includes a special regime for landowners who illegally deforested prior to July 2008, offering leniency and offsetting options via the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). Implementation faces hurdles including state-level legislative delays, legal challenges regarding constitutionality, and a lack of capacity among landholders.

• The Forest Code utilizes two primary conservation instruments on private lands: Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), which protect critical ecosystem functions like water supply and biodiversity, and the Legal Forest Reserve, which requires landowners to maintain a percentage of native vegetation.
• Legal Forest Reserve requirements vary by location and vegetation type, ranging from 20% to 80%. Properties within the Amazônia Legal generally must conserve a higher percentage of land than those outside this region.
• The Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) is a national, online public database that provides georeferenced data on private properties. It is mandatory for all rural properties and is used to monitor deforestation and grant access to certain legal rights and rural credit.
• A special regime exists for rural properties where native vegetation was illegally clear-cut for agriculture or livestock before July 2008. Landowners in this regime can enroll in the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) to receive benefits such as immunity from prosecution and amnesty for environmental fines.
• Landowners under the special regime have flexible options to offset Legal Forest Reserve shortages, including purchasing Environmental Reserve Quotas (CRA), establishing Conservation Easement Agreements, or donating land to the government.
• Implementation of the Forest Code is hindered by the need for state-level legislation, with only 15 of 26 states having enacted provisions for the Environmental Regularization Program as of October 2015. Other challenges include pending legal actions regarding the code's constitutionality and a lack of resources among landholders to initiate compliance.

APA

Chiavari, J., & Lopes, C. L. (2015). BRAZIL’S NEW FOREST CODE. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FORESTCODE_policybrief_PartI_CPI-1.pdf

Chicago

Chiavari, Joana, and Cristina Leme Lopes. BRAZIL’S NEW FOREST CODE. Climate Policy Initiative, 2015. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FORESTCODE_policybrief_PartI_CPI-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chiavari |first1=Joana |last2=Lopes |first2=Cristina Leme |title=BRAZIL’S NEW FOREST CODE |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=November 2015 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FORESTCODE_policybrief_PartI_CPI-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chiavari2015brazils, author = {Chiavari, Joana and Lopes, Cristina Leme}, title = {{BRAZIL’S NEW FOREST CODE}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FORESTCODE_policybrief_PartI_CPI-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }