FOREST AND LAND USE POLICIES ON PRIVATE LANDS: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED STATES

The report compares forest and land use policies in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, and the United States. It finds that Brazil's Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) maintains more stringent requirements for private landowners than the other reviewed nations, particularly regarding mandatory riparian buffer zones and the requirement to set aside land for biodiversity protection without compensation. While other countries utilize voluntary incentives, easements, or specific species-at-risk policies, Brazil's framework imposes broad, mandatory obligations across all rural properties.

• Brazil has the most stringent regulations for riparian buffer zones on private land among the studied countries, requiring these areas to be fully preserved as no-harvest zones and restored using only native species if destroyed.
• The width of Brazilian riparian buffer zones is significantly larger than in other countries, ranging from 30 to 500 meters depending on the river's width, though a special regime allows for smaller areas between 5 and 100 meters.
• Brazil is the only country in the study that mandates all private properties set aside a percentage of land for biodiversity protection, known as Legal Forest Reserves, without providing financial compensation.
• The required percentage for Brazil's Legal Forest Reserves varies from 20% to 80% based on the property's geographical location and the type of vegetation present.
• In the United States, there is no comprehensive federal statutory law for riparian buffer width, as land-use planning is primarily the domain of states and local governments, often relying on voluntary best management practices.
• China's forest policy has shifted from promoting commercial plantations to a new focus on repopulating ecologically sensitive areas with native species and protecting remaining natural forests.
• European Union member states, including France and Germany, utilize the Natura 2000 network as a core pillar for biodiversity conservation, which allows for continued land use provided conservation objectives are not significantly compromised.
• Many countries use financial incentives to encourage conservation; for example, the US Department of Agriculture provided approximately U$29 billion for conservation programs between 2014 and 2018 under the 2014 Farm Bill.
• Argentina's native forest protection is limited by the fact that the law only protects forests existing at the time of provincial zoning, and the country has less than 10% of its native vegetation remaining.
• Canada's approach to riparian buffers is managed provincially rather than federally; for instance, Quebec requires a protected strip of 10 to 15 meters, though agricultural cultivation may be permitted if a 3-meter vegetation strip is preserved.

APA

CHIAVARI, J., & LOPES, C. L. (2017). FOREST AND LAND USE POLICIES ON PRIVATE LANDS: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED STATES. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Full_Report_Forest_and_Land_Use_Policies_on_Private_Lands_-_an_International_Comparison-1.pdf

Chicago

CHIAVARI, JOANA, and CRISTINA LEME LOPES. FOREST AND LAND USE POLICIES ON PRIVATE LANDS: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED STATES. Climate Policy Initiative, 2017. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Full_Report_Forest_and_Land_Use_Policies_on_Private_Lands_-_an_International_Comparison-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CHIAVARI |first1=JOANA |last2=LOPES |first2=CRISTINA LEME |title=FOREST AND LAND USE POLICIES ON PRIVATE LANDS: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED STATES |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Full_Report_Forest_and_Land_Use_Policies_on_Private_Lands_-_an_International_Comparison-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chiavari2017forest, author = {CHIAVARI, JOANA and LOPES, CRISTINA LEME}, title = {{FOREST AND LAND USE POLICIES ON PRIVATE LANDS: AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, AND THE UNITED STATES}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Full_Report_Forest_and_Land_Use_Policies_on_Private_Lands_-_an_International_Comparison-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }