Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation and Conservation in the Amazon

The report finds that while agrarian reform settlements occupy only 8% of the Amazon biome, they accounted for 24% of its forest loss in 2023. Deforestation is highly concentrated, with 5% of settlements responsible for 65% of the deforested area between 2017 and 2023. Evidence suggests that forest loss is driven by external actors rather than resident settlers, as 75% of vegetation loss in these areas involves plots larger than 6.25 hectares, a pattern inconsistent with small-scale family farming. The report highlights that three INCRA regional superintendencies—Santarém, Amazonas, and Southern Pará—account for 63% of deforestation in settled areas. It recommends that the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), IBAMA, and INCRA implement targeted action plans for these priority settlements to enhance conservation effectiveness.

• Agrarian reform settlements in the Amazon represent a small portion of the biome's area but a disproportionate share of its deforestation; in 2023, they occupied 8% of the biome but accounted for 24% of forest loss.
• Deforestation in Amazon settlements is extremely concentrated, with just 5% of settlements causing 65% of the deforested area between 2017 and 2023. These critical hotspots are often geographically close to each other and located near federal highways.
• The pattern of forest loss suggests that external actors, rather than the resident settler population, are driving deforestation. This is evidenced by the fact that 75% of vegetation loss in settled areas involves plots larger than 6.25 hectares, and 36% involve plots larger than 25 hectares, which is atypical for family farming.
• Deforestation in settled areas is heavily concentrated within three of INCRA's eleven regional superintendencies: Santarém, Amazonas, and Southern Pará, which together account for 63% of the deforested area in these regions between 2017 and 2023.
• Specific settlements emerge as primary hotspots of forest loss, most notably the Rio Juma settlement, which alone accounted for 8% of forest loss in the biome's settled areas and 46% of deforestation within the Amazonas Superintendency.
• The report identifies a high degree of persistence in deforestation hotspots; 49% of the settlements that were among the top 5% most deforested in 2023 appeared on that list at least five other times between 2017 and 2022.

APA

Mourão, J., Souza, P., & Sessim, M. (2024). Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation and Conservation in the Amazon. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/INS-Settlements-in-Focus.pdf

Chicago

Mourão, João, Priscila Souza, and Marcelo Sessim. Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation and Conservation in the Amazon. Climate Policy Initiative, 2024. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/INS-Settlements-in-Focus.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mourão |first1=João |last2=Souza |first2=Priscila |last3=Sessim |first3=Marcelo |title=Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation and Conservation in the Amazon |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=October 2024 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/INS-Settlements-in-Focus.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mouro2024settlements, author = {Mourão, João and Souza, Priscila and Sessim, Marcelo}, title = {{Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation and Conservation in the Amazon}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/INS-Settlements-in-Focus.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }