Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation and Conservation in the Amazon

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-RIO) analyzes deforestation within agrarian reform settlements in the Brazilian Amazon. It finds that while these settlements occupy only 8% of the biome, they accounted for 24% of forest loss in 2023. The analysis reveals a high concentration of deforestation in a small number of settlements and suggests that this loss is driven by external actors rather than the resident settler population, as evidenced by the prevalence of large-scale clearing.

• Agrarian reform settlements in the Amazon exhibit a disproportionate level of forest loss; although they represent only 8% of the biome, they were responsible for 24% of forest loss in 2023. Since 2008, 28% of all deforestation in the Amazon has occurred within these settlements.
• Deforestation in these settlements is highly concentrated, with just 5% of settlements accounting for 65% of the deforested area in settled regions and 17% of the total vegetation loss in the Amazon biome between 2017 and 2023.
• Evidence suggests that deforestation is driven by external actors rather than the resident settler population. This is supported by the fact that 75% of vegetation loss in settled areas involves plots larger than 6.25 hectares, and 36% involves areas over 25 hectares, which is inconsistent with small-scale family farming and cost-prohibitive for vulnerable settlers.
• Deforestation is heavily concentrated within specific INCRA regional superintendencies. Between 2017 and 2023, 63% of deforestation in settled areas occurred in only three superintendencies: Santarém, Southern Pará, and Amazonas.
• Specific settlements have emerged as critical hotspots. The Rio Juma settlement is the most deforested in the country, accounting for 8% of forest loss in the biome's settled areas and 46% of deforestation within the Amazonas Superintendency.
• The report identifies a strong temporal and spatial persistence in deforestation. Of the settlements in the top 5% of most deforested areas in 2023, 49% had appeared on that list at least five other times between 2017 and 2022, often in proximity to federal highways.

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} }