A IMPORTÂNCIA DE APRIMORAR A DEFINIÇÃO E A DELIMITAÇÃO DA ÁREA DE INFLUÊNCIA DE PROJETOS DE INFRAESTRUTURA

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio argues for the improvement of how the 'area of influence' (the territory where environmental and socioeconomic impacts occur) is defined and delimited for land transport infrastructure projects in Brazil. The authors highlight a lack of methodological transparency and consistency between different governmental bodies and study phases, proposing a shift from simple distance-based metrics to a more comprehensive approach that includes economic dynamics.

• There is a significant lack of consistency and transparency in how the area of influence is delimited in infrastructure projects. Different public entities, such as ANTT and VALEC, use conflicting definitions, and studies often fail to justify the technical basis for their chosen boundaries, leading to high levels of discretion by those preparing the reports.
• Proposed legislative changes in Brazil, specifically Bill (PL) 3729/2004 (General Licensing Law) and Senate Bill (PLS) 168/2018, threaten to restrict the concept of the area of influence to only the Direct Area of Influence (AID). This would exclude the evaluation of indirect effects from environmental licensing and remove them from future socio-environmental mitigation and compensation programs.
• The current practice of using fixed radii or distance-based buffers to define the Indirect Area of Influence (AII) is inadequate for capturing economic impacts. Using the EF-170 (Ferrogrão) project as an example, the authors show that municipalities far from the project can experience significant accessibility gains, while some municipalities the project actually crosses may see no improvement.
• The authors propose a 'market access' methodology to better delimit the area of influence. This approach uses operational research algorithms to estimate transport costs between municipalities and ports, identifying which areas are truly impacted by changes in economic dynamics induced by the infrastructure.
• The document recommends a stronger synergy between the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Viability Study (EVTEA) and the Environmental Impact Study (EIA). Specifically, environmental parameters should be incorporated into the EVTEA as a preliminary delimitation, which the EIA can then refine and deepen.
• The technical note concludes with four primary recommendations: separating the concept of 'area of influence' from its 'delimitation'; including areas affected by induced economic, social, and environmental dynamics in the definition; integrating environmental impacts into the EVTEA phase; and ensuring methodological transparency to allow verification by competent authorities.

APA

Barros, A. C., Antonaccio, L., Chiavari, J., & Bragança, A. (2020). A IMPORTÂNCIA DE APRIMORAR A DEFINIÇÃO E A DELIMITAÇÃO DA ÁREA DE INFLUÊNCIA DE PROJETOS DE INFRAESTRUTURA. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nota-Tecnica-A-importancia-de-aprimorar-a-definicao-e-a-delimitação-da-Area-de-Influencia-de-projetos-de-infraestrutura.pdf

Chicago

Barros, Ana Cristina, Luiza Antonaccio, Joana Chiavari, and Arthur Bragança. A IMPORTÂNCIA DE APRIMORAR A DEFINIÇÃO E A DELIMITAÇÃO DA ÁREA DE INFLUÊNCIA DE PROJETOS DE INFRAESTRUTURA. Climate Policy Initiative, 2020. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nota-Tecnica-A-importancia-de-aprimorar-a-definicao-e-a-delimitação-da-Area-de-Influencia-de-projetos-de-infraestrutura.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barros |first1=Ana Cristina |last2=Antonaccio |first2=Luiza |last3=Chiavari |first3=Joana |last4=Bragança |first4=Arthur |title=A IMPORTÂNCIA DE APRIMORAR A DEFINIÇÃO E A DELIMITAÇÃO DA ÁREA DE INFLUÊNCIA DE PROJETOS DE INFRAESTRUTURA |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=August 2020 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nota-Tecnica-A-importancia-de-aprimorar-a-definicao-e-a-delimitação-da-Area-de-Influencia-de-projetos-de-infraestrutura.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barros2020importncia, author = {Barros, Ana Cristina and Antonaccio, Luiza and Chiavari, Joana and Bragança, Arthur}, title = {{A IMPORTÂNCIA DE APRIMORAR A DEFINIÇÃO E A DELIMITAÇÃO DA ÁREA DE INFLUÊNCIA DE PROJETOS DE INFRAESTRUTURA}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nota-Tecnica-A-importancia-de-aprimorar-a-definicao-e-a-delimitação-da-Area-de-Influencia-de-projetos-de-infraestrutura.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }