PROJETOS DE LEI AMEAÇAM CÓDIGO FLORESTAL

This technical note by Climate Policy Initiative analyzes 56 bills in the Brazilian Congress that seek to modify the 2012 Forest Code. It highlights seven bills that could significantly reduce native vegetation protection, grant amnesty for illegal deforestation, or disrupt the implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and Environmental Regularization Programs (PRA). The document warns against 'jabuti' amendments and urges public monitoring of the legislative process to prevent environmental setbacks.

• As of July 2, 2020, there are 56 bills (PLs) pending in the Brazilian National Congress that aim to modify the Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012).
• Seven specific bills are identified as having the highest potential for negative impact by reducing native vegetation protection or significantly altering the current environmental regularization system.
• PL 6330/2013 proposes allowing the recovery of consolidated areas in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) through the planting of exotic fruit species, which the authors argue would undermine the environmental function of APPs.
• PL 4508/2016 seeks to authorize animal grazing in Legal Reserve areas across any biome, provided there is a forest management plan. The authors state this would grant amnesty to areas illegally converted to pasture after July 22, 2008.
• PL 551/2019 and PL 1426/2020 propose reducing the Legal Reserve percentage in the Legal Amazon from 80% to 50%. PL 551/2019 targets all states in the region by removing the requirement for an approved Ecological-Economic Zoning (ZEE), while PL 1426/2020 specifically targets Roraima and Amapá.
• PL 3511/2019 proposes a fundamental shift in environmental regularization by requiring state agencies to notify owners to join the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), rather than the current system where owners take the initiative. It also proposes calculating Legal Reserve percentages based on existing native vegetation at the time of suppression rather than total property area.
• PL 2374/2020 and PL 2429/2020 both seek to alter the legal timeframe for environmental regularization. PL 2374/2020 proposes extending the deadline for Legal Reserve compensation from July 22, 2008, to May 25, 2012. PL 2429/2020 proposes removing the July 22, 2008, date entirely, which would extend flexible regularization rules to all properties regardless of when the infraction occurred.
• The document warns against the use of 'jabuti' amendments—proposals added to Provisional Measures (MPs) that have no thematic relevance to the original measure—as a way to bypass standard legislative debate and public participation.
• The authors emphasize that most Brazilian states have already invested significant resources in implementing the Forest Code through the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and state PRAs; legislative changes would waste these efforts.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2020). PROJETOS DE LEI AMEAÇAM CÓDIGO FLORESTAL. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NT-projetos-de-lei-ameacam-codigo-florestal.pdf

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. PROJETOS DE LEI AMEAÇAM CÓDIGO FLORESTAL. 2020. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NT-projetos-de-lei-ameacam-codigo-florestal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=PROJETOS DE LEI AMEAÇAM CÓDIGO FLORESTAL |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NT-projetos-de-lei-ameacam-codigo-florestal.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2020projetos, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{PROJETOS DE LEI AMEAÇAM CÓDIGO FLORESTAL}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NT-projetos-de-lei-ameacam-codigo-florestal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }