policy-brief--e2-80-93-strengthening-brazil-e2-80-99s-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape-db5e413e1756456a.pdf

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio analyzes the shift in Brazilian Amazon deforestation from large-scale to small-scale clearings between 2004 and 2012. It highlights how existing remote sensing monitoring systems fail to detect clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading landholders in states like Mato Grosso and Pará to adapt their practices to avoid detection. The document recommends tailoring conservation policies to regional differences and enhancing monitoring technology to target small-scale deforestation.

• Between 2004 and 2012, annual deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon decreased by nearly 80%, falling from 27,000 km2 in 2004 to 4,500 km2 in 2012. This decline is partly attributed to conservation policies introduced in 2004, including a remote sensing-based monitoring and enforcement program.
• Current monitoring systems have a technical limitation that prevents the detection of small-scale clearings of 25 hectares or less. Consequently, while total deforestation of small-scale areas remained constant from the early 2000s to the early 2010s, their share of overall annual clearings grew from 25% to more than 50%.
• Landholders in Mato Grosso and Pará have adapted to enforcement by shifting to smaller-scale clearings to avoid detection. In Mato Grosso, smallholders previously cleared land in medium- and large-scale tracts, but shifted to smaller tracts as remote enforcement thwarted clearings larger than 25 hectares. In Pará, small-size property holders emerged as the primary agents of forest clearing and were more likely to elude monitoring due to their historical engagement in small-scale deforestation.
• The document recommends that policymakers create new strategies specifically targeting small-scale deforestation, tailor policies to accommodate regional characteristics, and improve remote sensing technology to detect clearings under 25 hectares.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (n.d.). policy-brief--e2-80-93-strengthening-brazil-e2-80-99s-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape-db5e413e1756456a.pdf. http://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/POLICY-BRIEF-%E2%80%93-Strengthening-Brazil%E2%80%99s-Forest-Protection-in-a-Changing-Landscape.pdf

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. policy-brief--e2-80-93-strengthening-brazil-e2-80-99s-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape-db5e413e1756456a.pdf. n.d. http://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/POLICY-BRIEF-%E2%80%93-Strengthening-Brazil%E2%80%99s-Forest-Protection-in-a-Changing-Landscape.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=policy-brief--e2-80-93-strengthening-brazil-e2-80-99s-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape-db5e413e1756456a.pdf |url=http://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/POLICY-BRIEF-%E2%80%93-Strengthening-Brazil%E2%80%99s-Forest-Protection-in-a-Changing-Landscape.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiativendpolicybriefe28093strengtheningbrazile28099sforestprotectioninachanginglandscapedb5e413e1756456apdf, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{policy-brief--e2-80-93-strengthening-brazil-e2-80-99s-forest-protection-in-a-changing-landscape-db5e413e1756456a.pdf}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, url = {http://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/POLICY-BRIEF-%E2%80%93-Strengthening-Brazil%E2%80%99s-Forest-Protection-in-a-Changing-Landscape.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }