Preserving the Amazon: Strategies to Reduce Deforestation in Rural Settlements

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio analyzes deforestation within rural settlements in the Amazon biome from 2012 to 2022. It finds that deforestation is highly concentrated in a small number of settlements, often located near federal highways, and suggests that targeted government interventions—combining strengthened environmental monitoring with sustainable economic incentives—are essential to achieving Brazil's goal of zero deforestation by 2030.

• Rural settlements in the Amazon are disproportionately affected by deforestation; while they occupy only 8% of the biome, they accounted for 28% of all deforestation between 2012 and 2022.
• Deforestation in these areas is highly concentrated and persistent. In 2022, 75% of forest loss in settlements was caused by only 5% of the 2,312 settlements in the biome, and these same settlements frequently contribute to deforestation year after year.
• There is a spatial and scale-based pattern to deforestation in settlements. High-deforestation areas are often located near federal highways, and in the 116 settlements with the most deforestation, 36% of the 2022 loss occurred in large-scale areas exceeding 100 hectares, suggesting a link to large-scale agriculture.
• The Amazon biome contains 2,312 settlements, categorized primarily as conventional (77%) or environmentally differentiated (21%). Environmentally differentiated settlements, which focus on forest-compatible activities, had a significantly lower average deforestation rate in 2022 (14.1%) compared to conventional settlements (75.4%).
• Deforestation in settlements has increased as the activities of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) have weakened. Between 2016 and 2022, there was a 56% drop in fines for flora infractions and a 48% increase in deforestation in settlements.
• Payments for environmental services (PES) and technical assistance have proven effective in encouraging conservation. A third-sector initiative in Pará (2012-2017) showed that families receiving PES increased production while reducing deforestation.
• Natural regeneration is widespread in settled areas, providing an opportunity for restoration policies. By 2019, approximately 2.1 million hectares of secondary vegetation had naturally regenerated, representing nearly 25% of the total deforested area in Amazon settlements.

APA

Mourão, J., Sessim, M., & Souza, P. (2023). Preserving the Amazon: Strategies to Reduce Deforestation in Rural Settlements. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Preserving-the-Amazon.pdf

Chicago

Mourão, João, Marcelo Sessim, and Priscila Souza. Preserving the Amazon: Strategies to Reduce Deforestation in Rural Settlements. Climate Policy Initiative, 2023. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Preserving-the-Amazon.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mourão |first1=João |last2=Sessim |first2=Marcelo |last3=Souza |first3=Priscila |title=Preserving the Amazon: Strategies to Reduce Deforestation in Rural Settlements |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=September 2023 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Preserving-the-Amazon.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mouro2023preserving, author = {Mourão, João and Sessim, Marcelo and Souza, Priscila}, title = {{Preserving the Amazon: Strategies to Reduce Deforestation in Rural Settlements}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Preserving-the-Amazon.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }