DETERring Deforestation in the Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of Brazil's DETER satellite-based monitoring system in reducing deforestation in the Amazon between 2006 and 2016. Using an instrumental variable approach based on cloud coverage, the authors find that targeted environmental law enforcement significantly curbed forest clearing without negatively impacting local agricultural production.

• Environmental monitoring and law enforcement effectively reduced deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The authors estimate that reducing these efforts by half would increase municipal deforestation by approximately 44%.
• The DETER system improved enforcement by providing near-real-time deforestation alerts, which allowed authorities to catch offenders 'red-handed'. This increased the probability of applying more binding penalties, such as the seizure and destruction of expensive capital goods used for clearing.
• The study found no evidence that local enforcement caused 'leakage,' where deforestation is simply displaced to neighboring areas. Instead, the results suggest a 'contagion' effect, where enforcement in one municipality helped contain forest clearings in the surrounding region.
• Environmental law enforcement did not harm local agricultural production. In fact, municipalities with a greater presence of law enforcement showed improved agricultural outcomes in the following year, potentially due to a better institutional environment.
• A cost-benefit analysis suggests that Amazon monitoring and law enforcement are highly cost-effective. The authors calculate a break-even price of USD 0.69/tCO2, which is significantly lower than current global carbon prices.
• The authors used DETER cloud coverage as an instrumental variable for law enforcement because clouds block satellite visibility, meaning alerts are not issued for clouded areas, and enforcement personnel are consequently less likely to be deployed there.
• The research indicates that the accurate targeting of illegal activity provided by the DETER system was more crucial than simply increasing the intensity of enforcement efforts.

APA

Assunção, J., Gandour, C., & Rocha, R. (2019). DETERring Deforestation in the Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/WP003-DETERing-Deforestation-in-the-Amazon.pdf

Chicago

Assunção, Juliano, Clarissa Gandour, and Romero Rocha. DETERring Deforestation in the Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement. Climate Policy Initiative, 2019. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/WP003-DETERing-Deforestation-in-the-Amazon.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Assunção |first1=Juliano |last2=Gandour |first2=Clarissa |last3=Rocha |first3=Romero |title=DETERring Deforestation in the Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=November 2019 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/WP003-DETERing-Deforestation-in-the-Amazon.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{assuno2019deterring, author = {Assunção, Juliano and Gandour, Clarissa and Rocha, Romero}, title = {{DETERring Deforestation in the Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/WP003-DETERing-Deforestation-in-the-Amazon.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }