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This executive summary provides a comparative legal analysis of forest protection and land use legislation across seven major agricultural exporting countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, and the United States. The study specifically examines riparian buffer zones and biodiversity conservation policies on private lands to contextualize the stringency of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012).

This report provides a comparative legal analysis of forest protection and land use policies on private lands across seven major agricultural exporting countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, and the United States. The study specifically examines riparian buffer zones and biodiversity conservation policies to determine how the Brazilian Forest Code compares to international standards.

This executive summary analyzes the role of smart land use policy in helping California achieve its 2030 goal of reducing carbon emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels. Using the RapidFire model and E3 California Pathways study, the report demonstrates that compact, transit-oriented development can close the emissions gap left by energy technology alone and provide significant economic, public health, and environmental co-benefits.

This case study examines Costa Rica's transition from high rates of deforestation to net forest restoration between 1986 and 2005. It highlights how a combination of market shifts, policy changes, and financial incentives—most notably the Pago de Servicios Ambientales (PSA) system—contributed to increasing forest cover from 41 percent in 1986 to 48 percent by 2005.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and NAPC/PUC-Rio analyzes the shift in deforestation patterns in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2012. It highlights a transition from large-scale clearing to small-scale clearing, which is harder to detect via satellite, and argues for the need to tailor public policies to regional differences, specifically comparing Mato Grosso and Pará.

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.