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This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) argues that increasing agricultural productivity in Brazil is a viable strategy for mitigating climate change and reducing deforestation. By analyzing four historical drivers of productivity, the document demonstrates that technological innovation and policy improvements can shift agricultural expansion away from forests and toward underutilized pasture lands.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and NAPC/PUC-Rio analyzes the obstacles preventing the effective conversion of environmental fines into environmental services in Brazil. It identifies a regulatory vacuum at the federal level and legal contradictions in the Forest Code that hinder the implementation of this instrument, and proposes recommendations for new federal regulations to increase the effectiveness of environmental recovery.

This executive summary describes a study by the Núcleo de Avaliação de Políticas Climáticas (NAPC/CPI) and the INPUT project regarding the impact of rural settlements on deforestation in the Amazon. The research concludes that rural settlements were responsible for 30% of deforestation in the Amazon region in 2014, with a significant portion attributed to settlements designed for sustainable production.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) reports that rural settlements were responsible for 30% of deforestation in the Amazon region in 2014. The research highlights that 'special settlements,' intended to promote sustainable practices, contributed disproportionately to this figure, accounting for half of the deforestation caused by all rural settlements.

A research paper finds that Brazil's 2008 Resolution 3,545, which tied rural credit to environmental and land-titling compliance, reduced deforestation in the Amazon by approximately 60%. The effect was strongest in cattle-ranching areas and driven by a reduction in medium and large loans, demonstrating a positive correlation between credit availability and land clearing in the region.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the social, economic, and environmental consequences of insecure rural land rights in Brazil. It identifies key drivers of instability, such as the 'social function of property' requirement and institutional complexity, and outlines obstacles to reform, including the lack of an integrated land database and the prevalence of illegal land grabbing (grilagem).

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the insecurity of rural land property rights in Brazil, detailing the social, economic, and environmental costs of this instability and the institutional obstacles preventing its resolution.

This policy brief analyzes the coherence of national development, conservation, and climate policies in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru using a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approach. It identifies significant trade-offs between ambitious renewable energy and agricultural targets and the preservation of the Amazon biome's ecosystem services, which are critical for regional water, food, and energy security.

This briefing discusses the use of innovative trade-flow modelling to increase transparency in agricultural supply chains in Amazonia. By linking production jurisdictions in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru to downstream actors, the authors argue that stakeholders can better identify deforestation risks and build coalitions to transition toward sustainable production landscapes.

The Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio propose that Brazil expand Rural Credit limits for producers who comply with the Forest Code or are formally regularizing their properties. This proposal aims to accelerate environmental compliance ahead of the government's 2018 plan, which only requires registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR). Drawing on examples from the EU's CAP and the US's Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and citing a 15% reduction in Amazon deforestation following a 2008 Central Bank resolution, the authors argue that redirecting existing subsidies is a viable way to treat forest conservation as a public good without requiring new Treasury funds.

This research paper examines the relationship between property rights and the implementation of Brazil's 2012 Forest Code, analyzing how land ownership structures and administrative institutions influence landowner behavior and environmental outcomes.

This briefing by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) outlines the political and economic requirements for countries to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris climate agreement. It emphasizes the need for 'climate compatible development' that balances emission reductions with poverty eradication and sustainable development, particularly in developing nations.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes land use efficiency in Brazil, arguing that agricultural productivity can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions reduced without further deforestation. It highlights the potential of converting degraded pasturelands into croplands and examines successful historical examples of land use change, such as the soybean revolution and the implementation of the PPCDAm to combat Amazon deforestation. The document identifies key barriers to efficiency, including poor infrastructure, insecure land rights, and the need for better technology dissemination, while emphasizing the importance of enforcing the Brazilian Forest Code on private lands.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes a shift in Brazilian Amazon deforestation from large-scale to small-scale clearings between 2004 and 2012. It argues that while conservation policies successfully reduced overall deforestation, they created a blind spot for clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading landholders in states like Mato Grosso and Pará to adapt their practices to avoid detection.

This research paper examines how the scale of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon shifted from large to small patches between 2002 and 2012. The authors find that the DETER monitoring system, which cannot detect clearings under 25 hectares, led to different behavioral adaptations in Mato Grosso and Pará. In Mato Grosso, large landowners shifted to smaller clearings to avoid detection. In Pará, smallholders remained less visible to law enforcement, leading to a relative increase in the share of deforestation attributable to small properties. The paper concludes that conservation policies must be tailored to regional heterogeneities to be effective.

This commentary by Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), discusses the book 'On the Edge: The State and Fate of the World’s Tropical Rainforests' by Claude Martin. The text outlines the scientific history of tropical rainforest research, the primary drivers of deforestation—specifically agriculture and infrastructure—and the progress made through protected areas and remote sensing. It further examines the intersection of forest loss with climate change, carbon emissions, and the risks of species extinction.

This report provides an overview of the water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on the interdependencies between these sectors and the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and resource distribution.

This executive summary analyzes the drivers of the deforestation slowdown in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009, specifically comparing the impact of agricultural prices against conservation policies. The authors find that while agricultural prices influence forest clearing, targeted policy interventions introduced in 2004 and 2008 were instrumental in curbing deforestation, avoiding an estimated 73,000 km2 of forest loss.

This research paper evaluates the relative contributions of agricultural output prices and conservation policies to the reduction of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2002 and 2009. Using a panel of 380 municipalities, the authors find that while agricultural prices drive deforestation, conservation policies implemented in 2004 and 2008 significantly curbed forest clearings without negatively impacting local GDP or population trends.

This executive summary analyzes the causes of the reduction in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009, specifically evaluating whether the decline was driven by agricultural commodity prices or government conservation policies. The study concludes that conservation policies were effective, preventing the deforestation of approximately 73,000 km² of forest.