Search Climate Insights Directory

A research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute finds that conservation policies in the Brazilian Amazon that successfully reduced deforestation have generally failed to reduce anthropogenic forest degradation, leaving carbon stocks, biodiversity, and ecosystem services at risk.

The report proposes the Reversing Deforestation Mechanism (RDM), a results-based payment system designed to scale up tropical forest restoration through jurisdictional agreements. Unlike existing frameworks like JREDD+ and TFFF, which focus on halting deforestation and maintaining standing forests, RDM incentivizes net carbon removal by compensating jurisdictions for carbon captured through restoration minus emissions from deforestation and degradation. The report simulates the potential of RDM to transform tropical forests into high-impact climate assets, highlighting its potential to generate significant revenues and carbon sequestration, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon.

The Trase strategy for 2025–2030 outlines a mission to drive systemic change in commodity markets and supply chains by providing open-access data and intelligence to accelerate supply chain interventions and improve decision-maker responsiveness to risks.

This research paper examines the historical evolution of policies addressing the nexus between ecosystem service (ES) provision and poverty alleviation (PA) in the Brazilian Amazon, analyzing the influence of international programs and the operationalization of specific policies.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the economic viability of forest restoration in the Brazilian Amazon compared to cattle ranching. It proposes that a carbon price of US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured via natural regeneration would make restoration more profitable than ranching, potentially capturing 16 Gt CO2 and avoiding another 32 Gt CO2 over 30 years.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the economic viability of replacing extensive cattle ranching with large-scale forest restoration in the Brazilian Amazon through carbon credits. It proposes that a carbon price of US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured via natural regeneration would make restoration more profitable than ranching across most of the region, potentially capturing 16 Gt of CO2 and avoiding 32 Gt of emissions over 30 years.

This white paper argues that Brazil lacks an official system to monitor secondary tropical vegetation (regenerated forests), leaving these areas vulnerable. While the technology for remote monitoring exists, the authors state that public policy support and financial resources are needed to implement a system that would allow Brazil to track reforestation goals and combat illegal clearing of regenerated areas.

This research paper analyzes the growth of secondary vegetation in the Brazilian Amazon from 2004 to 2014, investigating whether this regeneration was a result of policy spillovers from law enforcement targeting primary forest loss. The authors find that increased enforcement in a cell's neighborhood significantly increases the probability and area of forest regrowth within that cell, suggesting a deterrence mechanism where offenders abandon deforested land due to higher perceived risks.

The 2019 five-year assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) concludes that the 2020 goals to halve tropical deforestation and restore 150 million hectares of land are likely impossible to achieve. Despite some progress in Indonesia and specific sectoral moratoria, tropical primary forest loss has increased, and global deforestation remains unsustainable, driven largely by agricultural commodities. Restoration efforts have largely occurred outside natural forests, and corporate commitments have stagnated. The report highlights a critical lack of financial investment compared to other climate goals and emphasizes that the reversal of environmental policies in Brazil and the failure to secure indigenous land rights further undermine forest conservation.

The 2019 five-year assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) finds that the 2020 goals to halve tropical deforestation and restore 150 million hectares of degraded land are likely unattainable. Despite some progress in Indonesia and the existence of corporate commitments, tropical forest loss remains unsustainable, driven largely by agricultural expansion and poverty. The report highlights a critical lack of 'green' financing and a need for stronger governance and recognition of indigenous land rights to prevent further loss of primary forests.

This policy brief summarizes the IPCC's SRCCL report, detailing how human activity affects 75% of Earth's land surface and contributes to climate change. It highlights that while land currently acts as a net carbon sink, climate change and degradation (driven largely by agriculture and logging) threaten this capacity. The brief emphasizes that sustainable land management, incorporating indigenous knowledge and gender-proofing, is essential for limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C and ensuring future food security.

The 2018 Progress Assessment Goal 4 Update evaluates efforts to support alternatives to deforestation driven by basic human needs, such as subsistence farming and woodfuel use. While the distribution of clean cookstoves has increased significantly, financial support for woodfuel interventions has declined. The report highlights various regional case studies in the Amazon, West Africa, and Southeast Asia that employ sustainable landscape approaches and community-based management to alleviate poverty and protect forests.

This discussion brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the complexities of governing sustainability in tropical agricultural-forest frontiers, using the Brazilian Amazon as a primary case study. It argues that the high diversity of actors—ranging from subsistence smallholders to large-scale commercial farms—requires tailored, actor-specific policy approaches rather than 'one-size-fits-all' models to effectively reduce deforestation and alleviate poverty.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the effectiveness of deforestation policies in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2011. It argues that while command-and-control measures successfully reduced deforestation among large landowners, they are less effective for smallholders and in remote areas, necessitating a shift toward incentive-based and tailored strategies.