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The report argues that legal gold garimpo in the Amazon has evolved from an artisanal practice into an industrial-scale business, yet it remains subject to anachronistic regulations that lack necessary socio-environmental safeguards. Analysis of National Mining Agency (ANM) data shows a significant increase in authorized areas between 2016 and 2023, with cooperatives dominating the landscape. The authors highlight critical gaps, such as the lack of a 'prior discovery' requirement for garimpo and the undue simplification of environmental licensing in Pará, which delegates authority to municipalities despite the high-impact nature of the activity. The document recommends extending industrial mining requirements to cooperatives, shelving lenient legislative bills in Congress, and implementing a rigorous three-stage licensing process with mandatory Environmental Impact Studies (EIA/RIMA) in Pará.

The report analyzes the New PAC's infrastructure plans for the Amazon, finding a disconnect between project distribution and actual regional needs. It highlights contradictions between the program's green growth discourse and its inclusion of high-impact projects like the Ferrogrão railroad and BR-319 highway, as well as investments in natural gas power plants. The authors argue that the New PAC lacks transparency and fails to align with the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAM). Recommendations include creating a comprehensive regional development plan, prioritizing infrastructure in the 'Deforested Amazon', and shifting energy investments toward solar and wind power.

The report analyzes the Novo PAC's impact on the Amazon, arguing that the program lacks regional planning and fails to account for the area's socio-environmental complexity. It highlights contradictions between infrastructure projects and deforestation goals, such as the Ferrogrão railway and BR-319 paving, and criticizes the continued use of fossil fuels in energy projects. The authors recommend a comprehensive regional development plan, better alignment with the PPCDAm's zero-deforestation target, and a shift toward renewable energy and distributed generation.

The 2025 report by CPI/PUC-Rio reveals a significant but uneven acceleration in the implementation of Brazil's Forest Code. While the proportion of CAR registrations with initiated analysis rose from 15% to 24% nationally, and validated registrations nearly tripled, a deep gap remains between CAR validation and actual environmental recovery via the PRA. Progress is heavily driven by automation and 'compulsory acceptance' of corrections in states like São Paulo and Paraná, while other regions struggle with land tenure insecurity, lack of technical staff, and poor communication with landowners. Federal governance of the Sicar system has improved through a new partnership between MGI, SFB, and Dataprev, and the first national Environmental Reserve Quotes (CRA) were issued in Rio de Janeiro in October 2025.

The report analyzes private climate finance for Brazil's land use sector, focusing on thematic bonds, CBIOs, and BNDES operations. It finds that bioenergy and biofuels are the primary recipients of these flows, though thematic bond issuance for land use declined sharply between 2021 and 2023. The BNDES remains a central actor through direct credit, blended finance pilots, and the management of the Amazon and Climate Funds.

The report analyzes Brazil's agricultural policy framework, highlighting that while mitigation and adaptation tools exist, many lack social justice elements. It identifies key policies like PNAPO and the PRONAF ABC+ credit line as essential for a just transition, while noting that the ABC+ Plan primarily targets large-scale producers. The document recommends expanding technical assistance to smallholders and improving coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) and the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA).

The report argues that a 'New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon' (NEA), characterized by zero deforestation and a robust bioeconomy, would provide the most equitable economic growth for Brazil. By 2050, this transition could increase the regional GDP by BRL 40 billion and create 312,000 additional jobs compared to a reference scenario. The study emphasizes that eliminating deforestation alone is insufficient to meet Paris Agreement targets; it must be coupled with the decarbonization of agriculture, livestock, and the energy matrix. The transition requires an estimated BRL 2.56 trillion in additional investment by 2050, representing 1.8% of Brazil's national GDP per year. Key recommendations include removing fossil fuel subsidies, redirecting rural credit toward low-carbon practices, and scaling a bioeconomy based on traditional indigenous knowledge and standing forests.

The report outlines a strategic framework for the Legal Amazon, arguing that the region's current crises—excessive deforestation, social instability, and environmental degradation—can be transformed into economic opportunities. It proposes a model based on 'zero deforestation' and territorial ordering, dividing the region into five distinct zones (Forest, Forest under Pressure, Deforested, Non-Forest/Cerrado, and Urban) to apply tailored public policies. Key economic pathways include carbon markets, forest restoration, bioeconomy, and increasing livestock productivity on already deforested lands.

The report examines BNDES's role in the Legal Amazon from 2009 to 2019, finding that while the North Region receives the highest share of disbursements relative to its GDP, it receives the lowest total share of BNDES funds. Financing is heavily concentrated in large-scale infrastructure, specifically hydroelectric power generation, which often serves the rest of Brazil while local populations remain energy-poor. The authors argue that BNDES has a significant opportunity to pivot toward the energy transition by replacing diesel-based isolated systems with renewable energy and improving basic services like sanitation and internet access to reduce regional inequality.

The report examines BNDES's role in the Legal Amazon, finding that while the North Region receives the highest share of disbursements relative to its GDP, it receives the lowest total share of BNDES funds. Financing is heavily concentrated in large-scale hydroelectric infrastructure, often serving the rest of Brazil while local populations remain dependent on expensive, polluting diesel generation. The authors argue for a transition toward renewable energy, decentralized solar power, and improved basic services to reduce regional inequality.

The report highlights a paradox in the Legal Amazon: while the region hosts Brazil's largest hydroelectric plants and generates over 25.7% of national electricity, approximately four million of its residents lack access to the National Interconnected System (SIN). Around three million people rely on isolated systems, 97% of which are powered by expensive and polluting diesel fuel, while nearly one million people have no reliable public energy access at all. These isolated systems are heavily subsidized by the Fuel Consumption Fund (CCC), which reached an estimated value of over R$ 10 billion in 2022. The document finds that municipalities with isolated systems consistently perform worse across key socioeconomic indicators, including the Human Development Index and GDP per capita, compared to connected municipalities. To address this, the report recommends modifying auction rules to make renewables more competitive, incentivizing decentralized solar power, and improving the 'More Light for the Amazon' program through better oversight and community involvement.

The document examines the high socio-environmental costs of logistics infrastructure in the Legal Amazon, such as deforestation and carbon emissions. It proposes replacing inconsistent geographic-based delimitation of a project's 'area of influence' with a 'market access approach' based on international trade literature. Using the BR-319 highway as a case study, the report demonstrates how this method more accurately identifies affected populations and environmental risks, including impacts on 49 indigenous territories and 49 conservation units. It concludes with policy recommendations for the Brazilian Ministry of Infrastructure to mandate early risk assessments and transparent, public-domain methodologies for delimiting influence areas.

The document examines the potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve economic accessibility in the Legal Amazon. It reviews global evidence showing that mobile and broadband services increase productivity, employment, and market access in developing regions. In the Legal Amazon, the brief identifies significant gaps in 3G/4G mobile internet access in rural areas and broadband access in both urban and rural sectors compared to the rest of Brazil, recommending targeted infrastructure investments to overcome these barriers.

The document analyzes the energy landscape of the Legal Amazon, highlighting the disparity between the region's role as a major energy exporter via the National Interconnected System (SIN) and the internal reality of 4 million people disconnected from it. It examines 'Sistemas Isolados' (Isolated Systems) and populations without any electricity access, linking these energy deficits to poor socioeconomic indicators. The report criticizes the current auction model for isolated systems for favoring diesel over renewables and evaluates the 'Mais Luz para a Amazônia' program, providing recommendations for a transition toward decentralized solar energy and improved regulatory frameworks.

The report analyzes the regulatory disparity between industrial mining and 'garimpo' (artisanal mining) in Brazil, specifically focusing on how cooperatives use the lenient 'Permissão de Lavra Garimpeira' (PLG) to conduct industrial-scale gold mining in the Amazon. It highlights that Presidential Decrees 10.965/2022 and 10.966/2022 further incentivize this by simplifying bureaucracy and providing development support to these cooperatives. Data shows that some cooperatives hold larger mining areas than Vale S.A., yet avoid the rigorous prior mineral research required for industrial concessions, which hinders socio-environmental impact assessments and the fight against financial laundering.

The report finds that most pandemic recovery plans in Brazil, France, India, and Uganda missed the opportunity to invest in natural capital, often prioritizing business-as-usual practices. In Brazil, 87.3% of the reviewed budget for the Legal Amazon region had a negative impact, primarily due to agricultural subsidies. France's recovery plan showed a mixed impact, with 27% positive and 25% negative, largely due to corporate tax reductions. India's package was similarly mixed, with 18% positive and 24% negative, including significant funding for coal mining infrastructure. Uganda showed the most positive trend, with 34% of its 2020/21 budget having a positive impact, though this declined in the 2021/22 budget. The report recommends that governments implement environmental conditionality for corporate support, strengthen natural capital accounting, and align national strategies to ensure long-term economic stability through nature-positive investments.

The document proposes the creation of the 'Brazilian Platform of sustainability', an integrated system and information toolkit designed to unify fragmented public and private traceability and certification data for cattle and soybeans in the Legal Amazon. The initiative aims to address information gaps that hinder the enforcement of deforestation-free supply chains and the effectiveness of existing moratoriums. By connecting databases like the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Brazilian Traceability Service of the Cattle and Buffalo Production Chains (SISBOV), the platform intends to increase transparency, attract private investment for low-emission agriculture, and support Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The project, implemented by the FAO over 24 months with a budget of USD 449,510, will establish a governance model involving government agencies, industry associations, and NGOs to foster a sustainable agricultural economy.

The report analyzes the impact of Brazilian public policies on Amazon forest protection, highlighting the success of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAM) and the use of real-time monitoring (DETER) in reducing deforestation between 2004 and 2012. It identifies a recent trend of increasing deforestation linked to weakened environmental governance and impunity. The author argues for a broader conservation agenda that includes monitoring forest degradation and secondary vegetation, as these are currently 'invisible' to official systems but critical for carbon sequestration and ecosystem restoration.

The policy brief analyzes the gap between international guidelines, sectoral manuals, and the actual implementation of environmental studies for land infrastructure in the Legal Amazon. It finds that studies prioritize socio-economic and physical factors over the biotic environment, often fail to comply with their own terms of reference, and lack coordination between the EVTEA and EIA phases. The authors recommend making EVTEAs mandatory before EIAs, incorporating international standards into binding terms of reference, and establishing transparent approval criteria to reduce environmental risks and transaction costs.

The analysis of 14 large-scale federal railroad and highway projects in the Legal Amazon reveals significant gaps in the viability phase of infrastructure concessions. Key issues include the absence of clear procedural rules, a lack of logical and temporal sequencing between Technical, Economic and Environmental Viability Studies (EVTEA) and Environmental Impact Studies (EIA), and severe transparency deficits, with 57% of essential documents unavailable. The document argues that these flaws increase environmental risks and jeopardize project quality. It recommends making EVTEAs mandatory before EIAs and establishing a centralized database for all concession documents to enhance monitoring and risk assessment.