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This policy brief by Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the viability phase of 14 large-scale federal land transport infrastructure projects in the Legal Amazon. The analysis identifies significant procedural gaps, a lack of logical sequencing between environmental studies, and a systemic lack of transparency regarding project documentation, which increases environmental risks and investor uncertainty.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the potential for increasing cattle productivity in the Legal Amazon. It finds that current livestock production is homogeneously low-productivity and extensive, meaning that simply disseminating existing local best practices would only yield modest gains. The authors argue that significant productivity increases require a new business model involving technologies not yet used at scale and a crackdown on land grabbing and illegal deforestation.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes Bill (PL) No. 2633/2020, which proposes changes to the legal framework for land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil. The authors argue that the proposed environmental safeguards are insufficient and ineffective, potentially rewarding illegal deforestation by granting titles without requiring the regularization of environmental liabilities.

This whitepaper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) argues that current environmental assessments for transportation infrastructure in the Amazon fail to account for indirect effects, leading to an underestimation of ecological footprints. The authors propose a 'market access' approach using geoprocessing and statistical analysis to better quantify how reduced transport costs drive deforestation and agricultural expansion far beyond the immediate project site.

This whitepaper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) argues that current environmental and technical feasibility studies for transport infrastructure in the Amazon fail to account for indirect effects, specifically how reduced transport costs induce deforestation far from the project site. The authors propose a 'market access' approach using geoprocessing and statistical analysis to better quantify these risks and recommend that these methodologies be integrated into official project evaluations to avoid underestimating environmental costs.

This technical note by Climate Policy Initiative analyzes 56 bills in the Brazilian Congress that seek to modify the 2012 Forest Code. It highlights seven bills that could significantly reduce native vegetation protection, grant amnesty for illegal deforestation, or disrupt the implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and Environmental Regularization Programs (PRA). The document warns against 'jabuti' amendments and urges public monitoring of the legislative process to prevent environmental setbacks.

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 technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes how Provisional Measure 901/2019 (MP 901/2019) and the resulting Conversion Law Project 31/2019 (PLV 31/2019) contain 'jabuti' amendments that weaken the Brazilian Forest Code's protections in the Amazon, specifically in Roraima and Amapá.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio analyzes Provisional Measure (MP) 910/2019, which modifies Law 11.952/2009 regarding the land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil. The authors argue that the MP rewards criminal activities such as land grabbing (grilagem) and illegal deforestation by expanding the spatial and temporal scopes for regularization and simplifying the process through self-declaration, thereby benefiting large landowners over traditional communities and family farmers.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Agroicone discusses the legal status and implementation steps of the Brazilian Forest Code (Federal Law No. 12,651/2012) following a February 2018 Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling. The document outlines the requirements for rural producers to achieve environmental regularization, the benefits available to those who deforested before July 22, 2008, and the critical deadlines for registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and the NAPC/PUC-Rio argues that estimates of land 'amnesty' granted by the new Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12,651/2012) may be lower than previously reported by Imaflora, as some rules were already present in the previous legislation.

This fact sheet by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio examines the impact of property rights uncertainty in rural Brazil, highlighting how legal instability contributes to deforestation, violence, and economic inefficiency.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative describes the 2012 Brazilian Forest Code, detailing its mechanisms for protecting native vegetation on private lands, the creation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), and the special legal regime for regularizing properties with environmental liabilities prior to July 22, 2008.

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.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the effectiveness of deforestation policies in the Brazilian Amazon, noting a significant reduction in deforestation from 2004 to 2012 followed by stagnation and a rise in 2013. The authors argue that while command-and-control measures successfully targeted large landowners, new incentive-based strategies are required to address deforestation by smallholders and in remote areas.

An evaluation of Brazil's Resolution 3.545 shows that conditioning rural credit on environmental compliance reduced credit concessions by BRL 2.9 billion (USD 1.4 billion) between 2008 and 2011, preventing over 2,700 km2 of deforestation (a 15% reduction). The impact was most pronounced among livestock producers, who are more dependent on subsidized credit for land expansion, whereas food crop producers were less affected.

This executive summary evaluates the impact of Brazilian Central Bank Resolution 3,545, a 2008 policy that conditioned rural credit in the Amazon Biome on proof of environmental compliance. The study finds that the policy significantly reduced credit concessions and subsequent deforestation, particularly in cattle-ranching areas, suggesting that cattle ranchers face binding credit constraints that influence land clearing.

This executive summary evaluates the impact of Resolution 3.545, a 2008 Brazilian Central Bank policy that conditioned rural credit in the Amazon biome on compliance with environmental regulations. The study finds that the policy significantly reduced rural credit disbursement, particularly for large-scale livestock producers, which in turn led to a measurable decrease in deforestation between 2008 and 2011.