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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the role of Brazilian cattle ranching in climate change, specifically focusing on methane emissions from enteric fermentation. It proposes a portfolio of solutions across land use, biological productivity, feed management, and production systems to increase productivity while reducing the sector's climate footprint. The document also evaluates existing public policies and provides recommendations to align agricultural growth with carbon neutrality goals.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and the Amazon 2030 project analyzes the regulatory and institutional barriers hindering biodiversity-based biotechnology in Brazil, with a specific focus on the Amazon region. It identifies the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) framework as a primary obstacle to innovation and investment, and suggests that the forthcoming National Bioeconomy Development Plan (PNDBIO) is a critical opportunity to integrate biotechnology into the national strategy.

This 2025 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) provides a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012), specifically focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) across Brazilian states. It details the transition of the National CAR System (Sicar) to a digital public infrastructure managed by Dataprev and the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI), the adoption of automated analysis tools to accelerate CAR validation, and the persistent challenges in converting validated registries into effective forest restoration through the PRA.

This report analyzes capital markets and financial instruments beyond rural credit used to mobilize private climate finance for the land use sector in Brazil between 2021 and 2023, focusing on thematic bonds, CBIOs, and BNDES operations.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) maps Brazil's public policies for climate mitigation and adaptation in agriculture, evaluating them through the lens of a 'just transition.' It identifies a framework of policies that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience, while highlighting the need to better include vulnerable groups such as family farmers and traditional communities to ensure social and economic equity.

This 2023 report by the Climate Policy Initiative maps Brazil's agricultural policies for climate mitigation and adaptation, evaluating their alignment with 'just transition' principles. It finds that while a framework exists—largely driven by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) and the Plano ABC—justice elements are often limited to specific programs like Pronaf ABC+ and PNAPO. The report highlights a critical need to extend technical assistance to small-scale farmers and improve coordination between the ministries of agriculture, agrarian development, environment, and social assistance.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) argues that Brazilian presidential decrees from February 2022 exacerbate a regulatory gap in the mining sector, allowing gold mining cooperatives to operate as industrial entities while benefiting from lenient regulations intended for vulnerable individual miners. The authors call for the revocation of these decrees to better protect the environment and improve oversight in the Amazon.

This case study by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the governance and environmental risks associated with four federal transport infrastructure projects in the state of Pará: Ferrogrão, BR-155/158, BR-163/230/MT/PA, and BR-230. Using a 'market access approach' to quantify deforestation risks, the study finds that these projects collectively threaten nearly 7,000 square kilometers of Amazonian native vegetation, with over half of the impact concentrated in Pará. The report highlights significant transparency issues regarding project documentation and urges the Pará state government to engage in dialogue with the federal government to integrate deforestation control funding into project designs.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes Bill (PL) No. 1709/2019, which proposes to reduce the width of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) along watercourses across Brazil. The authors warn that the bill's substitute text would halve the required protection widths, potentially enabling the deforestation of over 2 million hectares of native forest in the Amazon.

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 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.

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.