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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 report by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio analyzes the productivity of livestock farming in the Legal Amazon. It finds that the region is dominated by a homogeneous, low-productivity extensive business model, meaning that simply scaling existing local best practices would yield limited gains. The authors argue that significant productivity increases require a new business model involving technologies not yet used at scale and the combatting of land grabbing (grilagem).

The Priority Municipalities (MPs) policy in Brazil significantly reduced deforestation in the Amazon between 2008 and 2011, avoiding the clearing of 11,359 km2 of forest. The reduction was primarily driven by increased monitoring and law enforcement, such as fines, rather than economic measures. The study found that this environmental protection did not negatively impact agricultural GDP or production, suggesting that economic growth and preservation can coexist in the region.

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of the Brazilian government's 'Priority Municipalities' (MPs) policy, implemented in 2008 to combat illegal deforestation in the Amazon. The authors find that blacklisting municipalities significantly reduced deforestation, primarily through intensified monitoring and law enforcement rather than economic sanctions. Crucially, the study concludes that this reduction in deforestation did not negatively impact agricultural production or credit concessions in the affected areas.

A 2014 report by the Climate Policy Initiative finds that the 'Municípios Prioritários' policy reduced deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by 35% between 2008 and 2011, preventing 11,359 km2 of forest loss. The reduction was driven by increased enforcement and fines by Ibama, rather than economic pressures or credit restrictions, which showed no significant impact on agricultural production or GDP.

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.

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.