Amazônia 2030

Categoria: Studies

  • Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation And Conservation in The Amazon

    Settlements in Focus: Combating Deforestation And Conservation in The Amazon


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    The Amazon is home to 2,599 agrarian reform settlements, which occupy 45% of the settled agrarian area in Brazil and support nearly 400,000 families. Although these settlements represent only 8% of the Amazon biome, they accounted for 24% of the forest loss in 2023.

    In a new study, researchers from Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyze the concentrated deforestation in a small group of settlements and argue that targeted public policies aimed at these critical areas could significantly reduce forest loss in the Amazon.

    Between 2008 and 2023, forest cover loss in settled areas followed a similar pattern to other parts of the Amazon, indicating that the same drivers of deforestation impact both agrarian reform areas and the broader biome. A notable portion of this deforestation results from the clearing of large areas, which is not typical of small-scale farming and exceeds the financial capacity of most settlers, who live in vulnerable socio-economic conditions. This suggests that deforestation in settlements is likely driven by external actors and broader forces, rather than the resident population.

    A key finding of the study is the high concentration of deforestation in a few settlements: just 5% of the settlements are responsible for 65% of the forest loss. Moreover, the same settlements, often in close geographic proximity, consistently show high deforestation rates year after year. Targeting these settlements with focused public policies could make a significant difference in reducing deforestation.

    Given this concentration, the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), which oversees agrarian reform policies and manages public lands in Brazil, should implement targeted strategies to promote forest conservation. In the Amazon, INCRA operates through 11 regional superintendencies, three of which are located in Pará, while the others are spread across the nine remaining states of the biome.

    At the superintendency level, the concentration of deforestation is similarly stark. For instance, five settlements account for 75% of deforestation in the Amazonas Superintendency, and three of the eleven superintendencies are responsible for 63% of deforestation in settled areas.

    This concentrated pattern of forest loss presents a critical opportunity for action. Strategic interventions focused on these priority settlements could yield significant results in combating deforestation and should be integrated into the plans of key agencies like the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA). Additionally, INCRA can enhance its efforts by prioritizing action in these high-deforestation superintendencies and settlements, leading to more effective forest conservation across the region.

    Read the full paper here.

  • Cutting Down The (Hydropower) Plants: How The Amazon Deforestationis Jeopardizing Electricity Generation in Brazil

    Cutting Down The (Hydropower) Plants: How The Amazon Deforestationis Jeopardizing Electricity Generation in Brazil


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    The Amazon rainforest plays a crucial role in the global climate agenda and the Brazilian economy. It has a large carbon storage capacity and provides essential ecosystem services, including the regulation of rainfall patterns on a continental scale. The loss of forest vegetation negatively affects local biodiversity, the country’s economic development, and global climate stability.

    Researchers from Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-RIO) analyzed the impact of changes in rainfall patterns caused by deforestation on the country’s electricity generation. This study shows that deforestation in the Amazon negatively affects the country’s electricity generation capacity and revenue, even affecting hydropower plants (HPPs) located thousands of kilometers away from the Amazon biome.

    By analyzing four of the most significant HPPs in the country, this publication explores the effects of deforestation on electricity generation both inside and outside of the Amazon region. The first case study, focusing on the Teles Pires HPP, located in the Amazon region, identifies that deforestation has reduced monthly generation by 2.5% to 10%, resulting in an annual revenue loss of USD 21 million for the hydroelectric plant. The second case study investigates the impact of deforestation beyond the Amazon region. When analyzing the three HPPs in the Paraná Basin (located thousands of kilometers from the Amazon), researchers identified a generation loss of around 3%. For HPP Salto, for example, the electricity generation loss corresponds to a potential 10% loss of annual profit for the controlling company.

    Hydroelectricity has historically been Brazil’s main source of electricity generation, accounting for 48.6% of installed capacity and 60.2% of total generation in 2023. Hydroelectric power is a renewable source of energy that is economically competitive and brings operational flexibility to the electricity system. However, it is vulnerable to changes in rainfall patterns and hydrological regimes.

    The Teles Pires HPP case study was developed at CPI/PUC-RIO in 2020 by Rafael Araújo, then a senior analyst. The results of this research were published in January 2024 in the journal Energy Economics. In the current publication, CPI/PUC-RIO presents the full results of the research project “Deforestation and Energy Generation.”

    This study aims to highlight the connection between the Amazon rainforest and energy generation, demonstrating that the impacts of deforestation reach beyond the deforested area and affect national hydroelectric generation. This analysis hones in on the resilience of Brazil’s electricity mix, which is already facing water scarcity and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Although this study focuses on two case studies, it raises the hypothesis that the reliability and availability of hydroelectric generation can be impacted by deforestation. In addition, the study identifies regions in the Amazon that contribute to the hydroelectric generation of the analyzed HPPs, as well as the land categories present in the areas of influence for each plant. By identifying the most relevant areas to hydroelectric generation, this analysis shows the priority areas for implementing conservation and restoration policies, which can guide the design of effective financial mechanisms and the targeting of public and private resources.

    The results highlight the need to define strategies that reconcile conservation and restoration policies with those for energy generation, ensuring greater institutional integration between energy and environmental issues. Especially since a large part of Brazil’s power generation system is exposed to this mechanism—17 of the 20 hydroelectric plants with the highest capacity are in the path of the flying rivers.

    Read the full paper here.

  • The Tropical Forests Mechanism

    The Tropical Forests Mechanism


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    Amazon 2030, with the support of BVRio and Igarapé Institute, released today a concept note on a Tropical Forests Mechanism (TFM) aimed at supporting nature finance at scale to guarantee the maintenance and enhancement of tropical forests worldwide. The mechanism is expected to complement the Brazilian government’s Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), announced at COP28, to secure funding to protect rainforests in the Amazon region, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.

    These three basins hold most of the world’s 1.2 billion hectares of tropical forests, and it is estimated that annual payments of USD 30 per hectare would provide enough incentives for their protection. The oil and gas sector, producing approximately 30 billion barrels a year, could provide most of the funding needed with a USD 1 per barrel contribution.

    Published ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting, the concept note proposes rules and procedures for distributing annual payments among tropical countries and to guide the application of resources within participating countries to maximise the impact in conservation of tropical forests.

    The TFM focuses on ‘hectares of forests’ rather than ‘tonnes of carbon’ as its primary metric, supporting the provision of environmental services such as carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, water retention, and benefits to forest stewards and inhabitants.  Unlike traditional carbon markets, the approach avoids challenges related to additionality, leakage, and permanence, allowing for an effective conservation effort.

    Key Features of the TFM:

    • Global financial support: Encourages resource-intensive sectors to contribute, aiming for a minimum of USD 1 per barrel of oil produced, potentially generating up to USD 30 billion annually.
    • Annual payments for forest conservation: The TFM proposes to allocate USD 30 per hectare of forest to tropical countries, promoting forest maintenance and enhancement.
    • Penalties for deforestation: The TFM also supports imposing a USD 3,000 penalty for each hectare of deforestation, incentivizing countries are incentivised to reduce forest loss, in the same rationale employed by Brazil’s proposed TFFF.
    • Eligibility Criteria: Ensures countries must meet strict deforestation reduction targets and support local communities and forest stewards.
    • Fast implementation: by not having complex baselines and financial instruments, it allows countries to achieve qualification in the short term, enabling rapid implementation of the mechanism and thus accelerating the achievement of the global goal of ending deforestation.

    The TFM is expected to complement and support the Brazilian government’s TFFF, garnering a conceptual framework from the civil society organisations that support the mechanism. The TFFF underscores Brazil’s commitment to environmental protection, setting a powerful example for other countries that aligns with the growing interest in nature-based solutions for climate change following a significant decrease in Amazon deforestation since early last year.

     

    In this sense, the TFM can be supported by a Global Pledge for Tropical Forests, through which companies would actively contribute to conserving the world’s tropical rainforests, fostering a global alliance for sustainability and environmental stewardship.

    Read the full paper here.

  • Amazônia 2030: Bases For Sustainable Development

    Amazônia 2030: Bases For Sustainable Development


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    The Amazon 2030 project aims to propose solutions for the economic, social, and environmental development of the Brazilian Amazon. In the first phase (2020-2022), the project – led by Brazilian researchers – engaged over 80 researchers from various regional, national, and international institutions. They published 60 technical reports on topics related to social policies (health, education, public safety, demography), the Amazonian economy (income and employment, public finance, bioeconomy, infrastructure, livestock, and others), environmental conservation (forest restoration, carbon market, anti-deforestation policies, etc.), as well as cross-cutting themes such as land tenure and cities.

    The book “Amazon 2030” (Volume 1) is a synthesis of the studies published in the first phase of the project. It is structured into three chapters:

    1. The Amazon Paradox;

    2. The Five Amazons: Foundations for the Sustainable Development of the Brazilian Amazon;

    3. Zero Deforestation and Land Use Planning: Pillars for the Sustainable Development of the Brazilian Amazon.

    The first chapter addresses the so-called Amazon paradox, in which three serious problems are recast as opportunities for the region.

    Firstly, over the last decades, the Amazon has experienced extensive deforestation, amounting to around 84 million hectares. This has resulted in the creation of vast degraded areas, often abandoned or occupied by low-productivity agriculture or cattle ranching. If productivity were improved, these deforested areas could accommodate all agricultural expansion in the region, creating a surplus of approximately 35 million hectares. This surplus could be utilized for forest restoration involving the planting of native trees for carbon capture or directed towards other land uses.

    Secondly, despite facing excessive deforestation, the Brazilian Amazon retains a vast remaining forest cover that is gaining increasing strategic value and importance due to its environmental services, potential for the bioeconomy, and superlative biodiversity.

    Thirdly, the Amazon has over 8 million working-age adults who are not in the workforce. This serious social crisis can represent an opportunity, heightened by the fact that the region is still benefiting from a demographic bonus. That is, the number of economically active adults is larger than the number of children and the elderly.

    The second chapter discusses the heterogeneity that exists within the Brazilian Amazon. Covering 5 million km2, which is equivalent to 59% of Brazil, the region displays distinct patterns of human occupation and land use. Recognizing the different “Amazons” is a precondition for any feasible sustainable development plan for the region. In this chapter, the Brazilian Amazon is divided into five major zones: “The Forested Brazilian Amazon”, “The Brazilian Amazon with Forest Under Pressure”, “The Deforested Brazilian Amazon”, “The Non-Forested Brazilian Amazon” (the vast majority of this area is covered by savanna-type vegetation and natural grasslands), and “The Urban Brazilian Amazon” (where about two-thirds of the population resides). Policy suggestions vary depending on the zone. For example, intensifying agriculture and forest restoration are critical for the development of the Deforested Brazilian Amazon. In contrast, environmental enforcement carries greater weight in the Brazilian Amazon with Forest Under Pressure, where most deforestation has occurred. The bioeconomy should be encouraged throughout the region, but it is key in the Forested Amazon. The carbon market is fundamental in all zones, but the REDD+ mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is even more critical in the Brazilian Amazon with Forest Under Pressure.

    Ending deforestation is crucial for both the environment and climate, as well as for the economic and social development of the Brazilian Amazon. Continued deforestation keeps Amazonian society trapped in a vicious cycle of environmental destruction with low land productivity, high poverty rates, and slow social progress. Moreover, it has contributed in recent years to an explosion of environmental crimes and increased violence in the region.

    In summary, deforestation deteriorates the economic environment and prevents good investments in the region. Land use planning is also imperative, as approximately 29% of the Brazilian Amazon territory remains with undefined land tenure, a significant portion of which consists of public forests not allocated.

    The bases for allocating these lands are already present in current Brazilian legislation. Therefore, it is crucial that land use planning policy in the Brazilian Amazon aligns the procedures for allocating public lands according to the order of priorities identified in the Constitution and national legislation.

    Increasing regional productivity, attracting good investors and entrepreneurs to the region, harnessing opportunities related to the bioeconomy and forest restoration, and ensuring the provision and remuneration of ecosystem services provided by the forest are all impossible without zero deforestation and land use planning.

    Read the full paper here.

  • Zero Deforestation And Land Use Planning: Fundations For The Sustainable Development of The Brazilian Amazon

    Zero Deforestation And Land Use Planning: Fundations For The Sustainable Development of The Brazilian Amazon


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    The Brazilian Amazon deserves a new economic model that enables the conservation and sustainable use of its natural resources while contributing to an improved quality of life for its 28 million inhabitants.

    To this end, Brazil must commit to zero deforestation by 2030 and implement a land use plan in the region. These two pillars are essential for addressing the main factors that are deteriorating the economic environment of the Brazilian Amazon: criminality, violence, and inefficient land use.

    Driven by destructive practices, the predominant land uses in the region have replaced a valuable and strategic natural asset – the forest – with unproductive activities. As a result, the Brazilian Amazon has become the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the country(1). Furthermore, these practices have led to precarious living conditions for a large part of the population(2).

    Our article “The Amazon Paradox”(3) argues that this context of environmental destruction and socioeconomic vulnerability paradoxically presents three opportunities to establish a new pattern of regional development. First, it is imperative to optimize the use of vast deforested areas that are largely underutilized. This entails increasing the productivity of traditional agriculture and cattle ranching while promoting agroforestry systems, reforestation, and forest restoration. Second, it is crucial to unlock the socioeconomic potential of the forest through the development of the bioeconomy and to create mechanisms for receiving compensation for its environmental services, particularly carbon capture and storage. Thirdly, it is essential to take advantage of the region’s demographic dividend and the productive capacity of its available labor force, especially the 8 million adults who are currently not participating in the labor market.
    THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON DEPENDS ON TWO PILLARS:

    • REDUCE DEFORESTATION TO ZERO AND

    • COMPLETE AND IMPLEMENT A LAND USE PLAN FOR THE REGION

    Zero deforestation and land use planning are necessary conditions for the Brazilian Amazon to seize these three opportunities. Otherwise, the country will fail to enhance regional productivity or attract significant investments to the region. It will also be impossible to capitalize on opportunities related to the bioeconomy and forest restoration or to ensure the responsible stewardship and profitability of the forest’s ecosystem services.

    In the Brazilian Amazon, there are still 143.6 million hectares of public lands without legally registered owners. The region’s land use regularization plan – which is the basis for the allocation of these lands – is currently governed by Brazilian legislation and must be conducted in compliance with the procedures outlined in the Constitution and national laws for the allocation of public lands:

    • Recognition of Indigenous Territories(4)

    • Recognition of African-Brazilian (Quilombola) Territories(5)

    • Recognition of Traditional Community Territories (Law No. 11284/2006, Article 6), often achieved through the establishment of Extractive Reserves and Sustainable Development Reserves(6)

    • Areas designated for environmental conservation through the creation of Protected Areas or forest concessions (which can be located within or outside a Protected Area)(7)

    • Access to land for family agriculture, either through the establishment of agrarian reform

    • Settlement Projects or through land title regularization for properties of up to four fiscal modules (maximum of 400 hectares in the Brazilian Amazon)(8)

    • Titling of medium and large private occupations (up to 2,500 hectares) without the need for public bidding, provided there is no overlap with previous claims and all requirements for receiving the land title are satisfied (Federal Law 11.952/2009, Art. 4)

    It is therefore the obligation of the Brazilian State (Union and states) to lead the agenda of zero deforestation and land use planning.

    1. plataforma.seeg.eco.br/total_emission

    2. amazonia2030.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FatosdaAmazonia_Socioeconomia.pdf

    3. amazonia2030.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ParadoxoAmazonia_AMZ2030.pdf

    4. Art. 231 of the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988

    5. Art. 68 of the Transitory Constitutional Dispositions Act

    6. On federal lands, Decree No. 9.311/2018 (Art. 10) indicates three types of environmentally differentiated settlements: the Agroextraction Settlement Project (PAE), the Sustainable Development Project (PDS) and the Forest Settlement Project (PAF)

    7. Art. 225, §5 of the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988 and Federal Law 9.985/2000

    8. Art. 188 of the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988, Law 8.629/1193 and Art. 2, §2 and §3 of Federal Law 4.504/1964

    Read the full paper here.

  • Carbon And The Fate of The Amazon

    Carbon And The Fate of The Amazon


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    What would happen to the Amazon if countries paid for its captured CO2? Brazil’s entry into the carbon market with a minimum value of US$ 20 could transform Amazon’s future. This is the result of the unprecedented study released by Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-RIO) and Amazon 2030 project.

    “The reference of US$20 per ton of CO2 captured is a baseline for negotiation, given that EEG emission permits in Europe have been traded at US$90 per ton of CO2. In this study, we are proposing carbon capture, which could be even more valuable.”, says Juliano Assunção, executive director of CPI/PUC-Rio and coordinator of Amazon 2030.

    Carbon prices exceeding US$ 20 per ton of CO2 would be transformative for the Amazon. Under this scenario, the forest would no longer be a net carbon emitter and would capture CO2 on a large scale. “Every time we deforest the Amazon, we lose a significant part of our carbon stock. The study shows an efficient approach to eliminate deforestation and promote forest restoration while simultaneously increasing our profits.”, says José Alexandre Scheinkman, professor at Columbia University and collaborator of Amazon 2030.

    Almost 90% of deforested areas in the Amazon biome were used for cattle ranching. Data from System for Estimating Emissions and Removals of Greenhouse Gas (SEEG) indicates that agriculture and deforestation together account for almost three quarters of the country’s GHG emissions. Starting from US$ 20 per ton of CO2, the revenue from carbon (US$ 320 billion over 30 years) would compensate for the loss of revenue in cattle activities.

    “The minimum value of US$ 20 eliminates deforestation and promotes forest restoration. It would be more economically advantageous to turn most of the areas currently devoted to cattle ranching into areas destined for forest restoration through natural regeneration. We would be reconnecting the forest with its past and making more productive land use. Currently, there are many underused areas.”, explains Assunção.

    To assess the consequences of a payment for captured carbon, researchers developed a model considering the carbon cycle, agricultural dynamics, conservation of standing forests, and Amazon restoration, taking into account the forest heterogeneity.

    “We evaluated the impact of different carbon capture compensation scenarios in the Brazilian Amazon, developing a dynamic spatial model to examine the complex trade-offs in time and space between land use for cattle ranching and forest restoration and conservation.”, says Scheinkman.

    The Brazilian Amazon accounts for approximately 50% of national GHG emissions. At US$ 20 per ton of CO2, the Amazon would capture around 16 Gt CO2 in 30 years. By eliminating deforestation, Brazil would avoid emitting 32 Gt CO2, which would amount to 48 Gt CO2 over the next 30 years. This is nearly equivalent to global emissions in one year.

    This study shows that, in the absence of payments from other countries, current efforts to combat deforestation will not be sufficient to prevent the expansion of cattle ranching. Researchers predict an increase in deforestation driving the Amazon dangerously close to a tipping point in under two decades. If the Amazon reaches this critical point, it could release approximately 32 billion tons of CO2 over the next 30 years, potentially leading to a global climate collapse.

    “A robust payment mechanism for forest carbon can generate significant impacts at regional, national, and global levels. The proposed model focuses on removing carbon from the atmosphere by means of natural forest restoration, which directly contributes to the climate mitigation agenda. By doing this, we can avoid reaching a tipping point and gain more time to address the climate crisis. The same model can be replicated to other Amazon countries, in the Congo Basin and Indonesia.”

    Read the full paper here.

  • The 5 Amazons

    The 5 Amazons


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    The Brazilian Amazon covers about 5 million square kilometers (59% of Brazil), with significant socioeconomic and natural differences within its territory. Although complex and heterogeneous, the Brazilian Amazon can be divided into five major zones based on the remaining vegetation cover. In turn, each of these zones is associated with specific public policies for it to thrive.

    We adopted the methodology originally developed by Imazon in 2007 for defining such zones, in which each of the 772 municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon was classified based on vegetation cover and deforestation. This analysis produced four major zones: zone 1, “The Forested Brazilian Amazon”, zone 2 ,“The Brazilian Amazon with Forest Under Pressure”, zone 3, “The Deforested Brazilian Amazon” (that is, originally forested, but that have lost a large part of its forest), and zone 4, “The Non-Forested Brazilian Amazon” (the vast majority of this area is covered by savanna-type vegetation and natural grasslands). We recently updated this analysis to incorporate new deforestation data available through the National Institute for Space Research’s (INPE) Prodes Project and to define a fifth major zone: zone 5, “The Urban Brazilian Amazon”.

    The zone 4, “The Non-Forested Brazilian Amazon” is comprised of municipalities whose original vegetation cover was mostly savannas. The other four zones correspond to municipalities that originally had more than 50% of their territory covered by forests. Considering these four zones, zone 3, “The Deforested Brazilian Amazon”, corresponds to municipalities that have lost more than 70% of their original forest, excluding Protected Areas (Conservation Units and/or Indigenous Lands). In contrast, zone 1 “The Forested Brazilian Amazon”, is comprised of municipalities that lost less than 5% of their original forest cover. The municipalities in zone 2, “The Brazilian Amazon with Forest Under Pressure”, retain large forest cover (>75% of their territory is still forest) but recently have been undergoing an accelerated process of deforestation. To define areas belonging to zone 5, “The Urban Brazilian Amazon”, we rely on the criteria used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on the location of urban centers and the population residing in these areas.

    The public policies recommendations for each of the zones are not mutually exclusive. Some of the proposals can be adopted in all zones, such as participation in the forest carbon market through the REDD+ mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and the creation and consolidation of Protected Areas.

    In turn, forest restoration (planting of native trees) is more suitable in the deforested and forested under pressure zones. Improving agricultural productivity is a key action throughout the Brazilian Amazon, but it is a priority especially in the deforested zone.

    In the forest under pressure zone the priority must be to fight illegal land grabbing of public forests. Enforcement of laws against deforestation and forest degradation (predatory logging, forest fires, etc.), although necessary throughout the Brazilian Amazon, are more needed in the forest under pressure and in the deforested zones.

    Read the full paper here.

  • The Amazon Paradox

    The Amazon Paradox


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    The recent history of the Brazilian Amazon is marked by rapid population growth and an explosive increase in deforestation. In the last 50 years, deforestation has gone from a mere 0.5% in 1975 to 21% in 2021. Put together, the accumulated destruction of around 86 million hectares of forests is equivalent to the sum of the areas of Spain and Italy. In addition, extensive areas of remaining forests are degraded by fires and illegal logging. Finally, the local population quadrupled in the same period, from about 7 million in 1970 to approximately 28 million people in 2021.

    This process was accompanied by serious social conflicts and resulted in the worst of all possible scenarios: environmental destruction, low quality of life for the population, an economy with limited growth, and very high carbon emissions. In fact, in 2019, the Brazilian Amazon contributed less than 9% of the country’s GDP and generated 48% of Brazil’s Greenhouse Gas emissions. The majority of these were due to deforestation and fires.

    The Amazon region is suffering from record deforestation rates, violence, and worsening social conditions. However, each of the factors that contribute to the current crisis presents elements that can serve as a foundation for sustainability in the region. This context constitutes the Amazon paradox, namely that it is possible that a new model of regional development, one based on the sustainable use of the forest’s natural resources, may emerge from an apparently unsolvable situation.

    Read the full paper here.

  • The Amazon Paradox

    The Amazon Paradox


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    The recent history of the Brazilian Amazon is marked by rapid population growth and an explosive increase in deforestation. In the last 50 years, deforestation has gone from a mere 0.5% in 1975 to 21% in 2021. Put together, the accumulated destruction of around 86 million hectares of forests is equivalent to the sum of the areas of Spain and Italy. In addition, extensive areas of remaining forests are degraded by fires and illegal logging. Finally, the local population quadrupled in the same period, from about 7 million in 1970 to approximately 28 million people in 2021.

    This process was accompanied by serious social conflicts and resulted in the worst of all possible scenarios: environmental destruction, low quality of life for the population, an economy with limited growth, and very high carbon emissions. In fact, in 2019, the Brazilian Amazon contributed less than 9% of the country’s GDP and generated 48% of Brazil’s Greenhouse Gas emissions. The majority of these were due to deforestation and fires.

    The Amazon region is suffering from record deforestation rates, violence, and worsening social conditions. However, each of the factors that contribute to the current crisis presents elements that can serve as a foundation for sustainability in the region. This context constitutes the Amazon paradox, namely that it is possible that a new model of regional development, one based on the sustainable use of the forest’s natural resources, may emerge from an apparently unsolvable situation.

    Read the full paper here.

  • Accessibility in The Legal Amazon: Digital Solutions

    Accessibility in The Legal Amazon: Digital Solutions


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    The Legal Amazon is the most isolated region in Brazil. Reducing this isolation and improving the economic ties between the Legal Amazon and other parts of the world is key to boosting the region’s economy and creating jobs and income for the local population. Traditionally, investment in logistics infrastructure, and particularly in roads, was the primary initiative for improving the accessibility of isolated areas. However, technological progress and changes in workplace organization (for example, working remotely, outsourcing services such as call centers, etc.) have made investing in phone and high-speed internet services an important part of improving the accessibility of areas such as the Amazon.

    Expanding access to phone and high-speed internet services is strategic for the Amazon for two reasons. First, phone and internet services allow for a significant increase in accessibility without the socio-environmental risks associated with investing in traditional logistics in the region.1 Secondly, broadband infrastructure has the potential to increase income and job opportunities for local workers and entrepreneurs. This is especially significant given the region’s weak economy and rising unemployment.2

    This document discusses how expanding access to phone and high-speed internet services has the potential to boost the economy in the Legal Amazon. This brief summarizes the available evidence on the impact of information and communication technologies on businesses and workers with an emphasis on the effects observed in both the rural and urban sectors. Next, it discusses how access to this technology in the region, as well as improvements to this access, can boost the economy of the Legal Amazon.

    Read the full paper here.