A systematic comparison of deforestation drivers and policy effectiveness across the Amazon biome

Abstract

The Amazon biome, spanning nine countries, has one of the highest rates of deforestation worldwide. This deforestation contributes to biodiversity loss, climate change, the spread of infectious diseases, and damage to rural and indigenous livelihoods. Hundreds of articles have been published on the topic of deforestation across Amazonia, yet there has been no recent synthesis of deforestation drivers and deforestation-control policy effectiveness in the region. Here we undertook the first systematic review of papers published between 2000 to 2021 that have causally linked proximate and underlying drivers and policies to deforestation outcomes in Amazonia. In the 155 articles that met our inclusion criteria, we find that causal research is concentrated in Brazil, and to a lesser degree Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. There has been little study of the Guianas, Venezuela or Colombia. Large- and small-scale agriculture linked to improved market access and high agricultural prices are frequently researched proximate drivers of deforestation across the heavily researched regions. In the Guianas research focuses on mining with little focus on underlying causes. Research on infrastructure expansion, mining and oil extraction and on technological, sociocultural, and institutional factors remains sparse. Many public and private policies have been found to be effective in controlling deforestation across the biome, with protected areas standing out as particularly successful in slowing deforestation, vis-à-vis supply chain approaches. Our findings indicate a greater need for research on: i) additional deforestation drivers beyond agriculture and economic factors; ii) the complex interactions between different drivers and deforestation control policies; iii) causes underlying deforestation in low or new deforestation areas; and iv) the dynamics between Amazonian subregions and countries. Better understanding of all deforestation drivers and the effectiveness of existing deforestation mitigation policies is a prerequisite for completely halting deforestation in Amazonia.

Updated Land Use and Land Cover Information Improves Biomass Burning Emission Estimates

“…This figure shows that the new LULC information better captures the deforestation in the Amazon biome. For example, there are larger areas classified as grasslands and croplands in the eastern flank of the biome, which are consistent with the most anthropized portion of the Amazon [58]. In 2013, the total area of forest-related LULCs in the Amazon biome considering the new LULC information decreased by 2.55% when compared with the old LULC information (from 3,577,651 km 2 to 3,486,351 km 2 ), while the total area of the savanna-related and grassland LULCs increased by 34.96% (from 515,096 km 2 to 695,173 km 2 ), and the cropland LULC total area increased by 75.49% (from 22,358 km 2 to 39,236 km 2 ).…”

Sustainable commodity sourcing requires measuring and governing land use change at multiple scales

“…Though pasture is typically considered the main driver of deforestation in Brazil (Barreto, 2021;Hänggli et al, 2023), across both time periods (1985-2021 and 2000-2021), its relative importance decreases as the scale of analysis gets more coarse (Figure 1B and C). Mirroring this, the proportion of deforestation attributed to soybeans is 3-4 times greater when calculated at national-rather than pixel scale (36% vs. 14% for 1985-2021 and 55 % vs. 14% for 2000-2021).…”

“…Sugarcane and forest plantations also emerge as major drivers of deforestation at national scale (Figure 1B and C). Analyses at coarser scales capture interactions and competition between land uses, including indirect land use change (WRI & WBCSD, 2022a)-where the expansion of one land use (the "indirect" driver) displaces another, which is the "proximate" or "direct" driver of deforestation (Arima et al, 2011;Bhan et al, 2021;Gasparri & de Waroux, 2014;Hänggli et al, 2023). In this example, though the net area of pasture in Brazil has been stable or declining since the mid-2000s (Figure 1A), cattle pasture across the south and central Brazil has been displaced by the expan-sion of soy, sugarcane, and tree plantations; pasture has shifted notably northward, expanding, in particular, at the expense of forests in the Amazon biome (Andrade de Sá et al, 2013;Arima et al, 2011;Barona et al, 2010;Barreto, 2021;McManus et al, 2016).…”

Impactos Humanos nas Emissões de Carbono & Perdas nos Serviços Ecossistêmicos

“…commodities agrícolas na Amazônia contribuem significativamente para combater o desmatamento e a degradação florestal 32 . Sanções administrativas, criminais e civis relacionadas a violações ambientais atuam como desincentivos às práticas de desmatamento ilegal 33,34 . Parcerias políticas público-privadas são cruciais para aprimorar iniciativas de cadeias de suprimentos visando eliminar o desmatamento das operações ou cadeias de suprimentos das empresas, motivadas pela responsabilidade social corporativa, estratégias de crescimento e boicotes internacionais, como as recentes iniciativas da União Europeia 35,36 .…”