Cracking Brazil's Forest Code
Brazil's controversial new Forest Code grants amnesty to illegal deforesters, but creates new mechanisms for forest conservation.
Abstract
Roughly 53% of Brazil's native vegetation occurs on private properties. Native forests and savannahs on these lands store 105 ± 21 GtCO2e (billion tons of CO2 equivalents) and play a vital role in maintaining a broad range of ecosystem services (1). Sound management of these private landscapes is critical if global efforts to mitigate climate change are to succeed. Recent approval of controversial revisions to Brazil's Forest Code (FC)—the central piece of legislation regulating land use and management on private properties—may therefore have global consequences. Here, we quantify changes resulting from the FC revisions in terms of environmental obligations and rights granted to land-owners. We then discuss conservation opportunities arising from new policy mechanisms in the FC and challenges for its implementation.
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References and Notes
1
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Ecosystem and Human Well-Being: Synthesis (Island Press, Washington, DC, 2005); www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.aspx.
2
Federal Law 12.727, 17 October 2012; www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2011-2014/2012/Lei/L12727.htm.
3
Lees A. C., Peres C. A., Conserv. Biol. 22, 439 (2008).
4
Rodrigues R., et al., For. Ecol. Manage. 261, 1605 (2011).
5
Ribeiro M., et al., Biol. Conserv. 142, 1141 (2009).
6
Cury R., Carvalho O., Manual para restauro florestal: Florestas de transição (IPAM, Canarana, 2011).
7
Stickler C. M., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110, 9601 (2013).
8
Project Oasis, Fundação Grupo Boticário; www.fundacaogrupoboticario.org.br/en/what%20we%20do/oasis/pages/default.aspx.
9
Rajão R., et al., Public Adm. Dev. 32, 229 (2012).
10
Aliança da Terra, aliancadaterra.org.br.
11
Round Table on Responsible Soy Association, responsiblesoy.org.
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Published In
Science
Volume 344 | Issue 6182
25 April 2014
25 April 2014
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Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Published in print: 25 April 2014
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- Britaldo Soares-Filho et al.
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