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Causes of Brazilian Amazon Deforestation

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World Forests from Deforestation to Transition?

Part of the book series: World Forests ((WFSE,volume 2))

Abstract

In the 1960s deforestation rates started increasing significantly in Brazilian Amazon. Government policies played a decisive role. Credit and fiscal subsidies to agriculture, coupled to the expansion of the road network, pushed the agricultural frontier in a northwesterly direction, while colonization programs and regional incentives fostered settlements inside the Amazon region. The expansion of cattle ranching became the primary reason for deforestation. Other activities — such as timber extraction, charcoal production, mining and hydroelectric dams — played minor roles through their stimuli to agricultural settlements inside the region. The multiplicity of the sources of deforestation and major actors in the process, such as large, medium and small farms, are discussed and analyzed in details.

In the mid-1980s concerns about ecological sustainability started to be voiced. Since then, there has been substantial policy revisions, but the design and the implementation of a sustainable development strategy is far from being assured. Institutional changes have been coupled with important revisions to regional policy priorities and instruments. Major development projects in the region, when not abandoned, have been indefinitely postponed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Applied Economic Research, (IPEA)/DIMAC, Av. Antônio Carlos 51 sala 1601, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20.020-010, Brazil

    Eustáquio J. Reis (Director of Macroeconomic Studies)

  2. Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada, (IPEA), Av. Antônio Carlos No 51 Andar 15, CEP 20020-010, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Fernando A. Blanco (Researcher)

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  1. Eustáquio J. Reis
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  2. Fernando A. Blanco
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Matti Palo Heidi Vanhanen

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Reis, E.J., Blanco, F.A. (2000). Causes of Brazilian Amazon Deforestation. In: Palo, M., Vanhanen, H. (eds) World Forests from Deforestation to Transition?. World Forests, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0942-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0942-3_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-6683-6

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