Environmental governance for the protection of the Amazon and Cerrado biomes: what has Brazil done?

Abstract

In 2009 and 2015, Brazil presented a set of targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gases for the years 2020, 2025, and 2030, including forest restoration and reforestation, within the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement. The implementation of public policies and technical measures for different sectors of the economy supports these targets. This study seeks to identify which technical or management measures are promoted to prevent and control deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, data with information on the change in land and forest use were taken and elaborated from the data of SEEG Brazil, TerraBasilis, and INPE. The results indicate that the commitment made in 2009 to develop sustainably without degrading nature and the fulfillment of Brazil's goals under the Paris Agreement in 2015 depend fundamentally on the Land and Forestry Change and Uses sector, either by combating illegal deforestation or by implementing reforestation activities. The results also indicate that, in the last three years, deforestation has reached 56 thousand square kilometers of native vegetation in the Amazon and Cerrado.

Keywords: Environmental Protection Policies; Climate Change; ABC Plan; Brazil.