Brazil: 95M hectares await environmental restoration actions
On average, Brazil has 74 million hectares of native vegetation on rural properties eligible for payment for environmental services. These areas exceed the legal requirements of the Forest Code, allowing landowners to receive compensation for preserving the vegetation. Meanwhile, the country has 21 million hectares of deforested land that must be restored or compensated for to comply with legal standards. Combined, these areas amount to 95 million hectares in need of restoration efforts and environmental service payments.
The data stem from the 3rd Panorama of the Forest Code, carried out by the Remote Sensing Center of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).
Using technology developed by the university, the study analyzed the requirements of the Forest Code and compliance across over 7 million rural properties registered in the Rural Environmental Registry, a nationwide electronic public registry mandatory for all rural properties and possessions.
Revised in 2012, the Forest Code establishes rules for protecting Brazil's native vegetation, determining, for example, the minimum areas that must be preserved on different types of rural properties.
"If a property has a percentage of preserved vegetation exceeding the legal requirement, the Forest Code allows for the issuance of an environmental reserve quota. This quota can serve as the basis for payments for environmental services or participation in forest asset markets," explains Felipe Nunes, associate researcher at UFMG's Remote Sensing Center and co-author of the study.
These payments can be provided by the federal government, states, municipalities, or even the private sector. "When you receive payment for environmental services, as a landowner, you are compensated for preserving native vegetation. Government or private programs can use these data as a basis to ensure landowners are paid for the environmental services their land provides," explains the researcher.
Deficit
In addition to areas of native vegetation exceeding the required levels, the study also identified areas with a deficit of native vegetation, which must be restored or compensated for.
The revision of the Forest Code granted amnesty for deforestation carried out before 2008. However, despite this amnesty, property owners must regularize their situation if their land does not meet the legal minimum requirements."
The landowner must restore the vegetation at their own expense, using their own investments, or alternatively, regularize the situation by compensating with restoration efforts in other areas, provided they adhere to specific established criteria," warns Felipe Nunes.
Fraud and deforestation
The study also highlights that, after 2008, 26 percent of deforestation on rural properties took place in Permanent Preservation Areas (APA). The states with the highest rates, in ascending order, were Rondônia, Acre, Pará, Roraima, and Amazonas, all located within the Legal Amazon.
The 3rd Panorama of the Forest Code also revealed a rise in overlapping registrations, with private landowners registering land from other categories—such as conservation units, government-owned land with no specific designation, and indigenous territories—as their own. The situation is particularly concerning in the Legal Amazon, where overlaps increased from 12.4 to 18.3 percent over the past year. The study found 13,433 cases of overlap with conservation units, 2,360 with indigenous lands, and 206,495 with public lands without a designated purpose.
For the researcher, this situation highlights the urgent need to improve the National Rural Environmental Registry System. “The system is completely inadequate for the vastness of Brazil's territory and its diverse geographical characteristics. It also lacks basic mechanisms that we already have the technology for. For instance, it allows for the registration of areas over indigenous territories. This type of registration should not be accepted, as it is irregular—private property cannot exist within indigenous land according to our legislation,” explains Felipe Nunes.
According to the researcher, over 200,000 properties have been identified as having irregularities and potential fraud. Felipe Nunes argues that enhancing registration and monitoring systems, ensuring the viability of payments, and combating fraud can contribute to the country’s economic development.
“Brazil’s greatest asset is its forest resources. The country’s agribusiness has a unique production capacity, and when combined with environmental preservation, it positions Brazil as an agri-environmental powerhouse. With millions of hectares of preserved vegetation and a thriving agricultural sector, Brazil has the potential to lead a new global agenda—not only nationally, but globally—focused on payment for environmental services, agricultural sustainability, and the implementation of one of the world’s largest large-scale forest restoration programs,” added Nunes.
