Government measure may generate more deforestation in the Amazon

In 2020, the Brazilian Congress will debate Provisional Measure 910/2019, which proposes to change the Land Regularization Law. The main idea behind the MP is to grant land titles mainly to small producers. However, according to researchers at the Imazon research institute, approval of the measure could result in more cases of theft of public land and increased deforestation.

According to the scientists, the MP will encourage a practice that is very harmful to the environment. The privatization of federal public lands, they say, could lead to the deforestation of 11 to 16 thousand square kilometers by 2027, which would result from the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the region. Consequently, up to 656 megatons of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) would be produced.

The measure would be valid for the whole country, but it would be more impactful in the Amazon, where the country's unassigned public lands are concentrated. The MP took effect in December 2019, but needs to receive Congressional approval by April; otherwise, it will lose its validity.

For Imazon researchers, there are preferable alternatives to improve the land issue in the region. Some options would be to retake illegally invaded public lands and expand coordination between agencies that oversee federal and state lands.