Analysis of Command-and-Control Environmental Policies in the Amazon: Challenges to Containing Deforestation in Brazil
desafios para conter o desmatamento no Brasil
Abstract
The Brazilian Amazon, which holds approximately 40% of the world’s remaining tropical forests, is vital for global climate regulation. In this context, it is imperative to preserve this biome against degrading practices, ensuring the continuity of the socioeconomic and ecological activities that depend on it. Furthermore, it is necessary to examine whether the historical evolution of public policies has shaped a favorable scenario for conservation or whether existing legal and institutional frameworks require revision regarding their effectiveness. In this regard, this study conducts a descriptive and critical analysis of environmental control policies implemented in the Amazon region between 2004 and 2024, with an emphasis on the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm). The research adopts a methodological approach based on document analysis and a state-of-the-art literature review, aiming to assess the impacts, advances, and challenges of strategies designed to reduce deforestation. The results indicate that, although the initial phase of the PPCDAm was marked by significant progress, evidenced by the substantial decline in deforestation rates until 2012, factors such as the discontinuity of government actions, institutional weaknesses, economic pressures, and contradictions within legal frameworks have compromised the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of the adopted policies.
