Contribution of rural settlements to the deforestation dynamics in the Legal Amazon

• Published in: Land use policy 2022-04, Vol.115, p.106039, Article 106039
• Main Authors: Pereira, Alexia Saleme Aona de Paula, dos Santos, Vitor Juste, Alves, Sabrina do Carmo, Amaral e Silva, Arthur, da Silva, Charles Gomes, Calijuri, Maria Lúcia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agrarian reform; Colonization; Deforestation; Deforestation Arc; Land policies; Land reform; Land use; Legal Amazon; Settlements & damages; Sustainable use
• ISSN: 0264-8377; 1873-5754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106039

Rural settlements aim to promote land distribution in Brazil, as well as to apply agrarian policy. More than 9 thousand settlements in the country are distributed by the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), totaling 87.9 million hectares. Approximately 87% of this area is located in the Legal Amazon, an area of vital environmental and political importance in Brazil. This study evaluated the contribution of agrarian reform through the redistribution of land, the process of native vegetation suppression, and deforestation dynamics in the Legal Amazon. In addition, possible influences caused by modality, location within the Deforestation Arc, and the year of creation were also evaluated. The main results of the research show that there was a reduction in deforested areas in the settlements between the two periods analyzed and that the annual rate of deforestation within the settlements influences deforestation in the Legal Amazon. In addition, the study pointed out the "Conventional" category as the one that most converted the forest to other uses, showing the need to encourage sustainable land use. It is concluded that, for deforestation that occurs in settled areas, the greatest concentration of areas is located outside of the Deforestation Arc, which justifies why deforestation outside the Arc is greater when compared to settlements inserted in it. Regarding the creation year, deforestation is independent of this factor. However, after the insertion of the settlement, deforestation is intensified. •Deforested areas in settlements reduced from 82.86% (1988–2007) to 17.14% (2008–2020).•From 1988–2007, the highest deforestation in the Legal Amazon, 87.7%, was observed.•Rural settlements follow the same trend of deforestation observed in the Legal Amazon.•The deforestation rate within the arc was 71.60% for the "Conventional" category.•Deforestation of the settlement area is independent of its year of creation.