Evaluation of the action plan to prevent and control the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Jorge Hargrave, Brazilian Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA)

The Brazilian Amazon covers an area of more than 5 million km² and is mainly covered by tropical rainforests, which provide irreplaceable environmental services. The fast pace of occupation in the region led to indiscriminated forest clearing. After the reaching of an outstandingly high deforesta­tion rate in 2004 (27.4 thousand km²), the Brazilian Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Defor­estation in the Amazon put in place an integrated set of government policies that combine satellite monitoring, enforcement operations and land tenure regularisation, alongside initia­tives to encour­age sustainable activities. In 2010 deforestation reached the lowest rate ever recorded (6.5 thousand km²).  During 2010, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment invited the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) to evaluate the implementation of this Action Plan. The evaluation was carried out by adapting the ‘Country Environmental Performance Reviews’, developed by the OECD, to the framework of this very comprehen­sive plan. The process was mainly based on interviews with stakeholders, data analysis and field trips to critical areas. It led to the identification of positive and negative experiences, challenges and recommendations concerning the implementation of the plan. A draft version of the evaluation report was used to ensure the continu­ity of the plan during the transition process between administrations after the elections in 2010, some recommendations are already being adopted and other will be considered during the planning process of the plan’s next phase.