Brito, Brenda; Barreto, Paulo --- "Enforcement Against Illegal Logging in the Brazilian Amazon" [2011] ELECD 322; in Paddock, Lee; Qun, Du; Kotzé, J. Louis; Markell, L. David; Markowitz, J. Kenneth; Zaelke, Durwood (eds), "Compliance and Enforcement in Environmental Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Compliance and Enforcement in Environmental Law

Editor(s): Paddock, Lee; Qun, Du; Kotzé, J. Louis; Markell, L. David; Markowitz, J. Kenneth; Zaelke, Durwood

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848448315

Section: Chapter 18

Section Title: Enforcement Against Illegal Logging in the Brazilian Amazon

Author(s): Brito, Brenda; Barreto, Paulo

Number of pages: 26

Extract:

18. Enforcement Against Illegal Logging in
the Brazilian Amazon
Brenda Brito* and Paulo Barreto**

1. INTRODUCTION
Deforestation and illegal logging in the Amazon are a concern because of the
threats they pose to the region's rich biodiversity and because of the contributions
of forests to carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. Brazil was the
world leader in forest loss from 2000 to 2005,1 accounting for 42 percent of
global forest losses.
Faced with national and international reactions against the continued illegal
logging and increasing deforestation, the Brazilian government has stepped up its
efforts to protect the Amazon Rainforest based on the Environmental Crimes Law
enacted in 1998 and on a Federal Decree enacted in 1999. 2 For example, the
Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources
(IBAMA) - the Brazilian environmental agency - increased the level of fines for
environmental violations in the region from 2001 to 2004 by 180 percent (from
US$103 million to US$290 million3).4
However, these efforts need improvement, since the federal government's
actions have not significantly reduced illegal activities and deforestation has
increased in the same period. For example, the volume of illegally obtained logs
dropped only four percentage points from 2001 to 2004: from 47 percent to 43
percent. s Illegality may be even more widespread because of flaws in evaluating
approved forest management plans in the field. Moreover, the average annual
deforestation rate during the six years after the enactment of the Environmental
Crimes Law (2000 to 2005) ...