Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon
The worldwide concern with deforestation of Brazilian Amazonia is motivated not only by the irreversible loss of this natural wealth, but also by the perception that it is a destructive process in which the social and economic gains are smaller tha...
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English en_US |
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Washington, DC: World Bank
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/12/2875768/causes-deforestation-brazilian-amazon http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15060 |
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okr-10986-15060 |
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oai_dc |
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Digital Repository |
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Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
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World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
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World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
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DEFORESTATION LAND USE CATTLE INDUSTRY ECONOMIC ASPECTS SOCIAL ASPECTS RANCHING NET INCOME INCENTIVES (TAX) SUBSIDIES PUBLIC POLICIES NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FOREST MANAGEMENT POLICY FORMULATION TIMBER EXTRACTION LIVESTOCK SOYBEAN HARVESTING AGRICULTURE ANIMAL PRODUCTION BEEF BEEF CATTLE BIODIVERSITY BREEDING CATTLE CATTLE PRODUCTION CGIAR CGIAR CONSULTATIVE GROUP CIFOR CONSERVATION CONSERVATION INITIATIVES CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS CROPS CULTIVATION DEFORESTATION DEFORESTATION RATES ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC STRATEGIES ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUATION EXTERNALITIES FAO FARMERS FOREST FOREST AREAS FOREST CLEARING FOREST CONVERSION FOREST COVER FOREST MANAGEMENT FOREST PROTECTION FOREST RESOURCES IDENTITY IDRC IFPRI INCOME LAND TITLING LAND USE LIVESTOCK LIVING STANDARDS LOGGING MICROECONOMICS NATURAL RESOURCE NATURAL RESOURCE BASE NATURAL RESOURCES OPPORTUNITY COSTS PASTURES POLICY INSTRUMENTS POVERTY REDUCTION PRECIPITATION PRESENT VALUE PRODUCERS PRODUCTION COSTS PRODUCTIVITY PROPERTY RIGHTS RAINFALL RAINFORESTS RANCHERS RESOURCE USE RURAL INCOME SOCIAL COSTS SPATIAL PATTERNS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF FOREST SUSTAINABLE USE TIMBER TIMBER EXTRACTION TRADEOFFS TRANSPORT COSTS UNCTAD UNITED NATIONS URBANIZATION |
| spellingShingle |
DEFORESTATION LAND USE CATTLE INDUSTRY ECONOMIC ASPECTS SOCIAL ASPECTS RANCHING NET INCOME INCENTIVES (TAX) SUBSIDIES PUBLIC POLICIES NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FOREST MANAGEMENT POLICY FORMULATION TIMBER EXTRACTION LIVESTOCK SOYBEAN HARVESTING AGRICULTURE ANIMAL PRODUCTION BEEF BEEF CATTLE BIODIVERSITY BREEDING CATTLE CATTLE PRODUCTION CGIAR CGIAR CONSULTATIVE GROUP CIFOR CONSERVATION CONSERVATION INITIATIVES CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS CROPS CULTIVATION DEFORESTATION DEFORESTATION RATES ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC STRATEGIES ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUATION EXTERNALITIES FAO FARMERS FOREST FOREST AREAS FOREST CLEARING FOREST CONVERSION FOREST COVER FOREST MANAGEMENT FOREST PROTECTION FOREST RESOURCES IDENTITY IDRC IFPRI INCOME LAND TITLING LAND USE LIVESTOCK LIVING STANDARDS LOGGING MICROECONOMICS NATURAL RESOURCE NATURAL RESOURCE BASE NATURAL RESOURCES OPPORTUNITY COSTS PASTURES POLICY INSTRUMENTS POVERTY REDUCTION PRECIPITATION PRESENT VALUE PRODUCERS PRODUCTION COSTS PRODUCTIVITY PROPERTY RIGHTS RAINFALL RAINFORESTS RANCHERS RESOURCE USE RURAL INCOME SOCIAL COSTS SPATIAL PATTERNS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF FOREST SUSTAINABLE USE TIMBER TIMBER EXTRACTION TRADEOFFS TRANSPORT COSTS UNCTAD UNITED NATIONS URBANIZATION Margulis, Sergio Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon |
| geographic_facet |
Latin America & Caribbean Brazil |
| relation |
World Bank Working Paper;No. 22 |
| description |
The worldwide concern with deforestation
of Brazilian Amazonia is motivated not only by the
irreversible loss of this natural wealth, but also by the
perception that it is a destructive process in which the
social and economic gains are smaller than the environmental
losses. This perception also underlies the diagnosis,
formulation and evaluation of public policies proposed by
government and non-governmental organizations working in the
region, including the World Bank. The present work suggests
that a fuller understanding is necessary with regard to the
motivations and identity of the agents responsible for
deforestation, the evaluation of the social and economic
benefits from the process and the resulting implications of
public policies for the region. The objective of the report
is to show that, in contrast to the 1970s and 1980s when
occupation of Brazilian Amazonia was largely induced by
government policies and subsidies, recent deforestation in
significant parts of the region is basically caused by
medium- and large-scale cattle ranching. Following a private
rationale, the dynamics of the occupation process gradually
became autonomous, as is suggested by the significant
increase in deforestation in the 1990s despite the
substantial reduction of subsidies and incentives by
government. Among the causes of the transformation are
technological and managerial changes and the adaptation of
cattle ranching to the geo-ecological conditions of eastern
Amazonia which allowed for productivity gains and cost
reductions. The fact that cattle ranching is viable from the
private perspective does not mean that the activity is
socially desirable or environmentally sustainable. Private
gain needs to be contrasted with the environmental (social)
costs associated with cattle ranching and deforestation.
From the social perspective, it is legitimate to argue that
the private benefits from large-scale cattle ranching are
largely exclusive, having contributed little to alleviate
social and economic inequalities. The study notes, however,
that decreases in the price of beef in national markets and
increases in exports caused by the expansion of cattle
ranching in Eastern Amazonia may imply social benefits that
go beyond sectoral and regional boundaries. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Publication |
| author |
Margulis, Sergio |
| author_facet |
Margulis, Sergio |
| author_sort |
Margulis, Sergio |
| title |
Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_short |
Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_full |
Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_fullStr |
Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon |
| title_sort |
causes of deforestation of the brazilian amazon |
| publisher |
Washington, DC: World Bank |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/12/2875768/causes-deforestation-brazilian-amazon http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15060 |
| _version_ |
1764425807960211456 |
| spelling |
okr-10986-150602021-04-23T14:03:12Z Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon Margulis, Sergio DEFORESTATION LAND USE CATTLE INDUSTRY ECONOMIC ASPECTS SOCIAL ASPECTS RANCHING NET INCOME INCENTIVES (TAX) SUBSIDIES PUBLIC POLICIES NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FOREST MANAGEMENT POLICY FORMULATION TIMBER EXTRACTION LIVESTOCK SOYBEAN HARVESTING AGRICULTURE ANIMAL PRODUCTION BEEF BEEF CATTLE BIODIVERSITY BREEDING CATTLE CATTLE PRODUCTION CGIAR CGIAR CONSULTATIVE GROUP CIFOR CONSERVATION CONSERVATION INITIATIVES CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS CROPS CULTIVATION DEFORESTATION DEFORESTATION RATES ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC STRATEGIES ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTAL VALUATION EXTERNALITIES FAO FARMERS FOREST FOREST AREAS FOREST CLEARING FOREST CONVERSION FOREST COVER FOREST MANAGEMENT FOREST PROTECTION FOREST RESOURCES IDENTITY IDRC IFPRI INCOME LAND TITLING LAND USE LIVESTOCK LIVING STANDARDS LOGGING MICROECONOMICS NATURAL RESOURCE NATURAL RESOURCE BASE NATURAL RESOURCES OPPORTUNITY COSTS PASTURES POLICY INSTRUMENTS POVERTY REDUCTION PRECIPITATION PRESENT VALUE PRODUCERS PRODUCTION COSTS PRODUCTIVITY PROPERTY RIGHTS RAINFALL RAINFORESTS RANCHERS RESOURCE USE RURAL INCOME SOCIAL COSTS SPATIAL PATTERNS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF FOREST SUSTAINABLE USE TIMBER TIMBER EXTRACTION TRADEOFFS TRANSPORT COSTS UNCTAD UNITED NATIONS URBANIZATION The worldwide concern with deforestation of Brazilian Amazonia is motivated not only by the irreversible loss of this natural wealth, but also by the perception that it is a destructive process in which the social and economic gains are smaller than the environmental losses. This perception also underlies the diagnosis, formulation and evaluation of public policies proposed by government and non-governmental organizations working in the region, including the World Bank. The present work suggests that a fuller understanding is necessary with regard to the motivations and identity of the agents responsible for deforestation, the evaluation of the social and economic benefits from the process and the resulting implications of public policies for the region. The objective of the report is to show that, in contrast to the 1970s and 1980s when occupation of Brazilian Amazonia was largely induced by government policies and subsidies, recent deforestation in significant parts of the region is basically caused by medium- and large-scale cattle ranching. Following a private rationale, the dynamics of the occupation process gradually became autonomous, as is suggested by the significant increase in deforestation in the 1990s despite the substantial reduction of subsidies and incentives by government. Among the causes of the transformation are technological and managerial changes and the adaptation of cattle ranching to the geo-ecological conditions of eastern Amazonia which allowed for productivity gains and cost reductions. The fact that cattle ranching is viable from the private perspective does not mean that the activity is socially desirable or environmentally sustainable. Private gain needs to be contrasted with the environmental (social) costs associated with cattle ranching and deforestation. From the social perspective, it is legitimate to argue that the private benefits from large-scale cattle ranching are largely exclusive, having contributed little to alleviate social and economic inequalities. The study notes, however, that decreases in the price of beef in national markets and increases in exports caused by the expansion of cattle ranching in Eastern Amazonia may imply social benefits that go beyond sectoral and regional boundaries. 2013-08-14T16:51:09Z 2013-08-14T16:51:09Z 2004 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/12/2875768/causes-deforestation-brazilian-amazon 0-8213-5691-7 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15060 English en_US World Bank Working Paper;No. 22 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank Washington, DC: World Bank Publications & Research :: Publication Publications & Research :: Publication Latin America & Caribbean Brazil |