A study suggests that the impacts of land protections differ across government agencies, due to their differing objectives and capacities; in the Brazilian Amazon's active "arc of deforestation," federal protections (Protected Areas (PAs) and Indigenous Lands) reduced 2000-2008 deforestation within their borders to a greater extent compared with state PAs, whereas in Pará State, where most federal protections were located, Indigenous Lands had increased nearby deforestation but federal PAs had decreased nearby deforestation, according to the study.
Article #18-02877: "Impacts of protected areas vary with the level of government: Comparing avoided deforestation across agencies in the Brazilian Amazon," by Diego Herrera, Alexander Pfaff, and Juan A. Robalino.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alexander Pfaff, Duke University, Durham, NC; tel: 919-260-9377; e-mail: < alex.pfaff@duke.edu >; Diego Herrera, Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, DC; e-mail: dherrera@edf.org
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences