A study examines the relationship between deforestation and collective property rights in the Amazon. The Amazon rainforest produces 20% of Earth's oxygen and influences climatic and hydrological cycles. However, the Amazon, which is primarily located in Brazil, has experienced high levels of deforestation in recent years. By combining data on homologation, which refers to the granting of full property rights, with forest and vegetation cover data collected between 1982 and 2016, Kathryn Baragwanath and Ella Bayi examined whether collective property rights granted to indigenous territories located in the Amazon rainforest led to a reduction in deforestation. By 1985, most indigenous territories had not been homologated, but by 1995 approximately half of territories had received full property rights. Territories granted full property rights exhibited a significant decrease in deforestation, but the effect did not extend to territories waiting to obtain full property rights through homologation. Furthermore, the granting of full property rights resulted in an up to 75% decrease in deforestation at the border of the territories. The findings suggest that granting property rights to indigenous territories is an effective method of preserving forested areas because it allows indigenous people to protect land from external threats, according to the authors.
Article #19-17874: "Collective property rights reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon," by Kathryn Baragwanath and Ella Bayi.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kathryn Baragwanath, University of California, San Diego, CA; tel: 858-291-2196; email: kbaragwa@ucsd.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences