Subject of Intent
Amazon Rainforest
“Big Print” Intention Statement
Protect the Amazon Rainforest
“Small Print” Intention Statement
Achieve a 10% reduction in illegally deforested hectares in the Brazilian Amazon between August 2025 and July 2026 compared to the average of the last four years, as measured by the System for Monitoring Timber Harvesting.
Suggested Start Time
July 2025
Suggested Length
12 months
Background
Deforestation in Brazil, mainly in the Amazon region, is a critical problem whose consequences are devastating for the region and the entire planet. The Amazon is considered one of the “lungs of the planet” due to its vast vegetation surface, which allows it to absorb around a quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions. However, deforestation reduces its capacity to act as a carbon sink, contributing to the increase of greenhouse gases and accelerating climate change.
Other problems caused by the excessive deforestation of this ecological sanctuary include alterations to the water cycle, loss of biodiversity, and a greater risk of pandemics due to the increasing possibilities of transmission of zoonotic diseases due to greater contact between humans and wild species.
The primary driver behind the ongoing increase in forest exploitation lies in the rising demand for meat, which has led to the expansion of extensive livestock farming, as well as the cultivation of soybeans and the establishment of grazing lands for livestock.
The 2023 Brazilian government presented an ambitious action plan in which it committed to eliminating deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, implementing actions such as greater use of satellite technology to track illegal logging, recovering degraded forests by planting native vegetation, and promoting the development of a green economy in the region, among other measures. While in the past there have been attempts to implement policies that go in this direction, they have faced obstacles that prevent their proper implementation, like lack of resources and corruption at various levels, such as within the government, where political and administrative practices often enable illegal activities; in environmental oversight agencies, where some officials have accepted bribes to overlook violations; in the private sector, where companies involved in logging, agriculture, and cattle ranching use falsified documents or pay off authorities to avoid sanctions; and within organized crime networks, which coordinate illegal logging, land invasions, and the smuggling of natural resources.
References
Deforestation in the Amazon – infoamazonia.org
Severe consequences of Amazon deforestation – climatepolicyinitiative.org
Lula da Silva’s plan to halt Amazon deforestation – politico.com