The Economist reports on Brazil and Colombia’s efforts to curb deforestation.
- South America saw a 23% reduction in tropical forest loss in 2023 compared to 2022, with Brazil and Colombia leading the way under their newly elected pro-environment presidents Lula and Petro.
- Lula and Petro have implemented policies to curb deforestation, including expanding indigenous land protections, boosting law enforcement, and leveraging new technologies to detect and respond to illegal activity.
- While Brazil and Columbia have progressed, Bolivia has backslid with deforestation in the nation surging 27% year over year in 2023.
- Still, Brazil and Columbia are showing how a strong rule of law, increased property rights, and technology can address environmental challenges.
“Brazil was the country with the largest decrease in deforestation last year. The country still lost more primary forest than anywhere else in the world—11,000 square kilometres, equivalent to around half the area of New Jersey. But this figure was down 36% from 2022. It is Brazil’s lowest level of deforestation since 2015. Estimates from the country’s National Institute for Space Research also show a significant decrease, of 22% year on year, in the Brazilian Amazon between August 2022 and July 2023.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
