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Who owns Brazilian lands?

Author

Listed:
  • Sparovek, Gerd
  • Reydon, Bastiaan Philip
  • Guedes Pinto, Luís Fernando
  • Faria, Vinicius
  • de Freitas, Flavio Luiz Mazzaro
  • Azevedo-Ramos, Claudia
  • Gardner, Toby
  • Hamamura, Caio
  • Rajão, Raoni
  • Cerignoni, Felipe
  • Siqueira, Gabriel Pansani
  • Carvalho, Tomás
  • Alencar, Ane
  • Ribeiro, Vivian

Abstract

Land tenure in many parts of Brazil remains uncertain and controversial. These problems have recently been exacerbated by changes in the legal framework regulating protected areas and the land market. A particular challenge facing attempts to improve land tenure security and governance in Brazil is the lack of a single, integrated assessment of all types of lands. Here we address this problem and present a first, integrated map of Brazilian land tenure encompassing all official data sources pertaining to both public and private lands. Of the total (8.5 million km2) 36.1% of all lands are public (with 6.4% officially undesignated), 44.2% are private, and 16.6% are unregistered or with unknown tenure. Strikingly, overlaps among land tenure categories sum to 50% of the registered territory of Brazil. A clearer understanding of uncertainties in land tenure, and the spatial distribution of those uncertainties can help guide research and public policies focused on minimizing land conflicts and strengthening governance and territorial planning to improve economic, environmental and social outcomes from land use in Brazil.

Suggested Citation

  • Sparovek, Gerd & Reydon, Bastiaan Philip & Guedes Pinto, Luís Fernando & Faria, Vinicius & de Freitas, Flavio Luiz Mazzaro & Azevedo-Ramos, Claudia & Gardner, Toby & Hamamura, Caio & Rajão, Raoni & Ce, 2019. "Who owns Brazilian lands?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:87:y:2019:i:c:s0264837719304077
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104062
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    1. Pedro R. R. Rochedo & Britaldo Soares-Filho & Roberto Schaeffer & Eduardo Viola & Alexandre Szklo & André F. P. Lucena & Alexandre Koberle & Juliana Leroy Davis & Raoni Rajão & Regis Rathmann, 2018. "The threat of political bargaining to climate mitigation in Brazil," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(8), pages 695-698, August.
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    1. Azevedo-Ramos, Claudia & Moutinho, Paulo & Arruda, Vera Laísa da S. & Stabile, Marcelo C.C. & Alencar, Ane & Castro, Isabel & Ribeiro, João Paulo, 2020. "Lawless land in no man’s land: The undesignated public forests in the Brazilian Amazon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    2. Porro, Roberto & Porro, Noemi Sakiara Miyasaka, 2022. "State-led social and environmental policy failure in a Brazilian forest frontier: Sustainable Development Project in Anapu, Pará," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
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    10. Marjorie M. Guarenghi & Danilo F. T. Garofalo & Joaquim E. A. Seabra & Marcelo M. R. Moreira & Renan M. L. Novaes & Nilza Patrícia Ramos & Sandra F. Nogueira & Cristiano A. de Andrade, 2023. "Land Use Change Net Removals Associated with Sugarcane in Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-26, February.
    11. Reydon, Bastiaan Philip & Fernandes, Vitor Bukvar & Telles, Tiago Santos, 2020. "Land governance as a precondition for decreasing deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    12. Benzeev, Rayna & Wiens, Ashton & Piotto, Daniel & Newton, Peter, 2023. "Property size and forest cover were key determinants of forest restoration in Southern Bahia in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    13. Fendrich, Arthur Nicolaus & Barretto, Alberto & Sparovek, Gerd & Gianetti, Giovani William & da Luz Ferreira, Jaqueline & de Souza Filho, Carlos Frederico Marés & Appy, Bernard & de Guedes, Carlos Mar, 2022. "Taxation aiming environmental protection: The case of Brazilian Rural Land Tax," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    14. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor, 2021. "Integrating Human Rights and the Environment in Supply Chain Regulations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-15, August.
    15. Conceição, Katyanne V. & Chaves, Michel E.D. & Picoli, Michelle C.A. & Sánchez, Alber H. & Soares, Anderson R. & Mataveli, Guilherme A.V. & Silva, Daniel E. & Costa, Joelma S. & Camara, Gilberto, 2021. "Government policies endanger the indigenous peoples of the Brazilian Amazon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    16. Gardon, Fernando Ravanini & dos Santos, Rozely Ferreira, 2024. "Brazilian forest restoration: Success or better than nothing?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    17. Lemos, Cassia M.G. & Beyer, Hawthorne L. & Runting, Rebecca K. & Andrade, Pedro R. & Aguiar, Ana P.D., 2023. "Multicriteria optimization to develop cost-effective pes-schemes to restore multiple environmental benefits in the Brazilian Atlantic forest," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    18. Lazaro, Lira Luz Benites & Giatti, Leandro Luiz & Bermann, Celio & Giarolla, Angelica & Ometto, Jean, 2021. "Policy and governance dynamics in the water-energy-food-land nexus of biofuels: Proposing a qualitative analysis model," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    19. Andrea Pacheco & Carsten Meyer, 2022. "Land tenure drives Brazil’s deforestation rates across socio-environmental contexts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    20. Silva, Jonathan Gonçalves da & Almeida, Roselaine Bonfim de & Carvalho, Leandro Vinicios, 2023. "An economic analysis of a zero-deforestation policy in the Brazilian Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    21. Guidotti, Vinicius & Ferraz, Silvio Frosini de Barros & Pinto, Luis Fernando Guedes & Sparovek, Gerd & Taniwaki, Ricardo H. & Garcia, Lara Gabrielle & Brancalion, Pedro H.S., 2020. "Changes in Brazil’s Forest Code can erode the potential of riparian buffers to supply watershed services," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    22. Bastiaan Reydon & Gabriel Pansani Siqueira & Delaide Silva Passos & Stephan Honer, 2022. "Unclear Land Rights and Deforestation: Pieces of Evidence from Brazilian Reality," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.

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