By Bibiana Alcântara Garrido*
The allocation of untitled public forests in the Brazilian Amazon is a necessary measure not only to mitigate climate change, but also to guarantee human rights. This point was made by Rebecca Maranhão, a researcher at IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), at an event on the subject on Tuesday (18), in the pavilion of the Brazilian Amazon Consortium, in the blue zone of COP30.
There are 50 million hectares – an area the size of Bahia – of undesignated public forests in the Amazon awaiting a definition of use by the states or the federal government, whether for indigenous land, quilombola territory, an extractive reserve or a conservation unit, for example.
“Undesignated public forests need to be included on the climate agenda. These forests store around 5 billion tons of carbon, the equivalent of nine years of Brazil’s emissions, and are the most threatened by illegal deforestation and land grabbing. In addition, there is a threat to land rights, because this is an issue not just of climate mitigation, but of human rights. The people who live in these forests are vulnerable to conflicts,” said Rebecca Maranhão, a researcher at IPAM.
According to data presented by the Institute, available at the Observatory of Public Forests, deforestation has accumulated to 4.6 million hectares in undesignated public forests in the Amazon.
The main driver of deforestation in these areas is land grabbing, with access through the fraudulent CAR (Rural Environmental Registry). There are 10.2 million hectares of irregular CAR overlapping with undesignated public forests in the Amazon.
“If we lose these forests to deforestation, the so-called point of no return will happen. This is a serious problem because a large part of Brazilian agriculture is not irrigated, i.e. it depends on rain that is carried by the forest. What is at stake here is an economic, social and generational issue, because allowing these forests to be cleared is creating serious problems for generations to come,” commented Paulo Moutinho, senior researcher at IPAM.
Fires are also a threat to the conservation of untitled public forests. In 2024, according to IPAM’s analysis, the area burned grew by 64% in these forests compared to 2023.
“When we talk about the preservation of forests, the bioeconomy and the way of life of our territory, which is the most important thing for us, it’s about guaranteeing title. We see the need for these forests to be allocated, because when we talk about territory, we talk about life. The Amazon is also a quilombola region and we need greater participation by civil society in these decision-making processes,” added Erika dos Santos, executive coordinator of Malungu, the Coordination of Associations of Remaining Quilombo Communities in Pará.
The coordinator cited a study published by the ISA (Instituto Socioambiental), showing that more than 3 billion hectares of quilombola communities have been mapped in the Amazon and that, in 30 years, less than 3% of these territories have been devastated.
“It’s a huge mission to aim to protect 50 million hectares in the Amazon, but how does this put Brazil in a position to be a global climate leader? It’s a huge opportunity to position itself as a leader in the future that the world needs,” concluded Daniela Orofino, director of the Amazônia de Pé movement, who was also present at the event.
*IPAM journalist, bibiana.garrido@ipam.org.br