Lays Ushirobira*
Amazoniar’s video series on land grabbing in the Amazon is now fully available on the YouTube channel of IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute). Launched in August, the series has five episodes and aims to uncover how land grabbing happens in practice, what its impacts are on the Amazon and the world, and what can be done to combat this crime.
“One of Amazoniar’s missions is to democratize information about the Amazon and we had to address land grabbing, as it is currently one of the main causes of deforestation in the region,” said Lucas Ramos, coordinator of Amazoniar. “The series offers an uncomplicated look at the issue, from its definition to the actions that can be taken by governments, companies, civil society and the international community to combat it. Together, we can better understand the scenario and contribute to a sustainable future, reinforcing our shared responsibility to protect the Amazon.”
Watch the complete series on land grabbing in the Amazon
Episode #1: What is land grabbing?
Land grabbing – name given to the illegal appropriation of public lands – is directly related to record deforestation in the Amazon. It was in these areas, which are public property, that more than half of the biome’s deforestation occurred between 2019 and 2021, according to IPAM’s analysis. The first episode comments about the origin of the term, how this crime happens in practice and the designation of undesignated public forests as a measure to combat it.
Episode #2: Rural Environmental Registry: the modern-day box of crickets
The Rural Environmental Registry (CAR, by its acronym in Portuguese) is an electronic public register of rural properties across Brazil, essential for environmental regularization. Created to increase access to forestry information, it is an instrument that can help monitor illegal practices, including deforestation. However, it has been misused for the illegal appropriation of public land. In the second episode of the series, Amazoniar discusses ways to prevent fraudulent use of the CAR by land grabbers.
Episode #3: Measures to combat land grabbing in the Amazon
To put an end to land grabbing, coordinated action between governments at all levels, the productive sector and civil society is essential. The third episode presents five measures to combat land grabbing: canceling irregular rural property registrations that overlap undesignated public forests; designating these public forests; strengthening enforcement and punishing of land grabbers; implementing and improving traceability mechanisms; and supporting the popular initiative Amazônia de Pé.
Episode #4: How does land grabbing affect food security?
Food security – which is the right to food in quantity and quality to maintain a healthy life – is at great risk with the advance of land grabbing in the Amazon, as the illegal appropriation of public land contributes significantly to climate change and also affects food production in Brazil. The fourth episode of the series highlights the importance of changing the way food is produced and consumed in the country and the alternatives for encouraging sustainable food production.
Episode #5: The role of the international community in combating land grabbing
From preventing the promotion of land grabbing by markets and investors to implementing and strengthening traceability in supply chains, the international community can also contribute to the fight against land grabbing in the Amazon. In the fifth and final episode of the series, the Amazoniar team discusses the role of the international community in this fight.
14 November: Join Amazoniar’s live chat on land grabbing
On Thursday (11/16), at 10 am, the Amazoniar team will organize a live chat between Alcilene Cardoso, IPAM researcher and presenter of the series, and César Tenório, professor at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA). On the occasion, the experts will comment on the main points covered in the series and answer questions from the audience, received via IPAM’s social media channels. The event is open to all and no prior registration is required to take part.
About Amazoniar
Amazoniar is an initiative of IPAM to promote a global dialogue about Amazon and its importance for Brazil’s relationships with the world. In the previous cycles, dialogues addressed the trade relations between Brazil and Europe; the role of indigenous peoples in the region’s sustainable development and their contribution to science and culture; and youth engagement for the forest and its peoples in the 2022 Brazilian elections.
With the proposal of taking the Amazon beyond its borders, Amazoniar has already carried out special projects, such as a photography contest, whose selected photos were exhibited in the streets of Glasgow, in Scotland, during the COP26; a series of short films that composed the exhibition “Fruturos – Amazônia do Amanhã”, at the Museum of Tomorrow, in Rio de Janeiro; as well as two publications currently available only in Portuguese: Possible scenarios for the Amazon in the context of the 2022 Brazilian elections and Solutions to deforestation in the Amazon. The initiative also produced a series of interviews and a minidoc with representatives of traditional communities during the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.
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*Journalist and communications consultant at IPAM
