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.
Reducing Carbon Emission by Slowing Deforestation: Initiatives in Brazil
Reducing Carbon Emission by Slowing Deforestation: Initiatives in Brazil
Brazil could make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation. Should the UNFCCC include a "reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation" (REDD) mechanism in its post-2012 framework? About 75 per cent of Brazil's CO2 emissions do not result...