Using the newly released by the SFB data, the Atlas project – Geography of the Brazilian Agriculture for the first time generated an integrated national land base that made possible the development of more precise calculations on the APP and RL deficits at the level of rural properties. These new figures could serve as a basis for the development of state PRAs, as well as other actions and policies that interact and support the implementation of Law 12,651 / 2012 in the country.
It’s what they expect researchers from the Institute of Agricultural and Forest Management and Certification – Imaflora, the Royal Institute of Technology – KTH and the University of São Paulo – USP / ESALQ, which produced the study, recently released. The main results and considerations include:
- The Law amnesty mechanisms 12,651 / 2012 reduced the liability of Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs) and Legal Reserves (LRs) in 41 million hectares of native vegetation should be restored earlier (36.5 million RL and 4 ha 5 million ha of APPs).
- Despite the forgiving, the current shortage of natural vegetation is 19 million ha, 11 million ha of RL and 8 million hectares of APP. In absolute terms of total area, the Amazon has the highest amnesties of the need to restore RLs and APPs. However, in relative terms, the Atlantic Forest biome was more impacted by the amnesty mechanisms, with the largest reductions of RL and APP.
- The unprotected area of native vegetation (or surplus to requirements APP and RL) in rural areas private exceeds five times the LRs and deficits in APP. Due to the Atlantic Forest Law this biome is unique in having a 24 million ha of surplus that can be used to offset Legal Reserve, but that is protected conversions or new deforestation.
- The large buildings (greater than 15 fiscal modules) represent only 6% of all real estate in the country, but have 59% of the area with a deficit of RL or APP. In turn, small buildings (less than four fiscal modules) represent 82% of the number of properties and have only 6% of the area with a deficit.
- The amnesty APPs gave up conservation of 4.5 million hectares of APPs – areas key role in water conservation – especially in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. The PRAs should encourage the full recovery of these areas and discourage the consolidation of the current agricultural use.
- The PRAs should consider the ecosystem functions of native vegetation to regulate clearing and LRs restoration due to the reality of each biome and state.
- The PRAs and other policies for the implementation of Law 12,651 / 2012 should be considered the producer of the profile, as 94% of the deficit area to area is concentrated in only 362 000 medium and large estate, which consists of relatively small audience compared to total number of farmers in Brazil, somewhere around 6 million.
