development & cpr management - final paper

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Masters in International Development | PSIA Development and Common Pool Resource Management Name : Edwin Johan Santana Gaarder Student number : 100047222 Page 1 of 13 PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON Reforming the property rights regime to incentivise rainforest conservation in Brazil The region defined in Brazilian legislation as the Legal Amazon accounts for 60% of Brazilian territory. 1 Its surface area of 5.139.741 km 2 is larger than the total surface area of all EU member countries and contains 67% of the world’s total tropical rainforest cover. 2 Average population densities in the Amazon biome, moreover, are the country’s lowest, ranging from 1 to 2,5 inhabitants per km 2 , making it one of the few remaining frontier regions in Brazil and the world (see map). 3 Prior to official colonisation efforts by the Federal Government in the 20 th century, population densities were even lower: in 1500, for example, the indigenous population in the Amazon is estimated to been no higher than 5 million people. 4 As a consequence of persistent low population densities over the course of almost fivehundred years of Brazilian history, one of the main concerns of Brazilian central governments has been to exert control over territories claimed in the Amazon, a difficult task given the dense vegetation, hostile climate, high transport costs and limited human capital that characterise the region. Although early governments claimed jurisdiction over most of the territory within the current borders – basing themselves on exploration carried out by their subjects – there had always been a significant lack of State presence in vast swathes of the Amazon. 5 Protecting the integrity of Brazilian territory – which was threatened by French and Dutch invaders in the colonial period and by neighbouring countries (Bolivia, Peru) in the late 19 th century – has therefore been a guiding principle of successive governments, and granting conditional property rights to plots of land has been one of 1 Marco Antonio Gonçalves, The Brazilian REDD Strategy: How the country has achieved major deforestation in the Amazon, http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/182/_arquivos/reddcop15_ingles_182.pdf, 2009, (accessed Monday 20th April 2015). 2 ibid. 3 IBGE, Censo 2010, http://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/en/, 2010, (accessed Monday 20th April 2015). 4 Boris Fausto, História do Brasil, São Paulo, Brasil, Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2006. 5 State presence, here, is understood as the establishment of an effective administrative apparatus, the presence of military forces, or even the residence of loyal citizens in the territory. Indigenous inhabitants do not fall into the last category, as few of them ever recognised the authority of post1500 Brazilian governments. Source: IBGE | Censo 2010.

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Page 1: Development & CPR Management - FINAL Paper

Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  1  of  13  

PROPERTY  RIGHTS  IN  THE  BRAZILIAN  AMAZON  Reforming  the  property  rights  regime  to  incentivise  rainforest  conservation  in  Brazil  

The   region   defined   in   Brazilian   legislation   as   the   Legal   Amazon   accounts   for   60%   of   Brazilian  territory.1  Its  surface  area  of  5.139.741  km2  is  larger  than  the  total  surface  area  of  all  EU  member  countries   and   contains   67%   of   the   world’s   total   tropical   rainforest   cover.2  Average   population  densities   in   the   Amazon   biome,   moreover,   are   the   country’s   lowest,   ranging   from   1   to   2,5  inhabitants  per  km2,  making   it  one  of  the  few  remaining  frontier  regions   in  Brazil  and  the  world  (see  map).3  Prior   to   official   colonisation   efforts   by   the   Federal  Government   in   the   20th   century,  

population   densities   were   even   lower:   in   1500,   for   example,   the   indigenous   population   in   the  Amazon   is   estimated   to  been  no  higher   than  5  million  people.4  As   a   consequence  of   persistent  low  population  densities  over  the  course  of  almost  five-­‐hundred  years  of  Brazilian  history,  one  of  the   main   concerns   of   Brazilian   central   governments   has   been   to   exert   control   over   territories  claimed  in  the  Amazon,  a  difficult  task  given  the  dense  vegetation,  hostile  climate,  high  transport  costs  and  limited  human  capital  that  characterise  the  region.  Although  early  governments  claimed  jurisdiction   over   most   of   the   territory   within   the   current   borders   –   basing   themselves   on  exploration   carried   out   by   their   subjects   –   there   had   always   been   a   significant   lack   of   State  presence   in   vast   swathes  of   the  Amazon.5  Protecting   the   integrity   of   Brazilian   territory   –  which  was   threatened   by   French   and   Dutch   invaders   in   the   colonial   period   and   by   neighbouring  countries   (Bolivia,   Peru)   in   the   late   19th   century   –   has   therefore   been   a   guiding   principle   of  successive  governments,  and  granting  conditional  property  rights  to  plots  of  land  has  been  one  of  

                                                                                                               1  Marco  Antonio  Gonçalves,  The  Brazilian  REDD  Strategy:  How  the  country  has  achieved  major  deforestation  in  the  Amazon,  http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/182/_arquivos/reddcop15_ingles_182.pdf,  2009,  (accessed  Monday  20th  April  2015).  2  ibid.  3  IBGE,  Censo  2010,  http://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/en/,  2010,  (accessed  Monday  20th  April  2015).  4  Boris  Fausto,  História  do  Brasil,  São  Paulo,  Brasil,  Editora  da  Universidade  de  São  Paulo,  2006.    5  State  presence,  here,  is  understood  as  the  establishment  of  an  effective  administrative  apparatus,  the  presence  of  military  forces,  or  even  the  residence  of  loyal  citizens  in  the  territory.  Indigenous  inhabitants  do  not  fall  into  the  last  category,  as  few  of  them  ever  recognised  the  authority  of  post-­‐1500  Brazilian  governments.  

Source:  IBGE  |  Censo  2010.  

Page 2: Development & CPR Management - FINAL Paper

Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  2  of  13  

the  main  policy  instruments  used  to  attain  this  objective.  In  the  colonial  period,  for  example,  full  property  rights  to  land  in  Brazil  were  granted  to  settlers,  free  of  charge,  on  the  condition  that  the  land  be  cultivated  and  a  tithe  paid  to  the  Order  of  Christ.6  In  addition  to  land  that  was  granted  or  sold  under  this  arrangement,  the  1850  Land  Law  regularised  all  informal  occupations  of  land  that  had   occurred   prior   to   1850,   beginning   a   process   of   retroactive   regularisation   of   informal  settlements  that  has  been  repeated,  on  a  periodic  basis,  to  this  day.7  Given  the  sheer  abundance  of  land  in  the  Amazon  region  –  and  the  opportunities  that  exist,  therefore,  for  settlers  to  occupy  lands  that  are  not  being  used  by  others  for  productive  purposes  –  such  retroactive  regularisation  entails  almost  no  costs  for  the  actors  involved.  On  the  contrary,  settlers  are  better  off  when  they  acquire  enforceable  property   rights   from  the  government,  whilst   the  government  benefits   from  an  increased  ability  to  exert  administrative  and  legal  control  over  the  acquired  territories  and  thus  consolidate   territorial   claims.  Although   the   likelihood  of   invasions   and  other   territorial   disputes  was  reduced  over   the  course  of   the  20th  century  as  a  result  of   improved  global  governance  and  international   legislation,   Brazilian   Federal   and   State   governments   still   face   severe   challenges   to  their  sovereignty   from  drug  traffickers,   illegal   logging  enterprises  and  other  mafia-­‐like  groups   in  the  Amazon  region.  The  establishment  of  an  effective  property  rights  regime  therefore  continues  to  be  crucial  to  improving  the  governance  of  this  immense,  sparsely  populated  region.  

Today,  interest  in  the  Amazon  region  is  spearheaded  by  profit-­‐seeking  individuals  and  enterprises  as  well  as  the  government,  each  one  seeking  to  secure  its  stake  in  the  region’s  natural  resource  wealth.   Lucrative   private-­‐sector   activities   in   the   region   include   logging,   with   a   view   to   selling  timber,  and  the  use  of  land  for  agricultural  activities  like  soybean  farming  or  the  raising  of  cattle.  In  addition  to  its  claim  on  tax  revenues  from  the  aformentioned  activities,  the  government  has  an  interest  in  granting  land  in  the  region  to  landless  rural  labourers  (represented  by  the  Movimento  dos  Trabalhadores  Rurais  Sem  Terra  or  MST)  who  constitute  an  important  vote  bank  in  Brazil.  The  government  also   faces   strong  pressure   from  environmental  groups   to  protect  and  conserve   the  rainforest  and  its  ecosystems.  The  Amazon  rainforest  is  host  to  a  quarter  of  the  world’s  terrestrial  species,   is   responsible   for  15%  of  global   terrestrial  photosynthesis  and  acts  as  an  engine  of   the  global  atmospheric  circulation,  regulating  evaporation,  condensation  and  precipitation.8  Domestic  and  international  pressure  to  perpetuate  the  environmental  services  provided  by  the  rainforest  –  as   well   as   its   biological   heritage   –   therefore   come   to   bear   on   the   decisions   of   the   Brazilian  government.  The  problem,  however,  is  that  many  of  the  above  activities  can  be  considered  rival:  if  one  logging  company  cuts  down  trees  in  the  Amazon  and  sells  the  timber,  those  same  trees  will  not   be   available   to   another   company;   if   one   farmer   occupies   land   in   the   Amazon   in   order   to  cultivate   soy,   that   same   land  will   not   be   available   to   a   cattle   rancher.   Although   environmental  services  are  not  rival  in  the  same  way  –  everyone  can  benefit  equally,  and  at  the  same  time,  from  carbon   sequestration,   climate   regulation   and  biodiversity   –   rivalry  does   exist   between  different  uses   of   land.   Logging   and   agricultural   activities,   for   example,   are   incompatible   with   the  conservation   of   original   rainforest   cover   for   the   provision   of   environmental   services.   The  

                                                                                                               6  Bernardo  Mueller,  Lee  Alston,  Gary  D.  Libecap  and  Robert  Schneider,  Land,  Property  Rights  and  Privatization  in  Brazil,  The  Quarterly  Review  of  Economics  and  Finance,  Vol.  34,  Special  Issue,  Summer  1994,  pp.  261-­‐280.  7  ibid.  8  Yadvinder  Malhi  et  al.,  Climate  Change,  Deforestation  and  the  Fate  of  the  Amazon,  Science,  Vol.  319,  169,  2008.    

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  3  of  13  

government   is   therefore   faced  with   the  monumental   challenge   of   designing   rules   that   strike   a  balance   between   the   competing   interests   described   above   (redistributive,   corporate,   political,  international,  environmental),  even  though  it  is  not  itself  impartial.  In  other  words,  if  the  design  of  rules   for   the   use   of   natural   resources   in   the   Amazon   is   conceived   as   a   strategic   game,   the  government  is  not  an  exogenous  factor  in  the  game  but  an  endogenous  one,  a  player  with  its  own  strategies   (legislate,   monitor,   enforce)   and   pay-­‐offs   (votes,   formal/informal   revenues,  international   reputation).9  It   is   important   to   note,   moreover,   that   although   the   government   is  being  referred  to  here  as  a  monolithic  entity,  in  reality  there  are  many  internal  constraints  to  its  actions,  including  the  need  to  live  within  its  means  (budgetary  constraints).  This  brings  us  to  the  second  massive  challenge   in   the   regulation  of   the  Amazon   rainforest   in  Brazil:   the  sheer   size  of  the  territory  and  of   individual  plots  of   land.   In  most  cases,   it   is  practically   impossible   to  exclude  others  from  using  the  land,  because  fencing  costs  are  too  high  for  private  owners  of  the  land,  or  because  monitoring   and   enforcement   costs   are   too   high   for   the   government.   As   things   stand,  therefore,  the  government  has  not  been  able  to  design  a  set  of  rules  (or  sub-­‐game)  that  can  be  fully  enforced  on  the  ground  and  that  incentivises  individuals  and  companies  to  respect  all  of  its  (often  conflicting)  objectives.   In  the  absence  of   fully  enforceable  rules,  players   fail   to   internalise  the   environmental   and   social   costs   of   deforestation   and   continue   to   behave   according   to  individual   interests,   which   is   unsustainable   in   the   long   run.   This   phenomenon   is   known   as   the  tragedy  of  the  commons.10    

 

Notwithstanding   the  above,   some   rules  do  exist   to   regulate   the  use  of  natural   resources   in   the  Amazon   and   annual   rates   of   deforestation   have   been   falling   rapidly   over   the   past   decade   (see  graph).     It  will   therefore  be  useful,   in  this  section,  to  present  a  brief  description  of  the  Plano  de  Ação  para  Prevenção  e  Controle  do  Desmatamento  na  Amazônia  Legal   (PPCDAm),  a  programme  which  has  been  in  force  since  2004  and  which  most  observers  claim  to  be  responsible  for  recent  

                                                                                                               9  Lee  Alston  and  Bernardo  Mueller,  Property  Rights  and  the  State,  in  Claude  Menard  and  Mary  Shirley  (eds.),  Handbook  of  New  Institutional  Economics,  Heidelberg,  Germany,  Springer-­‐Verlag,  2008,  pp.  573-­‐590.    10  Garrett  Hardin,  The  Tragedy  of  the  Commons,  Science,  vol.  162,  13  December  1968,  pp.  1243-­‐1248.    

Source:  INPE    (http://www.obt.inpe.br/prodes/index.php)  

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  4  of  13  

reductions  in  annual  rates  of  deforestation.  The  PPCDAm  was  designed  to  address  deforestation  from  three  main  perspectives:    

(i) land  tenure  and  land  use  planning;    (ii) monitoring  and  enforcement  of  compliance  with  environmental  legislation;  (iii) promoting  sustainable  use  of  natural  resources.    

An  evaluation  of  the  PPCDAm  in  2011  attributes  most  of  the  recent  success  to  the  second  branch  of  the  programme  (see  chart).11  Under  this  branch,  two  new  satellite  systems  were  introduced  –  known   as   Deter   and   Degrad   –   which   are   capable   of   generating   real-­‐time   information   on  deforestation   and   forest   degradation   and   thus   serve   as   the   basis   for   targeted   enforcement  activities   by   the   Federal   Police   and   other   competent   agencies.   In   addition,   between   2004   and  2008,  the  authorities  created  25  million  hectares  of  protected  areas  (Unidades  de  Conservação  or  UCs)  and  10  million  hectares  of  indigenous  lands  in  the  Arc  of  Fire  –  the  frontier  along  which  most  deforestation   has   historically   occurred   (see   map   on   next   page).12  This   clarification   of   the   legal  status  of  the  land,  together  with  effective  monitoring  and  enforcement,  has  acted  as  a  barrier  to  large-­‐scale  illegal  deforestation  in  the  frontier  region,  at   least   in  the  short  run.  Recent  evidence,  however,   suggests   that   deforestation   may   be   adapting   to   these   new   constraints   by   exploiting  weaknesses  in  the  system.  60%  of  newly  deforested  areas  in  2009  were  smaller  than  25  hectares  and  were  therefore  below  the  minimum  area  that  can  be  detected  by  the  Deter  satellite  system.  13  Once   they   were   detected   by   Prodes   –   the   older   satellite   system   that   generates   images   of   a  higher  resolution  (6  hectares)  on  a  more   infrequent  basis  –   it  was  often  too   late  to   identify  and  

                                                                                                               11  PPCDAm,  Avaliação  do  Plano  De  Ação  Para  Prevenção  e  Controle  do  Desmatamento  na  Amazônia  Legal,  http://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/3046/S33375A9452011_pt.pdf?sequence=1,  2011,  (accessed  on  Monday  20th  of  April  2015).  12  ibid.  13  ibid.  

Source:  PPCDAm,  2011  

Completion  rate  of  activities  100%  Completion  rate  of  activities  75%-­‐99%  Completion  rate  of  activities  50%-­‐74%  Completion  rate  of  activities  25%-­‐49%  Completion  rate  of  activities  0%-­‐24%  

Land  tenure  and  land  use  planning   Monitoring  and  Enforcement   Sustainable  Use   Total  

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  5  of  13  

punish   the   perpetrators.14  Deforestation,  moreover,   has   recently   been   less   concentrated   in   the  Arc  of  Fire.  Greater  dispersion  means   that   it  has  become  more  costly   to   travel   to  suspect  areas  and  enforce  legislation.15  It  is  important  to  note,  moreover,  that  increases  in  the  effectiveness  of  monitoring  and  enforcement  activities  coincided  with  an  unprecedented  period  of  GDP  growth  in  Brazil   (2000-­‐2010),  during  which  the  government  experienced  a  windfall   in  tax  revenues.   It   is  to  be  expected  that  the  resources  available  to  carry  out  these  activities  will  become  scarcer  now  that  the  country  has  entered  a  period  of  economic  stagnation.  In  this  context,  it  is  significant  that  rates  of  deforestation  have  hovered  around  5.000  km2  per  annum  over  the  past  three  years  –  including  a  constant,  or  perhaps  growing  share  from  within  UCs  and  indigenous  lands  –  suggesting  that  the  PPCDAm  is  experiencing  diminishing  returns  to  monitoring  and  enforcement  activities.  In  order  to  make   further   gains  or  prevent   a   relapse,   therefore,   it  will   be  necessary   to   refocus  attention  on  land   tenure   issues   and   the   incentive   structures   that   arise   from   the   prevailing   property   rights  regime.   Only   if   there   are   strong   incentives   for   individuals   to   use   natural   resources   within   the  Amazon  region  in  a  sustainable  way,  and  if  the  need  for  costly  central  government  intervention  is  limited  to  affordable  levels,  will  deforestation  rates  be  brought  down  in  the  long  run.    

 Which  brings  us,  at  last,  to  the  system  of  property  rights  that  prevails  in  the  Legal  Amazon  today.  This  system  defines  land  according  to  three  main  categories:    

                                                                                                               14  ibid.  15  ibid.  

Source:  Varela  et  al  (2006)    (http://projects.inweh.unu.edu/inweh/display.php?ID=5364)  

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  6  of  13  

• Protected  Areas  (31%  of  the  Legal  Amazon).16  These  include  indigenous  lands  (dark  green)  and  UCs.  UCs  are  further  subdivided  into:    

- Áreas   de   Proteção   integral   (green),   within   which   all   extractive   activities   are  forbidden;    

- Áreas  de  uso  sustentável  (light  green),  within  which  some  extractive  activities  can  be  carried  out  by  economic  actors,  subject  to  the  approval  by  the  government  of  a  sustainable  natural  resource  management  plan.    

Evidence   shows   that   indigenous   lands   constitute   the   most   effective   barrier   to   illegal  deforestation   in   these   areas,   because   indigenous   populations   act   as   a   low-­‐cost,   early  warning  system  that  helps  the  authorities  to  detect  deforestation  and  target  enforcement  activities   accordingly.17  In   the   UCs,   by   contrast,   costly   monitoring   and   enforcement   by  satellite   systems   and   non-­‐residents   are   needed   to   prevent   illegal   deforestation   and  ensure  that  extractive  activities  comply  with  sustainable  management  plans.    

• Private   lands   (ca.   21%  of   the   Legal   Amazon).18  These   are   lands   over  which   formal   titles  have  been  acquired  by  individuals  or  companies  who:  

- purchased  their  title  from  other  private  owners  or  from  the  government;  - benefited  from  Reforma  Agrária,  the  national  land  redistribution  programme;    - benefited  from  retroactive  regularisation  of  informal  land  occupations.    

These  lands  are  subject  to  the  Forest  Code  (Código  Florestal  or  CF)  which  stipulates  that  80%  of  privately  owned  plots  of   land   in  the  Amazon  biome  must  be  set  aside  as  a  Legal  Reserve  (Reserva  Legal  or  RL),  meaning  that  original  forest  cover  in  these  areas  cannot  be  cleared.   Title-­‐holders   are   expected   to   provide   information   to   the   Rural   Environmental  Registry  (Cadastro  Ambiental  Rural  or  CAR)  on  the  size,   location  and  boundaries  of  their  plots,  as  well  as   the  areas  within   that  plot   that  have  been  set  aside  as  a   Legal  Reserve.  This  information  is  used  by  the  authorities  to  monitor  compliance  with  the  CF.  However,  as  of  2011,  only  1%  of  rural  properties  had  been  registered  in  the  CAR.19  

• Terras   Públicas   Não   Destinadas   (TPñD)   or   Terras   Devolutas   (ca.   45%   of   the   Legal  Amazon).20  The   legal   status   of   these   lands   has   not   changed   since   the   colonial   period.  Although   they   are   technically   ‘public   lands’   (i.e.   belonging   to   Federal   or   State  governments),   they   are   not   demarcated   or   destined   for   any   particular   purpose,   (e.g.  conservation,   sustainable   use,   private   ownership,   etc.).   This   leaves   them   vulnerable   to  informal  occupation  (posse)  by  two  types  of  actors:    

                                                                                                               16  Ibid.  17  Daniel  Nepstad  et  al,  Inhibition  of  Amazon  Deforestation  and  Fire  by  Parks  and  Indigenous  Lands,  Conservation  Biology,  Vol.  20,  No.  1,  65–73,  2006.    18  Instituto  de  Pesquisa  Ambiental  da  Amazônia  (IPAM),  A  Grilagem  De  Terras  Públicas  Na  Amazônia  Brasileira,  Brasília,  MMA,  2006.  19  PPCDAm,  2011.    20  IPAM,  2006.    

Page 7: Development & CPR Management - FINAL Paper

Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  7  of  13  

- grileiros,   who   forge   documents   in   collaboration   with   logging   companies,  agribusinesses,   local   politicians,   bureaucrats   and  notaries,   in   order   to   obtain  de  facto  rights  over  the  lands,  which  which  can  then  be  sold  for  considerable  profit;21    

- small-­‐scale   farmers   and   other  members   of   the   local,   rural   population   who   can  exercise   their   rights   under   the   1988   Constitution   to   acquire   formal   title   over  Terras   Devolutas   if   certain   conditions   are   fulfilled,   including   residence   on   and  agricultural  use  of  the  land  (which  can  be  no  larger  than  one  ‘rural  module’)  for  a  continuous  period  of  one  year.22  

Legitimação   de   posse   is   the   legal   practice   of   regularising   informal   occupations   of   the  second  type.  There  are  still  some  legal  uncertainties  over  whether  land  occupations  of  the  first  type  –  acquired  by  means  of  grilagem  by  former  or  current  occupants  at  some  point  in  the  past  –  are  illegal  or  informal,  meaning  that  claims  are  examined  on  a  case  by  case  basis.23  In   practice,   therefore,   only   the   Law   on   Environmental   Crimes   (Lei   de   Crimes  Ambientais)  protects  Terras  Devolutas  from  untrammelled  deforestation  by  grileiros.24  

 

The  property  rights  regime  described  in  the  previous  paragraph  emerged  as  a  result  of  the  first-­‐order   problem   addressed   in   the   beginning   of   this   paper,   which   corresponds   roughly   to   the  “second  institutional  level”  outlined  by  Williamson  (see  above).25  How  do  the  “formal  rules  of  the  

                                                                                                               21  Grileiros  are  those  who  engage  in  grilagem,  the  practice  of  faking  documents  in  order  to  obtain  property  rights  over  land.  The  term  originates  from  the  historical  use  of  crickets  (grilos)  to  make  documents  look  old  and  authentic.    22  A  rural  module  is  a  measure  of  the  size  of  a  plot  of  land,  which  is  defined  by  municipal  governments.    23  IPAM,  2006.    24  Sparovek  et  al,  A  Revisão  do  Código  Florestal  Brasileiro,  Novos  Estudos,  Vol.  89,  March  2011.    25  Oliver  E.  Williamson,  The  New  Institutional  Economics:  Taking  Stock,  Looking  Ahead,  Journal  of  Economic  Literature,  Vol.  XXXVIII,  September  2006,  pp.  595–613.    

Page 8: Development & CPR Management - FINAL Paper

Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  8  of  13  

game”  arise?  UCs,  Legal  Reserves  and  indigenous  lands  are  rights  and  obligations  created  by  the  government   in   response   to   the   demand   from   domestic   and   international   pressure   groups   for  rainforest   conservation   and   the  protection  of   indigenous   rights.   Existing   private   property   rights  over   agricultural   land,   on   the   other   hand,   (as  well   as   the   periodic,   retroactive   regularisation   of  informally   occupied   lands)   safeguards   the   economic   interests   of   the   agricultural   sector.   The  redistribution  of  land  through  INCRA,  in  its  turn,  is  a  way  of  responding  to  the  democratic  demand  for   lands   by   the   landless   rural   labourers,   who   constitute   a   significant   vote   bank   for   the  government.   Taken   together,   all   of   these   measures   allow   the   government   to   extend   its  administrative  control  over  the  area,  reinforce  its  jurisdiction  and  strengthen  its  monopoly  on  the  legitimate  use  of  violence  in  the  region.  The  problem,  however,  lies  in  the  third  institutional  level  defined   by   Williamson,   which   he   refers   to   as   the   “play   of   the   game”.26  Given   the   rival,   non-­‐excludable  nature  of  land  and  natural  resources  in  the  Amazon  region,  it  is  almost  inevitable  that  the  interested  parties  described  above  –  armed  with  their  respective  ‘rights’  –  come  into  conflict  with  each  other.  Although,  in  theory,  the  Brazilian  judiciary  has  at  its  disposal  a  number  of  tools  that   can   be   used   to   adjudicate   between   these   parties   and   resolve   such   conflicts,   the  inaccessibility  of  certain  areas   in   the  Amazon  region  and  the   lack  of  State  presence  there  mean  that  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  accurate  information  on  disputes,  and  therefore  to  pass  judgments  and  enforce  decisions.   The   result   is   that   actors   often   find   themselves   competing   for   attention   from  the  State,  or  attempting  to  establish  faits  accompli  which  are  hard  to  reverse  and  are  therefore  candidates   for   retroactive   regularisation.   The   use   of   grilagem   to   obtain   titles   that   are   later  recognised,  either  de  facto  or  de  jure,  is  a  good  example.  Another  example  is  the  strategy  used  by  the   MST   and   rural   landless   workers   to   occupy   private   lands   and   claim   them   under   the   land  redistribution   programme   run   by   INCRA,   a   phenomenon   that   has   been   described   in   detail   by  Alston,   Libecap   and  Mueller.27  Since   retroactive   regularisation   of   property   rights   is   only   carried  out   if   there   has   been   continuous,   productive   use   of   the   land   (whereas   forested   areas   are   in  practice   not   considered   to   be   in   ‘productive’   use)   informal   occupation   often   leads   to  deforestation.28  Private  owners  of  legal  title  to  lands  are,  in  turn,  often  left  with  only  one  effective  strategy  to  prevent  their  lands  from  being  expropriated  under  the  land  redistribution  programme,  which   is   to  preempt   informal  occupations  and  clear   the   forest   themselves,  even   if   this  entails  a  reduction   in  Legal  Reserves  below  the   level   stipulated  by   the  CF.29  Because  of   the   failure  of   the  government  to  collect  environmental  fines,  this  is  often  a  less  costly  option  than  allowing  lands  to  be   occupied   by   the   MST:   between   2009   and   2013,   for   example,   R$15,4   billion   in   fines   were  charged  by  the  authorities  but  only  1,8%  of  the  total  amount  was  ever  received.30  Which  brings  us  to   another   conflict,   between   environmental   pressure   groups   and   the   agricultural   interests  who  believe  themselves  to  be  engaged  in  a  rush  for  land.  Araújo  and  Barreto  discuss  one  facet  of  this  

                                                                                                               26  ibid.  27  Alston,  Libecap  and  Mueller,  Land  Reform  Policies,  The  Sources  of  Violent  Conflict  and  Implications  for  Deforestation  in  the  Brazilian  Amazon,  Journal  of  Environmental  Economics  and  Management,  Vol.  39,  2000,  pp.  162-­‐188.    28  Araújo  et  al,  Property  Rights  and  Deforestation  in  the  Brazilian  Amazon,  Ecological  Economics,  Vol.  68,  2009,  pp.  2461–2468.    29  ibid.  30  Araújo  and  Barreto,  Estratégias  e  fontes  de  recursos  para  proteger  as  Unidades  de  Conservação  da  Amazônia,  Belém,  Pará,  IMAZON,  2015.    

Page 9: Development & CPR Management - FINAL Paper

Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  9  of  13  

conflict:  the  phenomenon  of  informal  land  occupations  within  UCs  and  indigenous  territories.31  In  several   cases   examined   by   the   authors,   the   authorities   have   shown   themselves   willing   to  recognise   such   occupations   as   faits   accomplis   and   retroactively   regularise   them,   on   the  assumption  that  such  occupations  were  carried  out  in  ‘good  faith’.  This  has  the  obvious  effect  of  undermining   the   PPCDAm’s   strategy   of   using   UCs   and   indigenous   lands   as   a   barrier   against  deforestation  in  the  Arc  of  Fire.32  The  2012  revisions  to  the  CF  are  another  example  of  how  faits  accomplis  have  been  used  by  agricultural   interests   to   lobby  for  a  change   in  the  “formal  rules  of  the   game”.   The   agricultural   lobby   argued   that   the   cost   of   compliance  with   the   old   CF   –  which  would,  in  a  large  number  of  cases,  have  entailed  ‘reforesting’  rural  properties  in  order  to  meet  the  80%  RL  requirement  –  were  too  high,  and  were  thus  able  to  obtain  an  amnesty  on  ‘environmental  debt’  incurred  before  2008  for  all  properties  between  20  and  440  hectares.33    

Conflicting  Parties   Rules  of  the  Game   Play  of  the  Game  

Grileiros   Government  

Formal  property  rights  over  land  above  one  ‘rural  

module’  cannot  be  acquired  through  ‘productive  use’  +  

residence  

Acquisition  and  use  of  land  above  one  ‘rural  module’  (logging,  agriculture)  is  subject  to  purchase  

agreement  +  environmental  license  

Local  government  actors  and  notaries  are  coopted  by  grileiros  (through  informal  payments)  and  provide  fake  

documentation  

Long  delays  in  monitoring  and  enforcement  mean  it  is  difficult  to  trace  original  act  of  grilagem  

Lands  are  sold  to  new  occupants  who  are  not  directly  implicated  in  grilagem  and  have  made  investments  in  

the  land  

It  is  difficult  to  evict  informal  occupants  so  government  is  incentivised  to  retroactively  regularise  occupations  

Rural,  landless  labourers  /  

MST  

Landowners  with  title  

Property  rights  can  be  acquired  through  ‘productive  use’  of  

‘unused’  private  land.  

CF:  80%  of  private  land  must  be  conserved  (RLs)  

RLs  are  considered  to  be  ‘unused  land’  

Rural  landless  labourers  clear  forests  in  order  to  demonstrate  ‘productive  use’  

Owners  clear  forest  in  order  to  preempt  occupation  by  rural  landless  labourers  

Owners  violate  the  RL  requirements  of  the  CF  but  no  real  costs  are  incurred.  

Environmental  interests  

Agricultural  interests  

Indigenous  lands  and  UCs  cannot  be  cleared  for  purposes  of  agriculture  

CF:  80%  of  private  land  must  be  conserved  (RLs)  

Deforestation  is  a  means  of  acquiring  /  securing  formal  property  rights  (see  above)  

Monitoring  and  enforcement  are  weak.  Fines  are  not  collected.  

Informal  settlers  and  owners  are  incentivised  to  clear  forests  for  personal  gain  and  to  secure  property  rights.  

Environmental  laws  are  not  respected.  Corrective  measures  are  costly.    

The  government  is  incentivised  to  retroactively  regularise  in  order  to  ensure  administrative  control  and  legal  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  and  its  inhabitants.  

 

                                                                                                               31  ibid.  32  PPCDAm,  2011.    33  Soares-­‐Filho  et  al,  Cracking  Brazil’s  Forest  Code,  Science,  Vol.  344,  25th  April  2014,  pp.  363-­‐364.  “Environmental  debt”  refers  to  the  actual  RL  on  private  lands  minus  the  RL  requirement  defined  by  the  CF.    

Page 10: Development & CPR Management - FINAL Paper

Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

Page  10  of  13  

It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that  insufficient  capacity  to  regulate  the  ‘play  of  the  game’  and  ensure  that   rules   are   followed   is   leading   to   strategic   behaviour   by   actors,   who   seek   to   establish   faits  accomplis  that  they  can  then  use  as  evidence  for  the  need  to  retroactively  redefine  the  ‘rules  of  the   game’   in   their   favour.   The   expropriation   of   private   land  which   is   then   transferred   landless  rural  labourers  under  the  Reforma  Agrária,  the  retroactive  regularisation  of  settlements  in  Terras  Devolutas   and   Protected   Areas,   the   changes   to   the   Código   Florestal   in   2012   that   forgave  environmental   debt   incurrer   prior   to   2008,   all   of   these   are   examples   of   how   the   ‘rules   of   the  game’  have  been  changed   in  response  to  the  strategic  actions  of   those   ‘playing  the  game’,  who  consciously  choose  not   to  abide  by  the  rules  given  the   low  risk  of  detection  and  punishment  by  the   authorities.   Although   it   is   not   within   the   scope   of   this   paper   to   provide   detailed  recommendations  on  how  to  ensure  that  players  abide  by  the  rules  in  the  future,   it  seems  clear  that  top-­‐down  monitoring  and  enforcement  will  never  be  efficient  and  effective  enough  to  deter  players   from   acting   in   this   way.   Instead,   an   incentive   structure   needs   to   be   designed   that   will  encourage  players  to  respect  established  property  rights  and  abide  by  rules  of  their  own  accord.    

In  order  to  achieve  this  objective,  it  is  imperative  that  the  legal  status  of  all  lands  be  well  defined  and  assurances  provided  that  this  status  will  not  be  retroactively  changed  in  the  future.  With  this  in  mind,  Araújo  and  Barreto  strongly  recommend  that  the  retroactive  transformation  of  Protected  Areas  into  private  lands  should  be  made  illegal.34  Insofar  as  private  lands  and  Terras  Devolutas  are  concerned,  accurate   information  on  existing  property  rights  and  compliance  with  environmental  legislation  should  be  made  available  on  a  priority  basis.  Landowners  in  possession  of  titles  should  be   encouraged   to   register   in   the   CAR   through   positive   and   negative   incentives   (RLs   that   are  registered   in   the   CAR   could   be   exempted   from   expropriation   under   the   land   redistribution  programme,   for   example,   or   the   sale   of   timber   or   agricultural   products   from   land   that   is   not  registered   in   the   CAR   could   be   restricted   or   subject   to   penalties   on   domestic   or   international  markets).   The   status   of   informally   occupied   lands,   should   be   clarified   once   and   for   all.   For  informal   properties   that   have   respected   the   conditions   established   by   the   Constitution   (i.e.  smaller   than   one   rural  module,   inhabited   by   the   owners   and   used   for   agricultural   purposes,   in  compliance   with   labour   legislation)   this   requires   registration   as   a   rural   property,   demarcation  through  the  use  of  GPS  and  issuance  of  title.  The  main  instrument  used  to  carry  out  this  process  so   far   has   been   the   Programa   Terra   Legal,   a   sub-­‐programme   of   the   PPCDAm   that   seeks   to  regularise  small  properties  settled  before  2004.  However,  its  registration  targets  are  still  far  from  being   reached   (see   chart).35  To  make  matter  worse,   the  Programa   Terra   Legal  does   not   collect  information  on   regularised  properties’   compliance  with   the  CF,  nor  does   it   register   them   in   the  CAR,   even   though   synergies   between   the   two   registration   processes   could   result   in   significant  savings  for  the  State.  Another  recommendation,  therefore,  would  be  to  merge  the  process  so  that  registration   in  the  CAR  (and  compliance  with  the  CF)  becomes  a  precondition  for  obtaining   land  title,  thus  using  property  rights  as  an  incentive  for  compliance  with  environmental  legislation.  On  a   broader   note,   it   is   also   necessary   to   streamline   the   bureaucratic   process   in   order   to   make  registration  and  the  supply  of  information  less  costly  for  property  rights  holders.  The  creation  of  a  

                                                                                                               34  Araújo  and  Barreto,  2015.    35  PPCDAm,  2011.  

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

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unified  registration  system  that  can  be  easily  accessed  by  all  government  entities  (Federal,  State,  Municipal,   IBAMA,  Federal  Police,  etc.)  will  be  crucial   to  ensure   that  overlap  and  contradictions  are  avoided  and  uncertainties  minimised.  Lastly,  it  is  important  to  ensure  that  lands  occupied  as  a  result   of   grilagem   be   subject   to   a   rigorous   evaluation,   which   assesses   the   land   for   extant  environmental  assets  and  possible  environmental  damage  caused  by  the  occupant,  estimates  the  economic  value  of  those  portions  of  the  land  that  are  being  put  to  productive  use  and  considers  the  relative   feasibility  and  desireability  of   regularisation   (under  certain  conditions)  as  compared  to   expropriation.   This   process   should   pay   particular   attention   to   the   issue   of   moral   hazard,  seeking  to  ensure  that  illegal  practices  are  not  rewarded  at  the  expense  of  the  State.    

In   the   short   run,   funds   from   the   Fundo   Amazônia   (made   up   of   donations   from   Norway   and  Germany  under  the  REDD+  scheme)  should  be  used  to  complete  these  one-­‐off  registration  efforts  as   soon   as   possible.   All   remaining   lands   should   immediately   be   given   a   legal   status   and   a  attributed   a   specific   purpose   (e.g.   conservation,   indigenous   territory,   land   for   sustainable   use)  with   a   view   to   eliminating   the   category   of  Terras   Devolutas,   hitherto   the   prime   candidates   for  informal  occupation.   In   the   long  run,   the  Fundo  Amazônia  should  be  used  to  provide   incentives  for   private   owners   of   land,   traditional   communities   and   those   who   engage   in   sustainable  economic   activities   in   forested   areas   to   conserve   the   rainforest   and   to   act   as   monitors   and  stewards  of  the   land  that  has  been  assigned  to  them.36  Further  research   is  needed  to  develop  a  sustainable   funding   mechanism   for   the   Fundo   Amazônia   (international   donations,   general  taxation,   sale  of   carbon  credits)  and  an  effective  way  of  managing  payments   for  environmental  services   (PES),  but   it   is   in   the   interests  of  all   actors   that   such  a  mechanism  be  developed  soon,  since  PES  constitute  the  only  monetary  incentive  that  can  effectively  compete  with  the  rents  from  logging   and   agricultural   production.   In   the  meantime,   it   is   important   to  make   sure   that   a  well-­‐defined  property   rights   system   is   in   place  when  PES   finally   become  available,   in   order   to   avoid  strategic  behaviour  that  could  undermine  environmental  and  economic  objectives  in  the  long  run.  This   paper   has   sought   to   describe   the   current   property   rights   system   and   the   inadequacies   of  

                                                                                                               36  Marcus  Peixoto,  Pagamento  por  Serviços  Ambientais:  Aspectos  Teóricos  e  Proposições  Legislativas,  http://www12.senado.gov.br/publicacoes/estudos-­‐legislativos/tipos-­‐de-­‐estudos/textos-­‐para-­‐discussao/td-­‐105-­‐pagamento-­‐por-­‐servicos-­‐ambientais-­‐aspectos-­‐teoricos-­‐e-­‐proposicoes-­‐legislativas,  2011,  (accessed  on  Monday  20th  of  April  2015).    

Performance  of  the  Terra  Legal  programme  (number  of  properties  processed)  

Performance  of  the  Terra  Legal  programme  (number  of  hectares  processed)  

Target   Registered   Demarcated  (GPS)  

Titled   Target   Registered   Demarcated  (GPS)  

Titled  

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

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monitoring   and   enforcement   activities   by   the   Brazilian   government,   despite   recent  improvements.   It  has  argued  that  the  property  rights  system  that  applies  to   land  in  the  Amazon  needs  to  be  reformed,  in  order  to  build  on  these  improvements  and  create  an  incentive  structure  that   encourages   actors   to   refrain   from   illegal   deforestation.   Some   tentative   suggestions   have  been  made  regarding  the  possible  design  of  such  an  incentive  structure,  and  it  is  hoped  that  these  ideas   could   be   developed   further   through   targeted   research,   bearing   in  mind   the   possibility   of  future   integration   with   an   international   or   domestic   PES   system.   Through   enhanced   effort,   in-­‐depth   analysis   and   well   designed   policies,   it   is   believed   that   deforestation   rates   in   the   Legal  Amazon  can  continue  to  be  reduced,  generating  opportunities   for  sustainable  development  and  preserving  the  environment  for  future  generations.  

Works  Cited  

Alston,  L.,  and  Mueller,  B.,  Property  Rights  and  the  State,  in  Menard  C.  and  Shirley  M.  (eds.),  Handbook  of  New  Institutional  Economics,  Heidelberg,  Germany,  Springer-­‐Verlag,  2008,  pp.  573-­‐590.  

Alston,  Libecap  and  Mueller,  Land  Reform  Policies,  The  Sources  of  Violent  Conflict  and  Implications  for  Deforestation  in  the  Brazilian  Amazon,  Journal  of  Environmental  Economics  and  Management,  Vol.  39,  2000,  pp.  162-­‐188.    

Araújo  et  al,  Property  Rights  and  Deforestation  in  the  Brazilian  Amazon,  Ecological  Economics,  Vol.  68,  2009,  pp.  2461–2468.    

Araújo  and  Barreto,  Estratégias  e  fontes  de  recursos  para  proteger  as  Unidades  de  Conservação  da  Amazônia,  Belém,  Pará,  IMAZON,  2015.    

Fausto,  B.,  História  do  Brasil,  São  Paulo,  Brasil,  Editora  da  Universidade  de  São  Paulo,  2006.    

Gonçalves,  M.A.,  The  Brazilian  REDD  Strategy:  How  the  country  has  achieved  major  deforestation  in  the  Amazon,  http://www.mma.gov.br/estruturas/182/_arquivos/reddcop15_ingles_182.pdf,  2009,  (accessed  Monday  20th  April  2015).  

Hardin,  G.,  The  Tragedy  of  the  Commons,  Science,  vol.  162,  13  December  1968,  pp.  1243-­‐1248.  

IBGE,  Censo  2010,  http://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/en/,  2010,  (accessed  Monday  20th  April  2015).  

IPAM,  A  Grilagem  De  Terras  Públicas  Na  Amazônia  Brasileira,  Brasília,  MMA,  2006.  

Malhi,  Y.,  Climate  Change,  Deforestation  and  the  Fate  of  the  Amazon,  Science,  Vol.  319,  169,  2008.    

Menard  C.  and  Shirley  M.  (eds.),  Handbook  of  New  Institutional  Economics,  Heidelberg,  Germany,  Springer-­‐Verlag,  2008,  pp.  573-­‐590.  

Mueller,  B.,  Alston,  L.,  Libecap,  G.D.  and  Schneider,  R.,  Land,  Property  Rights  and  Privatization  in  Brazil,  The  Quarterly  Review  of  Economics  and  Finance,  Vol.  34,  Special  Issue,  Summer  1994,  pp.  261-­‐280.  

Nepstad,  D.,  Inhibition  of  Amazon  Deforestation  and  Fire  by  Parks  and  Indigenous  Lands,  Conservation  Biology,  Vol.  20,  No.  1,  65–73,  2006.    

Peixoto,  M.,  Pagamento  por  Serviços  Ambientais:  Aspectos  Teóricos  e  Proposições  Legislativas,  http://www12.senado.gov.br/publicacoes/estudos-­‐legislativos/tipos-­‐de-­‐estudos/textos-­‐para-­‐

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Masters  in  International  Development  |  PSIA  Development  and  Common  Pool  Resource  Management

Name  :  Edwin  Johan  Santana  Gaarder  Student  number  :  100047222  

 

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discussao/td-­‐105-­‐pagamento-­‐por-­‐servicos-­‐ambientais-­‐aspectos-­‐teoricos-­‐e-­‐proposicoes-­‐legislativas,  2011,  (accessed  on  Monday  20th  of  April  2015).  

PPCDAm,  Avaliação  do  Plano  De  Ação  Para  Prevenção  e  Controle  do  Desmatamento  na  Amazônia  Legal,  http://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/3046/S33375A9452011_pt.pdf?sequence=1,  2011,  (accessed  on  Monday  20th  of  April  2015).  

Soares-­‐Filho  et  al,  Cracking  Brazil’s  Forest  Code,  Science,  Vol.  344,  25th  April  2014,  pp.  363-­‐364.  “Environmental  debt”  refers  to  the  actual  RL  on  private  lands  minus  the  RL  requirement  defined  by  the  CF.    

Sparovek,  A  Revisão  do  Código  Florestal  Brasileiro,  Novos  Estudos,  Vol.  89,  March  2011.    

Varela  et  al,  Projeto  Manejo  Integrado  e  Sustentável  dos  Recursos  Hídricos  Transfronteiriços  na  Bacia  do  Rio  Amazonas  Considerandoa  Variabilidade  e  a  Mudança  Climática,  http://projects.inweh.unu.edu/inweh/display.php?ID=5364,  2006,  (accessed  on  Monday  20th  of  April  2015)  

Williamson,  O.E.,  The  New  Institutional  Economics:  Taking  Stock,  Looking  Ahead,  Journal  of  Economic  Literature,  Vol.  XXXVIII,  September  2006,  pp.  595–613.