The Amazon A series of public policies from various sectors strategically coordinated and supported by different political bodies and by civil society, enabled a significant reduction of deforestation in the Amazon since 2005. The Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm, in portuguese), launched in 2004, is a milestone for reducing deforestation in Brazil. The PPCDAm is divided into three thematic axes, encompassing several actions: 1) Land Tenure and Territorial Planning; 2) Environmental Monitoring and Control; 3) Fostering Sustainable Production Activities.
                                                 Deforestation before (in red) and after (in green) the PPCDAm, in km²
                                   Source: INPE/PRODES.
Learn more about PPCDAm Charts on deforestation in the Amazon The success achieved so far in reducing deforestation in the Amazon is also due to institutional strengthening and technical development of different government agencies, which influence directly or indirectly the policies aimed at addressing this challenge. The National Institute for Space Research's (INPE, in Portuguese) technical capacity is essential for monitoring forest coverage, whereas the operational capability of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA, in Portuguese) and the Federal Police are key to enforcement operations. The capacity of the Amazonian states is decisive to ensure the effective implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR, in Portuguese). Learn more about coordination with the Amazonian states Read more about the Environmental Rural Registry Learn more about monitoring Cerrado and other biomes   The successful experience in the Amazon serves as a model for reducing deforestation in other biomes, starting with the Cerrado, the second in significance in terms of emissions from deforestation. The Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Forest Fires in the Cerrado (PPCerrado, in Portuguese) was launched in 2010. The Cerrado is considered the most species-rich savanna in the world. The biome, which provides fundamental local and global environmental services, has been under pressure from agriculture and livestock expansion and charcoal production, to meet the demand from the steel industry, since the 1970s.  The PPCerrado, follows the same framework set by the PPCDAm, with activities devided into three thematic axes to adress the drivers of deforestation in the region.

Learn more about the PPCerrado After the results achieved in the Amazon with the use of technology to monitor forest cover and tackle deforestation, new investments to expand forest monitoring systems to other biomes have been initiated. By doing that, Brazil hopes to initiate a process that can culminate in deforestation reduction results coming from all of its biomes.