New research published in Land Use Policy reveals alarmingly low compliance with Brazil's conservation laws in the Eastern Amazon.
In a paper just published in the journal Land Use Policy, Prof. Silva and colleagues studied 14,713 rural properties in the Guamá River Basin, Brazilian Amazon, and found that only 8.3% of landowners comply with both Legal Reserve and Permanent Protected Area requirements under Brazil's Native Vegetation Protection Law.
The analysis shows that property size positively influences Legal Reserve compliance, while neighborhood effects create spatial clustering of conservation behavior. Distance from administrative centers demonstrates complex relationships with compliance - remote properties are more likely to attempt compliance but achieve lower success rates.
These findings highlight the urgent need for tailored enforcement strategies and targeted conservation efforts in this critical biogeographic region. The research suggests focusing on property clusters around shared conservation targets and strengthening state capacity for monitoring and enforcement.
