Examples of political leaders pursuing deforestation-driven economic growth

• Brazil: In 2014 Brazil slid into a recession, and deforestation rose as ranchers and loggers searched for new land to exploit. In 2018 President Bolsonaro came into power and openly encouraged economic development of the Amazon; in his first year in office, 2.37M acres were deforested
• Paraguay: Beef exports have driven Paraguay's economic growth - they are now a top 10 beef exporting country. But it has come at a cost; deforestation of 250,000 hectares per year (618,000 acres) to make room for soy and cattle pastures
• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Despite receiving >$120M in forest conservation payments over 10 years, in 2018 the DRC Environment Minister Amy Ambatobe awarded "3 forestry concessions to Chinese companies and started a process to allocate 14 more, which would open an area of rainforest the size of Belgium to industrial logging." An anonymous source suggested Ambatobe saw logging contracts as a bigger vote-winner than foreign aid for forest protection. In addition, there has been talk that bribes were made in association with the forest concession award.

Illegal farming operations are widespread, and partially driven by lack of clear land tenure and lack of government enforcement

• In remote areas of the Amazon, local and regional governments often have little influence and do not enforce illegal logging or illegal land grabs. 27% of illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon in 2014 occurred in "conservation-protected" lands
• Political leaders like Brazil's President Bolsanaro have greatly weakened the staff and enforcement capabilities of IBAMA, Brazil's main environmental agency - enforcement actions fell 20% from 2018 to 2019
• Illegal logging in Brazil generated ~$170M in illicit profits from 2008 to 2015

There were glimmers of hope in the 2010s of being able to get to zero deforestation in Brazil. But the election of Jair Bolsonaro set the country on a path of deforestation

• Annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 75 to 80% from the 2004 peak to 2013. Several factors contributed to the decline: increased government enforcement, civil society pressure on the beef and soy industries, and a pledge by Norway to pay $1B for results-based avoidance of deforestation.
• However, domestic politics can quickly change the picture. Jair Bolsonaro came into power in 2018 with the agenda of "Brazil above everything." A core tenet was economic development of Brazil, including the Amazon.
  • Bolsonaro believes that conservation efforts by international NGOs and developed countries are "colonialist." He argues that Western countries cut built their economies by exploiting their natural resources, so it's unfair to hold back Brazil's development.
  • In the year ending July 2019, deforestation reached the highest level in 11 years. 3,769 square miles of rainforest was lost, 30% more than the year before.

Indigenous people play an important role in forest protection

• Brazil's 1988 Constitution recognized indigenous tribes' right to permanent possession of their land; indigenous people have 422 territories that make up 23% of the Brazilian Amazon. Deforestation rates have historically been very low in indigenous territories, accounting for just ~1% of annual deforestation.
• The Norway Rainforest Foundation recommends that countries "prioritize securing land rights for indigenous and other forest-dependent communities, and support plans for the sustainable management of these areas."