Environmental policy in Brazil leads to less violence
The imagery of burning rainforests has significantly influenced global perceptions of Brazil's ability to combat deforestation in the Amazon. Often overlooked in these accounts are the high violence rates in the region: while Brazil's homicide rate increased by 85% between 1980 and 2018, the Brazilian ‘Northern’ region experienced a more staggering surge of 260% (BFPS, 2021). Different studies show that both deforestation and violence are employed to secure control over resources with poorly defined property rights in the Brazilian Amazon.
In December 2007, the then-Brazilian government passed a law to curb the illegal destruction of the rainforest. A study by researchers from the Insper Research Institute in São Paulo and the University of Bonn now shows an interesting side effect: where the measures were implemented, not only did deforestation decrease, but so did the number of homicides.
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