Success in Brazil as a Model for REDD Implementation

Brazil’s Amazon represents on-the-ground success in reducing emissions from deforestation. In 2004, under the leadership of former Environmental Minister Marina Silva, Brazil launched efforts to reduce rampant deforestation in the Amazon. Brazil identified and prioritized three critical features to reduce deforestation. First, the country's Amazonian states have nearly halted illegal logging by creating a transparent system that identifies illegal logging in real time and by holding illegal loggers accountable. Second, the country engaged in land use planning that designates land for protection and recognizes the rights of indigenous populations living in and around forests. Third, Brazil has identified funding sources that support legitimate sustainable forest activities. As a result of these efforts, Brazil’s four Amazonian states, which represent 85% of the country’s total forest cover, have achieved unprecedented reductions in deforestation rates -- from 27,000 square-kilometers in 2005 to 7,000 square-kilometers in 2009. Brazil’s success in combating deforestation will help to inform successful implementation of a REDD strategy.