Policy Making Latin American Public Policy Review

Governance by Abstractions and the Institutionalization of Environmental Illegality in Amazonas

Authors

  • Lucas Ferrante

    Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM) e Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
    Author
Keywords:
Amazon, BR-319, Rural Environmental Registry, deforestation, environmental governance, land grabbing
Abstract
This study analyzes how governance oriented by economic and administrative abstractions has contributed to the institutionalization of environmental illegality in the Brazilian Amazon. By prioritizing formal regulatory instruments and growth targets detached from socioecological realities, public policies have weakened environmental enforcement, fostering deforestation, land grabbing, and the expansion of illegal activities. Focusing on the state of Amazonas, the study highlights the role of Decree No. 52,216, which allows the regularization of environmental liabilities based on the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (Rural Environmental Registry, or CAR), a self-declaratory system, effectively legitimizing prior illegal deforestation. Empirical evidence indicates that these policies have facilitated the expansion of logging activities and illegal land occupation, particularly along the BR-319 highway, where governance gaps persist. This process reinforces cycles of illegality, compromises ecosystem services, climate stability, and legal certainty, and threatens Indigenous lands. The findings demonstrate that governance by abstractions generates systemic risks and intensifies environmental degradation.
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Published
2026-04-15
Issue
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026)
Section
Analytics

How to Cite

Ferrante, L. (2026). Governance by Abstractions and the Institutionalization of Environmental Illegality in Amazonas. Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review, 1(1), 70-79. https://policymaking.lat/ojs/index.php/pmla/article/view/8

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