University of Florida Homepage

The great Amazon land grab

Natural satellite image of deforestation on the banks of Rio Jacu in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. Image by Sentinel-2 L2A satellite on 6 September 2020.
Natural satellite image of deforestation on the banks of Rio Jacu in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. Image from Sentinel-2 L2A satellite data on 6 September 2020 .

CARRERO, SIMMONS, WALKERThe great Amazon land grab – how Brazil’s government is turning public land private, clearing the way for deforestation

Both Gabriel Carrero and Dr. Bob Walker were then interviewed by WORT 89.9FM radio station in Madison, WI.

Article first published online: 2 Feb 2022.
Radio interview aired: 7 Feb 2022

Imagine that several state legislators decide that Yellowstone National Park is too big. Also imagine that, working with federal politicians, they change the law to downsize the park by a million acres, which they sell in a private auction.

Outrageous? Yes. Unheard of? No. It happens routinely and with increasing frequency in the Brazilian Amazon.

The most widely publicized threat to the Amazonian rainforest is deforestation. Less well understood is that public lands are being converted to private holdings in a land grab we’ve been studyingfor the past decade.

Read the full publication at The Conversation, and listen to their interview with WORT.