The Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) : an Opportunity for Integrated Environmental Land Management for Traditional Peoples and Communities in Brazil?

Elisa de Siqueira et al.

Tropical forests in Brazil are not only important for sequestrating carbon, thus reducing net emissions and mitigating global climate change effects, they are also a space for securing livelihoods and preserving the cultural, spiritual and religious practices of traditional peoples and communities. The New Forest Code of 2012 established the obligatory rural environmental registry ?CAR ? Cadastro Ambiental Rural? for the protection and restoration of forest areas on rural land in Brazil. Traditional peoples and communities require that their cultural and territorial specificities are inclusively considered in the CAR system and in the process of environmental regularization so that their land rights are secured and they can also benefit from public socio-environmental programs. This paper discusses how the CAR can be truly inclusive of diverse traditional communities and how it can best contribute to improving their access to public policies and to promoting Integrated Environmental Land Management.

Document type:The Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) : an Opportunity for Integrated Environmental Land Management for Traditional Peoples and Communities in Brazil? (901 kB - pdf)