Quantifying the Carbon Preserved by Protected Areas in the Amazon

Rafael Araujo, Arthur Bragança, Francisco J M Costa, Marcelo Sant'Anna, Eduardo Adame and Frank Gentile
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Francisco J M Costa: FGV EPGE Brazilian School of Economics and Finance
Marcelo Sant'Anna: Fundação Getulio Vargas

No 4dxtw_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: Protected areas (PAs) are among the most important instruments for curbing emissions from deforestation in the Amazon, yet their effectiveness remains debated. In this paper, we evaluate the forest cover and carbon each PA preserves in the Amazon biome. We use an economic land-use model estimated from satellite-based biomass and land-use data. We find that PAs prevent the deforestation of 394,763 km2 and avoid releasing 5.68 billion tCO2 of carbon stored in standing forest---about 16% of global yearly emissions. Three-quarters of the avoided emissions stem from forests that would otherwise have been converted to pasture. Effectiveness varies with accessibility and agricultural potential: PAs closer to markets and with high pasture suitability avert twice as much carbon loss as remote PAs. These results quantify the carbon value of protection and highlight where conservation yields the highest climate gains.

Date: 2026-10-16
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:4dxtw_v1

DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/4dxtw_v1

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