Protegemos quando valorizamos: história da legislação florestal brasileira

ABSTRACT We examine various narratives of the values of trees and forests encapsulated in Brazilian legislation since the 16th century. The analysis reveals the evolution of a progressively more encompassing set of values associated with trees and forests, which gradually informed more stringent and comprehensive regulations. Besides protecting trees and forests for their timber and non-timber resources (material contributions), the legislation has adopted stricter definitions and rules recognizing both their regulating (soil conservation, water regime regulation, climate change mitigation) and non-material contributions (spiritual, cultural, and symbolic meanings) for society. Such advances have co-evolved with opposing land tenure interests and narratives regarding indigenous and traditional peoples. Interest groups continually revive outdated narratives portraying forests as unproductive lands that obstruct sectoral activities related to agriculture, mining, and infrastructure, resulting in the erosion of environmental governance and in socio-environmental conflicts. Our historical analysis reveals that past counter-reactions to forest degradation resulted in advances and innovative possibilities for socio-environmental development upon which the future of the Brazilian Amazon depends.