The deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon decreased sharply in the second half of the 2000s. A previous CPI study titled Deforestation Slowdown in the Legal Amazon: Prices or Policies? found that government conservation policies helped avoid approximately half of the deforestation that would have happened in the absence of such policies.

Does Credit Affect Deforestation? takes a closer look at one of these policies, Resolution 3,545, which placed conditions on farmers seeking rural credit concessions in the Brazilian Amazon Biome. Our analysis suggests that Resolution 3,545 helped curb deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Biome. We estimate that the resolution prevented approximately BRL 2.9 billion (USD 1.4 billion) in loans from 2008 through 2011. This reduction in credit in turn prevented over 2,700 km² of forest area from being cleared, which represents a 15% decrease in deforestation in the biome during the period.

Related:

• Press release English: Change in Brazil Credit Legislation Reduced Amazon Deforestation by 15%
  
• Press release Portuguese: Mudança na legislação de crédito contribui para redução do desmatamento na Amazônia em 15%
• Press release Bahasa: Perubahan Kebijakan Pada Badan Legislatif Kredit Brasil Menekan Penggundulan Hutan Amazon Hingga 15%
• Press release Spanish: Cambios en la legislación del Brasil en materia de crédito redujeron la deforestación en 15%