Reassessing the role of cattle and pasture in Brazil's deforestation: A response to Fire, deforestation, and livestock: When the smoke clears

Silva et al. (Land Use Policy, 21 July 2020) offer an assessment of the links between deforestation, livestock production and exports in Brazil. Their analysis, based on relative changes in beef production and pasture area across the whole of Brazil, showed an apparent decoupling of the link between beef production and deforestation in Brazil. In reanalysing these links, we find that Silva et al. underestimate the strong, positive and significant associations between Brazilian livestock production and deforestation. Moreover, despite focusing the title, abstract and the beginning of their manuscript on the Amazon, their analyses are conducted at the national level, and fail to recognise marked differences in the development trajectories of Brazilian biomes, and that most of the recent pasture expansion in Brazil has replaced Amazonian forests. To progress any debate and aid decisionmaking regarding land-use changes in the Amazon, a region often in the spotlight and subjected to many debates that lack evidence, scientists must be open and scrupulous with their data sources and analyses.

Automated summary

The study assessed the links between deforestation, livestock production, and exports in Brazil, finding a decoupling between beef production and deforestation. The authors argue that previous research underestimated the strong links between Brazilian livestock production and deforestation, and failed to recognize the marked differences in development trajectories of Brazilian biomes. Scientists must be open and meticulous with their data sources and analyses in order to advance debates and aid decision-making regarding land-use changes in the Amazon region.