NORMATIVE LEGAL FRAMEWORK: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF THE AMAZON

Abstract

The Amazon, recognized as the largest tropical biome in the world, is of strategic importance to Brazil and is international scenario. Therefore, this article aims to analyze the effectiveness of Brazilian environmental legislation in protecting the Amazon rainforest from the challenges posed by deforestation, fires, and illegal exploitation of natural resources. Using deductive and historical methods with a qualitative and quantitative approach, the research establishes specific objectives: examining legislation from 1934 to 2024, integrating empirical data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The results reveal an increase in fire outbreaks between 2020 and 2024, concentrated in areas of recent deforestation, and that they highlight significant gaps in the application of environmental laws due to territorial extension, scarcity of resources, and economic pressures, despite the existence of a solid legal framework. Among the conclusions of the research, it is pointed out that the strengthening of public policies, combined with a cooperative approach, is essential to combine environmental preservation with sustainable development. The research faces limitations related to the scarcity of updated data in some areas and suggests future investigations on the effectiveness of new environmental monitoring technologies. This work contributes with a critical and original analysis on the integration between legislation and conservation in the Amazon, being of interest to policy makers, environmentalists and environmental researchers.