Industry in the Fight Against Illegal Deforestation: Learn About the Program Carried Out by COP+ Journey
- Mayra Leal
- Sep 21
- 4 min read
Zero tolerance for illegal deforestation and burning, and concrete action to combat these practices—this is the focus of the Program for Combating Illegal Deforestation and Burning, carried out by the Federation of Industries of the State of Pará (FIEPA) as part of the COP+ Journey.
This initiative, led by the private sector, industries, and agribusinesses in Pará, will feature an influence group to guide discussions, a study on the economic cost of deforestation in Pará, a forest observatory for data production and organization, and a platform to showcase cases and best practices of industries and agribusinesses that sign the commitment.
The schedule of activities starts this year and runs until 2030. By 2025, one expected outcome is the delivery of a commitment letter signed by the grain, timber, meat, and other sectors that join the program. As proposed solutions advance, the idea is to replicate the program beyond Pará to the other eight states of the Legal Amazon: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, and part of Maranhão.
Deforestation in the Amazon
Data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) recorded a 30.63% reduction in the Amazon’s deforestation rate between August 2023 and July 2024. This estimate, generated by the Prodes system using high-resolution satellite images, marks the largest percentage drop in 15 years.
In 2025, the Deter system, which issues daily alerts, recorded in February the lowest deforestation rate for that month since the historical series began in 2016, a reduction of 64.26%. However, April and May—considered critical months by experts—showed renewed increases. In April, deforestation alerts rose by 55%, and in May by 92%, both compared to the same months of the previous year. Despite the overall 5% decrease in deforestation between August 2024 and April 2025, these spikes raise an alert.
Brazil is committed to ending illegal deforestation - those without proper authorization from environmental agencies - by 2030. For Alex Carvalho, president of FIEPA and of the COP+ Journey, the creation of this program is the private sector’s contribution to this joint effort. “By not tolerating illegalities, we are confronting the fact that illegal deforestation destroys the forest, pollutes rivers, and also undermines the Amazon’s reputation, with deep economic and geopolitical impacts. We, in industry, reaffirm our commitment to be part of the task force to end illegal deforestation by 2030, with coordinated actions, broad social mobilization, and engagement from all economic sectors,” he explains.
For Francisco Victer, president of FIEPA’s Thematic Council on Legislative Affairs and leader of the program, the initiative is the productive sector’s response to these illegal activities, which, in addition to being an environmental problem, have economic repercussions. “We are not willing to contribute to worsening the problem. On the contrary, we want to combat it effectively,” he states.
Deryck Martins, technical coordinator of the COP+ Journey, highlights the pioneering nature of the program. “It is the first time the private sector has created actions aimed at directly combating the advance of illegal deforestation and burning, practices that cause immense damage through forest destruction and biodiversity loss, both essential to climate stability,” he emphasizes.
How the Program Will Work
The program has three main components: diagnosis, to understand the illegalities and how much the business sector loses because of them; engagement, to involve companies in production-related sectors—especially those driving the economy; and direct action, identifying and reporting deforestation and burning hotspots. “We will identify, within the regions of Pará, where there are livestock, agriculture, forest management, mining, palm, and many other activities, to involve the leaders on the front line. We want these companies and leaders to engage so we can achieve the expected results,” explains Deryck Martins.
The first sectors to be engaged are meat, timber, and grains. But the proposal is not limited to companies. The program also aims to involve ordinary citizens, encouraging them to take part in awareness, monitoring, and coordination actions with public authorities to curb predatory practices.
According to Francisco Victer, the private sector understands that community involvement is key to providing information and reports, since one of the main focuses will be identifying potential deforesters to enable preventive measures. “Society does not have police powers, but it can approach those about to deforest and show the negative impacts on the region and on economic activity. When dialogue is not enough, we will call on the proper authorities,” he explains.
The initiative also seeks to stimulate sustainable production practices using technology, efficient management, and responsible governance. ESG actions are planned around large enterprises, as well as training for small producers and support for fire brigades. The expectation is that the implemented actions will serve as an example for other regions and be integrated into COP30’s official agenda, expanding the event’s impact and strengthening the Amazon’s leadership in the global climate debate.
The proposal is to establish a positive environment where private-sector production and conservation of the Amazon biome go hand in hand, strengthening the business climate for attracting public and private investments in the state. “We defend the legal and intelligent use of the forest, with sustainable management, restoration of degraded areas, and data transparency. Only then can we prove that in a just transition, economic growth and a standing forest are indeed two sides of the same coin,” concludes Alex Carvalho, president of FIEPA.
