ENVIRONMENTAL CIVIL LIABILITY AND THE AMAZON DEFORESTATION CRISIS: ANALYSIS OF THE LIMITS OF ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE REPARATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/8tw7fx81Keywords:
Environmental civil liability; Deforestation; Amazon; Environmental Law; Environmental damage.Abstract
This article examines the effectiveness of environmental civil liability in Brazil in addressing illegal deforestation in the Amazon, articulating normative foundations and theoretical reflection. It begins with the consolidation of the right to an ecologically balanced environment as a fundamental right in the 1988 Constitution, as well as the structure of environmental civil liability, characterized by strict liability, the full risk theory, and the principle of full reparation. A qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive methodology is adopted, based on bibliographic and documentary review, including the analysis of legislation, official data, and relevant judicial decisions. The study then analyzes recent data on Amazon deforestation, which reveal the persistence of high levels of environmental degradation despite a consistent legal and institutional framework. It also examines administrative and judicial enforcement mechanisms, highlighting the role of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, as well as obstacles such as difficulties in identifying offenders, low enforcement of sanctions, and procedural delays. The feasibility of environmental damage reparation is discussed, considering the irreversibility of certain impacts and technical limitations of ecological restoration. The article concludes that a gap remains between normative density and practical application.
Downloads
References
BENJAMIN, Antônio Herman. Responsabilidade civil pelo dano ambiental. Revista de Direito Ambiental, São Paulo, v.9, ano 3, p. 5-52, jan./mar. 1998.
BOBBIO, Norberto. A era dos direitos. 2. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Gen LTC, 2004.
BRASIL. Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988. Brasília, DF: Presidência da República, 1988.
BRASIL. Lei nº 6.938 de 31 de agosto de 1981. Dispõe sobre a Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente, seus fins e mecanismos de formulação e aplicação, e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial [da] República Federativa do Brasil. Brasília, 2 set. 1981.
BRASIL. Lei nº 7.347 de 24 de julho de 1985. Disciplina a ação civil pública de responsabilidade por danos causados ao meio-ambiente, ao consumidor, a bens e direitos de valor artístico, estético, histórico, turístico e paisagístico e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial [da] República Federativa do Brasil. Brasília, 25 jul. 1985.
BRASIL. Lei nº 9.605 de 12 de fevereiro de 1998. Dispõe sobre as sanções penais e administrativas derivadas de condutas e atividades lesivas ao meio ambiente, e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial [da] República Federativa do Brasil. Brasília, 13 fev. 1998.
BRASIL. Lei nº 12.651 de 25 de maio de 2012. Dispõe sobre a proteção da vegetação nativa; altera as Leis nºs 6.938, de 31 de agosto de 1981, 9.393, de 19 de dezembro de 1996, e 11.428, de 22 de dezembro de 2006; revoga as Leis nºs 4.771, de 15 de setembro de 1965, e 7.754, de 14 de abril de 1989, e a Medida Provisória nº 2.166-67, de 24 de agosto de 2001; e dá outras providências Diário Oficial [da] República Federativa do Brasil. Brasília, 28 maio 2012.
BRASIL. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Projeto PRODES: monitoramento da floresta amazônica brasileira por satélite. São José dos Campos, 2024.
BRASIL. Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA). Relatórios e dados de fiscalização ambiental. Brasília, 2024.
FERRAJOLI, Luigi. Direito e razão: teoria do garantismo penal. 4. ed. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2014.
FIORILLO, Celso Antonio Pacheco. Curso de Direito Ambiental Brasileiro. 14. ed. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2013
LEITE, José Rubens Morato; AYALA, Patryck de Araújo. Dano ambiental: do individual ao coletivo extrapatrimonial. 3. ed. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2019.
MAPBIOMAS. RAD2024: Relatório Anual do Desmatamento no Brasil 2024. São Paulo: MapBiomas, 2025.
MILARÉ, Édis. Direito do ambiente. 12. ed. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2022.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Antônio Ferreira do Norte Filho, Edgar dos Anjos Rufino, Sofia Martins Prazeres dos Santos
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits the sharing of the work with proper acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal;
Authors are authorized to enter into separate, additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., posting in an institutional repository or publishing it as a book chapter), provided that authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged, and that the work is adapted to the template of the respective repository;
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post and distribute their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this may lead to productive exchanges and increase the impact and citation of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access);
Authors are responsible for correctly providing their personal information, including name, keywords, abstracts, and other relevant data, thereby defining how they wish to be cited. The journal’s editorial board is not responsible for any errors or inconsistencies in these records.
PRIVACY POLICY
The names and email addresses provided to this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes of this publication and will not be made available for any other purpose or to third parties.
Note: All content of the work is the sole responsibility of the author and the advisor.
