In the Shadow of the Amazon Rainforest: The EU’s Oversight of Problem Shifting to the Cerrado

Abstract

This thesis explores the exclusion of the Cerrado savannah from the European Union Deforestation free Regulation (EUDR). The EUDR aims to reduce global deforestation by ensuring EU-consumed products are not linked to deforestation. However, its deforestation-free requirement is geographically limited to forests, excluding critical ecosystems like the Cerrado. This exclusion also fails to address the Amazon-Cerrado problem-shift, where deforestation is increasingly displaced from the Amazon to the Cerrado. Analysing this issue through the lens of problem-shifting—a concept that highlights how solutions to one problem can inadvertently create new issues elsewhere—the thesis identifies factors inhibiting the addressing of problem-shifts, such as prioritization bias, environmental complexity, and fragmented problem-solving approaches. Through qualitative research, including document analysis, 14 interviews, and participant observation in events organised by European and Brazilian non-profit organisations as part of a lobby tour to advocate for the inclusion of the Cerrado, the study identifies three key elements driving this exclusion. Based on this, the Cerrado exclusion stems from three interconnected elements that together tell the story of the exclusion of the Cerrado, the EUDR’s forest prioritisation, the EU’s differing perspectives on the Amazon versus the Cerrado, and the EU’s perceived trade-off between reducing deforestation and maintaining commodity supplies. The EU’s development of the EUDR reveals a strong focus on forest conservation and is driven by societal demand, research, and international goals. In the Brazilian context the two key biomes of the Amazon and the Cerrado are valued differently by the EU. While the Amazon is seen as a biome with essential ecological value, the Cerrado is perceived more through its productivity in producing commodities central for the EU market. Central to this narrative is the concept of a trade-off, where the EU, despite contentions to this, presumes that tackling deforestation might come at the expense of continuous access to key commodities. Thus, a more incremental approach is chosen where the Cerrado is for now excluded from the EUDR. Policy recommendations include adopting a more integrated approach to environmental regulation that addresses deforestation comprehensively, breaking away from the current forest bias. Future iterations of the EUDR and similar regulations should consider the conservation needs of all ecosystems to address this issue effectively. Such an inclusive approach would help mitigate the Amazon-Cerrado problem shift and achieve legislative objectives more effectively.