Código Florestal (Lei 12,651/2012)
The Código Florestal (Law No. 12,651 of 2012), Brazil’s Forest Code, establishes the legal framework for the protection of vegetation on private and public lands. The code defines areas of permanent protection (APP: Áreas de Preservação Permanente) and legal reserves (reserva legal) that must be maintained on private properties. It provides for environmental regularization of properties with illegal deforestation and establishes a compensation mechanism (compensação ambiental) for areas outside the legal reserve. The law was a significant reform of the previous 1965 Forest Code.
Legal area: Environmental law regulates human activities affecting the environment, including resource protection, pollution, and conservation.
Year enacted: 2012
Full text: https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/Lei/L12651.htm
Key Provisions
- Art. 3: Areas of permanent protection (APP: riparian zones, springs, steep slopes)
- Art. 12-15: Legal reserve requirements (percentage of property that must be preserved)
- Art. 42-52: Environmental regularization (regularização ambiental)
- Art. 56: Rural Environmental Registry (CAR: Cadastro Ambiental Rural)
- Art. 67: Environmental compensation (compensação ambiental)
- Art. 74-83: Prohibitions on deforestation (desflorestamento)
- Art. 103-107: Administrative sanctions and penalties
Significance
The Forest Code is one of the most important environmental laws in the world, governing the protection of the Amazon rainforest and other Brazilian biomes. The 2012 reform was controversial, balancing environmental protection with agricultural interests. The Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) has become a key tool for monitoring and enforcement of deforestation. The code’s implementation has been a central issue in Brazil’s environmental policy and international climate commitments.