This doctoral dissertation provides a socio-legal interpretation of the Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), Brazils most comprehensive anti-deforestation policy. PPCDAm is credited as the main factor driving the 80% decrease in deforestation rates recorded in the biome from 2004 to 2014 by some accounts, the largest contribution ever made by a single country to mitigate climate change. Among the basket of policy instruments implemented in the scope of PPCDAm, land and territorial planning and monitoring and control scored as the best-performing ones. The agency responsible for inspection operations at federal level is the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The research was designed as an in-depth case study that has a policy (PPCDAm) as its general unity and an organization (Ibama) as its sub-unity. The question driving the research is: what transformations in its organizational structure and culture did Ibama undergo during the implementation of PPCDAm? Data collection techniques included documental analysis and 44 semi-structured interviews with different actors. The dissertation is divided into two parts. Part I reconstructs PPCDAms context of implementation, governance structure, array of instruments, results achieved, and main gridlocks. Part II identifies, describes, and analyzes the main transformations undergone by Ibama during the implementation of PPCDAm according to political cycle, probing whether they contributed to building or dismantling state capacity and autonomy. One of the researchs main finding is to illuminate the genesis and consolidation of the so-called doctrine of deterrence, the greatest acquisition of Ibamas incremental process of institutional experimentation. Inspired by a leftist reading of Clausewitzs warfare theory, the doctrine postulates the concentration of organizational energies on operations aiming at high- profile targets and resulting in the immediate decapitalization of offenders, guidelines that contributed significantly for the 80% decrease of deforestation.

This doctoral dissertation provides a socio-legal interpretation of the Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), Brazils most comprehensive anti-deforestation policy. PPCDAm is credited as the main factor driving the 80% decrease in deforestation rates recorded in the biome from 2004 to 2014 by some accounts, the largest contribution ever made by a single country to mitigate climate change. Among the basket of policy instruments implemented in the scope of PPCDAm, land and territorial planning and monitoring and control scored as the best-performing ones. The agency responsible for inspection operations at federal level is the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The research was designed as an in-depth case study that has a policy (PPCDAm) as its general unity and an organization (Ibama) as its sub-unity. The question driving the research is: what transformations in its organizational structure and culture did Ibama undergo during the implementation of PPCDAm? Data collection techniques included documental analysis and 44 semi-structured interviews with different actors. The dissertation is divided into two parts. Part I reconstructs PPCDAms context of implementation, governance structure, array of instruments, results achieved, and main gridlocks. Part II identifies, describes, and analyzes the main transformations undergone by Ibama during the implementation of PPCDAm according to political cycle, probing whether they contributed to building or dismantling state capacity and autonomy. One of the researchs main finding is to illuminate the genesis and consolidation of the so-called doctrine of deterrence, the greatest acquisition of Ibamas incremental process of institutional experimentation. Inspired by a leftist reading of Clausewitzs warfare theory, the doctrine postulates the concentration of organizational energies on operations aiming at high- profile targets and resulting in the immediate decapitalization of offenders, guidelines that contributed significantly for the 80% decrease of deforestation.