Court Case with Incra

In May 2021, following a judicial dispute initiated in 1994, Roncador lost to INCRA the ownership and possession over 4,500 hectares of native forest so far included as part of Roncador’s farm. Less than a year later, the area was subject to significant deforestation carried out by a neighboring settlement as way to claim ownership over the land for productive use or land speculation. The case highlighted the importance of supporting the private sector in its endeavor to protect natural forests, which can otherwise result in illegal land grabbing.

Although the transaction’s impact was largely based on production intensification, it also offered an amount of native forest protected in addition to the requirements of the Forest Code. The loss of 4,500 hectares of forest meant that the total forested areas of Roncador has been reduced from 71,184 to 66,684 hectares. The Legal Reserve required (in accordance with the Forest Code and as submitted to SEMA in the farm’s CAR – pending validation) is 66,078 hectares; the reduction of the total forested areas therefore does not affect Roncador’s compliance with the Forest Code and the company still demonstrates a minor excess of 600 hectares against the legal requirements.