'Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon' is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. The report suggests that, in contrast to the 1970s and 1980s, when occupation of Brazilian Amazonia was largely induced by government policies and subsidies, recent deforestation in significant parts of the region is basically caused by medium- and large-scale cattle ranching. Among the causes of the transformation are technological and managerial changes and the adaptation of cattle ranching to the geo-ecological conditions of eastern Amazonia, which allowed for productivity gains and cost...