GRILAGE ON PUBLIC LANDS

Abstract

Public land grabbing is an illegal practice that occurs when individuals or groups fraudulently seek to obtain possession of land belonging to the State. Generally, this involves falsifying documents, such as title deeds and certificates of ownership, to appear to be legitimately occupying the land. In Brazil, this practice is especially prevalent in the Amazon region, where the vast territorial extension and the fragility of control systems encourage the action of land grabbers. The impacts of land grabbing are significant and cover environmental, social and economic areas. Environmentally, it is associated with illegal deforestation and environmental degradation. Socially, it contributes to land conflicts, violence and displacement of traditional communities. Economically, it harms sustainable development and perpetuates the concentration of land in the hands of a few. Brazilian authorities have implemented measures to combat land grabbing, such as stricter inspection and land regularization policies, but the problem persists due to its complexity and the economic interests behind the practice. For this, the research was based on an extensive bibliographical review that included important scientific articles, government reports, books and academic documents dating from 1993 to 2024. Studies were considered that cover everything from Colonial Brazil with the appropriation of illegal lands to the present date regarding land regularization and laws governing the regularization of land grabbing on public lands.