We estimate the impact of environmental law enforcement on violence in the Brazilian Amazon. The introduction of the Real-Time Deforestation Detection System (DETER), which enabled the government to monitor deforestation in real time and issue fines for illegal clearing, significantly reduced homicides in the region. To identify causal effects, we exploit exogenous variation in satellite monitoring generated by cloud cover as an instrument for enforcement intensity. Our estimates imply that the expansion of state presence through DETER prevented approximately 1,477 homicides per year, a 15% reduction in homicides. These results show that curbing deforestation produces important social co-benefits, strengthening state presence and reducing violence in regions marked by institutional fragility and resource conflict.

翻译：我们评估了环境执法对巴西亚马逊地区暴力事件的影响。实时森林砍伐检测系统（DETER）的引入，使政府能够实时监测森林砍伐并对非法砍伐行为处以罚款，显著降低了该地区的凶杀案发生率。为识别因果效应，我们利用云层覆盖产生的卫星监测外生变异作为执法强度的工具变量。我们的估计表明，通过DETER系统扩大国家存在每年预防了约1,477起凶杀案，相当于凶杀案减少了15%。这些结果表明，遏制森林砍伐能产生重要的社会协同效益，在制度脆弱和资源冲突突出的地区强化国家存在并减少暴力事件。