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控森林砍伐并对非法清理行为处以罚款，显著减少了该地区的凶杀案数量。为识别因果效应，我们利用云层覆盖导致的卫星监测外生变化作为执法强度的工具变量。我们的估计表明，通过DETER扩张国家存在，每年约阻止了1,477起凶杀案，凶杀案数量减少了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，在制度脆弱且资源冲突频发的地区强化国家存在并减少暴力。