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Abstract
Over the last decade, some two hundred municipalities in the
state of São Paulo increased the area of Atlantic Forest, and since most
of them are adjacent areas they are starting to show up as authentic
spots of recovering forests on the map of the State. The present article
seeks to identify the major factors underpinning this unprecedented
increase. The initial premise was that the recovery of the Atlantic Fo-rest was associated with the increasing number of ventures protecting
natural heritage and promoting its economic exploitation. The study
shows that compliance with the legislation, resulting from enhanced
enforcement, along with a reduction in farming and livestock-breeding
activities that allowed the natural growth of the vegetation, were the
main drivers of the recovery of the Atlantic Forest over the last decade.
However, as initially assumed, a rare combination of private enterprise
and forest conservation can be witnessed in some areas of São Paulo
State. This synergy has not arisen by chance; it mainly depends on the
existence of institutional agreements among public and private players
committed to the conservation of the natural heritage.