Compliance with mandatory conservation policies among rural properties in the Eastern Amazon

Conservation compliance on private lands is critical for preserving biodiversity in regions where protected areas are insufficient. We assessed compliance with Brazil's Native Vegetation Protection Law by analyzing 14,713 rural properties in the Guamá River Basin, Eastern Amazon. Our findings reveal alarmingly low compliance rates, with only 8.3 % of properties meeting both Legal Reserve (LR) and Permanent Protected Area (PPA) requirements. Using Cragg hurdle regression models, we identified that property size positively influences LR compliance but shows no significant effect on PPA compliance. Neighborhood effects strongly impact LR compliance, suggesting spatial clustering of conservation behavior. Distance from administrative centers and infrastructure demonstrates complex relationships with compliance, with properties distant from main roads showing increased likelihood of initial LR compliance but decreased PPA compliance levels. These patterns reveal that enforcement strategies should be tailored to both property characteristics and conservation requirement types. Our research suggests focusing conservation efforts on properties clustered around shared conservation targets, implementing geospatial monitoring technologies, and strengthening state capacity for enforcement to improve compliance in this critical biogeographic region. • Brazil has mandatory conservation policies on private lands. • Only 8.3 % of properties comply with conservation policies in the Eastern Amazon. • Both internal and external factors influence compliance. • Results emphasize the need for targeted monitoring in the Eastern Amazon.