Deforestation in Apuí, Brazil's Amazon region, has increased significantly due to land accumulation and economic factors. The study analyzed 35 years of settlement colonization and found that all sizes of landholdings are clearing more land than before. Political and economic support for agribusiness is driving further deforestation for pasture establishment. The area cleared annually in Apuí grew more than twice the rate of the entire Brazilian Amazon. Wealthy actors are investing in land grabbing and speculation, contributing to illegal deforestation. Economic and political events have a greater impact on deforestation than aging or cohort effects. More research is needed to understand the link between land speculation, illegal land possession, and agricultural expansion in the Amazon.