Abstract
During the last three decades the planning region "Amazônia Legal" with 5 million km2, the world's largest
area of tropical forests, endured six phases of regional development programmes with far-reaching state
and private activities: 1) National Integration, 2) Polamazônia, 3) Integrated rural development, 4) Grande
Carajás, 5) Strategies of sustainable development in the Pilot Programme, 6) Avança Brasil.
Consequence of all regional development programmes, with the exception of the Pilot Programme, has
been an increasing destruction of tropical forests, comprising 14 % of the total forest area. The new
Avança Brasil Mega-Programme, financed mostly by the government, with enormous expansion of
infrastructure and complex economic activities, is provoking large environmental impacts, representing a
major challenge for the future development of Amazonia.
After the abolishment of SUDAM because of fraud and corruption, decentralized regional development
will have to satisfy the basic needs of the regional population on the basis of sustainable management of
forest resources and the preservation of biodiversity in Amazonia.
