ABSTRACT
Data on deforestation in the Amazon announced by the Brazilian government indicate that about 8% of the forest has already been cut. In spite of the controversy about methods used to reach this figure, the indisputable fact is that between 8% and 10% of the rainforest has been destroyed. Extractive reserves were originally conceived as a way of addressing a social problem, specifically the expropriation of the customary lands of forest peoples by deforestation and ranching. The definition of guidelines for sustainable development of the Amazon suggests that the method used by Institute for Amazonian Studies in the preparation of the proposal for extractive reserves could be generalized to other areas and activities. The Institute for Amazon Studies model proceeds from two general assumptions. First, there are separate realms of action. The second assumption refers to the concept of social participation.
