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Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia arises mainly from planning and development policies. These policies created large farming and grazing units that contribute to the development of Brazil but also have detrimental environmental consequences. In this context, development and environment are in opposition. This paper reports on this deforestation and its evolution in Brazilian Amazonia. It shows that the development and planning policies that have generated this deforestation during recent decades have gone against forest and environment conservation, even if initiatives such as the creation of protected areas and indigenous territories try to reconcile socioeconomic development and forest protection.