THE MANAGEMENT of the Amazon forest was foreseen in the 1965 Forest Code, but sustainable management was only required in 1994. This, however, was not enforced due to the lack of control by IBAMA (the federal agency in charge of the matter), which lacks personnel. Furthermore, the main obstacles to forest management are the high costs of its implementation, vis-à-vis the profits obtained by most lumber exploiters, and especially the lack of basic and applied research to assure the regeneration of tree species removed by selective cutting. Public policies have not prioritized scientific studies aimed at supporting the proper exploitation of the Amazon's immense resources.
