The Conservation–Development Paradox in Brazilian Amazon Extractive Reserves: A 35-Year Systematic Review

Reconciling environmental conservation with socioeconomic development remains a fundamental challenge for tropical forest governance. Thirty-five years ago, the Brazilian Amazon pioneered Extractive Reserves (RESEXs) as a radical model for socio-environmental synergy; however, their long-term efficacy faces increasing contestation. Through a systematic review of three and a half decades of research, we analyze the RESEX model’s performance in balancing forest integrity with the livelihoods of traditional communities. Our synthesis reveals a persistent conservation–development misalignment, where the prioritization of ecological preservation is coupled with chronic underinvestment in socioeconomic infrastructure. We demonstrate that this imbalance has yielded a “vulnerability trap,” where stagnant agro-extractive initiatives and insufficient technological integration inadvertently push local populations toward predatory land-use alternatives. We argue that prioritizing forest cover metrics while neglecting the economic agency of traditional populations constitutes an inadequate strategy for the Amazon’s future. Following the outcomes of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, we propose a paradigm shift toward a technologically enabled bioeconomy—a move essential for the pragmatic success of global climate goals and the protection of the Amazonian climate anchor.