Over the past few years, an increase in the participation of rural producers' families and their economic and representative organizations has been noted in activities relating to management and conservation of resources in the Brazilian Amazon. Mainly for traditional peoples --whom the enormous socio-environmental deficit of the Brazilian State has left to economic subordination by capital destroying natural resources-- development alternatives based on resistance and the struggle to improve their living and working conditions, involve the appreciation of forest resources and therefore, their management.

The Federation of Social and Educational Assistance Bodies (FASE), has implemented a project for local development in the estuary zone of the River Amazon, with the rural communities of the municipality of Gurupá in the State of Para. Working in collaboration with the trade union movement and other local organizations, its objective is to contribute to the generation of development alternatives based on social justice, environmental conservation and citizenship enhancement. For this purpose, its working methodology is based on education of the people through direct action with the beneficiary peoples, the strengthening of grassroots organizations and autonomous collective actors, proposals for public policies, legal defense actions in the public sphere and implementation of relevant projects having a multiplier effect.

Thanks to the vigorous social movement and to the great variety of forest products --Brazil nuts, Timber, Açaí, Hearts of palm, Environmental services, among others-- the Municipality can potentially play a strategic role in the construction of sustainability references in the Amazon. Thus, over these three years of activity, the FASE Gurupá Project has worked, not only in the generation of these references, but also by adding participatory methodologies and concrete initiatives aimed at local development.