The current administration has outlined its development plans in a series of policy documents, which favor an increase in mineral and oil production, as well as integrating the Guayana region into the rest of the national economy. These policies reflect a development model which has been contemplated in other Amazon Basin countries and has led to widespread deforestation and social conflict in parts of these countries.
Timber extraction is at a critical point in Venezuela.
Among these policies, the government has emphasized diversification of the country's export base as a priority, as this could help diminish Venezuela's reliance on oil as a primary income source. To this end, the government has identified forestry and mining as activities which, if substantially increased, could contribute significantly to the nation's development. While the total area under concession represents only 4 percent of the country, the rate at which logging concessions are being granted is significant, and officials have indicated that this increase will continue. Based on the need to secure its borders with Brazil and Colombia, the plan focussed on inducing migration to the nation's remote frontier regions by establishing frontier settlements and promoting agricultural development. While the document attempts to incorporate sustainable development principles, it is, nonetheless, a virtual reincarnation of the government's earlier colonization plan.