The Brazilian Amazon is at the forefront of forest policy because of its importance for the conservation of the world's largest rainforest and its leading role in the implementation of the Reducing Emissions through Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme (REDD+). However, the increasing population and the extraction of natural resources challenge forest governance. This paper assesses the historical evolution of the policy narratives that have driven environmental governance in Brazil. We argue that environmental policy has evolved through an overlapping of narratives, rather than a change in governance logics. The success of REDD+ relies not only on the soundness of its scientific base but also on its interaction with existing narratives, the susceptibility of policies to economic and political changes at the national and international level and the mechanisms of social exclusion it may reinforce.