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This paper applies a systemic analysis to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, by focusing on feedbacks and synergetic combinations of multiple causes. The causes of deforestation are first described by sector of activity and level of organisation. The major 'syndromes'? of deforestation are then identified: scarcity of factors of production putting pressure on resources, outside policy intervention altering the decision-making parameters of local actors, market opportunities, and changes in social organisation. By representing the complexity of the deforestation process, this approach has significant implications for policy design and calls for new methodological developments.