It was created by decree on 13 February 2006 and is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).

In August 2009 senator Flexa Ribeiro said that under a draft agreement between ICMBio and the inhabitants of the national forest there would be no fines for deforestation before November 2007.

[2] Some parts of the national forest are heavily populated, with pineapple plantations and farms growing crops and raising pigs, chickens and cattle.

Representatives of the settlers challenged the legality of the creation of the national forest, on the grounds that the law called for participation of local people in creation, deployment and management of conservation units through preliminary technical studies and public consultations.

The fully protected areas, which cover 6,670,422 hectares (16,482,970 acres), are the Amazônia, Jamanxim, Rio Novo and Serra do Pardo national parks, the Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve and the Terra do Meio Ecological Station.