Intensive industrialization such as the installation of large-scale port facilities, has equally negative effects, with repercussions that in general affect the ecological balance of the region and cause social disruption. The Suape Industrial and Port Complex, is now being developed in the northeast Brazil, in the State of Pernambuco. It is relatively advanced with respect to the infrastructural work, although the development of the industrial sector can be considered as a complete failure. This partial paralization in the implementation of the project, provides the opportunity to study new alternatives of development to the region, considering above all, the local environmental characteristics. The approach used in the environmental impact assessment of the Suape complex considers the economic, the ecological and the cultural aspects involved with the setting up of the complex. The methodology is based on four analytical functions: the description of the environmental systems of the region, the description of the actions of the Suape project, the evaluation of the environmental impact and the discussion of the impacts with recommendations to minimize its effects. It is hoped that this report can guide future decisions related to the development of the Suape region.