Brazil moves forward with controversial road project in Amazon region

Brazil’s government released an impact study for planned paving works of the BR-319 road in the Amazon region, which is one of the country’s most controversial projects due to environmental concerns.

In November, the transport ministry created a working group to study the impacts of paving a 405km stretch of the road, which has an extension of 918km, connecting Amazonas state capital Manaus with Porto Velho, capital of Rondônia state.

The paved road will be a highway with fences to protect the forest, said transport minister Renan Filho in a statement. The government has concluded that the project is feasible after public hearings in the region, and feedback from the environment ministry, other ministries and agencies, and society, he said.

“In the past, the road was partially paved, but there was deterioration due to lack of maintenance. Now we have licensing for part of the works and we’re waiting for the license for the rest," the minister added.

Plans to pave BR-319 have been dragging on for two decades due to major resistance from environmental groups, who claim there will be a negative impact from increased vehicle traffic.

In the study’s conclusions, the working group said: "It’s important to highlight that, historically, the lack of paving didn’t guarantee environmental preservation and respect for traditional communities in the region. On the contrary, low accessibility and, consequently, a reduced presence of the State, increased crime and deforestation."

The study can be seen via this link, in Portuguese.