Occupation
The problem is explained in more detail article “BR-319: Story, Business, Power,” published by Revista Cenarium in February.
According to the article, the NGO Instituto Instituto Internacional de Educaçãodo Brasil (IEB) has produced a document that incorrectly claims that Indigenous communities have been consulted and agreed to rebuild the expressway. To my surprise, the community only learned this approval after signing the document.
In 2020, Ferrante traveled along the BR-319 Highway and interviewed several Indigenous people and leaders affected by the road. Since then, their views on the impact of the highway have been consistent.
One of the indigenous leaders of Lake Kapana shared concerns about the impact of the highway on his village (his name is withheld to ensure his safety).
“I would like to express my digging in front of everyone about the impact of the BR-319 highway on indigenous lands on Lake Kapana.
Devastating
“And this is causing a big problem with the flow of our river. The stream is buried. Here we use water from the river. The result of this BR becomes an open door for criminals, drug dealers, and all sorts of drug entrances, as already exists.
“Indigenous peoples leave food from nature, and Indigenous peoples do not take livestock. Indigenous peoples live from traditional objects. They take away nature’s self-sufficiency, reduce it for nature, and protect it.
The expansion of BR-319 has driven the rapid growth of the region’s agribusiness, particularly on unallocated public lands. Mato Grosso do Sul’s soybean farmers are increasingly moving to Rondônia, buying land from livestock farmers and moving south to plant soybeans within the BR-319 corridor.
These lands are often illegally seized through land grabs, illegal deforestation, or violent eviction of Indigenous and traditional communities.
This situation draws attention to important issues such as soy moratoriums that can have devastating effects on the environment, indigenous peoples and traditional communities.
moratorium
Brazil’s Soy moratoriumThe contract, established in 2006, is a contract that pledges that the signing company will not purchase soybeans grown on deforested land on Amazon since July 2008. This agreement was an important tool in the fight against deforestation.
But now they face a threat as Brazil’s powerful agribusiness lobby is increasing their efforts to dismantle it. As the world’s largest producer and exporter of soybeans, Brazil’s agricultural policy has great global consequences.
In October 2024, Mato Grosso, a leading soybean producer, enacted Bill 12.709/2024, effectively reducing tax incentives for businesses that comply with the soybean moratorium.
Max RashiThe chairman of Brazil’s legislative assembly issued the following statement in February: “We are all united in advocating for one of the most important pillars of our economy: agribusiness.”
Awkward report in the same month Reporter Brazil Cargill, one of Brazil’s largest grain exporters, is suggestion We are keeping our distance from the soy moratorium rules.
Destruction of forests
On March 11th, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Fabaro arranged the arrangement. Meeting Agribusiness leader and Supreme Court minister Flavio Dino oversee cases relating to the soybean suspension.
Among the key figures were Brearo Maggie, chairman of the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industry Association (Abiove), and representatives from major agricultural majors such as Gulpo Bomb Hufro and Amagi, the country’s largest agricultural trading company.
Concerns arise from the overlapping roles and connections involved. Maggie’s important impact on both policymaking and agribusiness, coupled with Amagi’s vested interests on family ties and soy moratorium, raises questions about the fairness of these arguments.
Favaro expresses a strong expression Opposition He calls it a “contradiction” and “no professional” in the soybean moratorium and holds it firmly. It has been declared His position: “I have tried to demonstrate that soy moratoriums are not the constitution either, and I am sure that Minister Dino will act in this sense.”
If the soy moratorium is lifted, soy farmers will move to the Amazon, causing ramp deforestation, environmental degradation, pollution, and violations of indigenous rights, including violence and land invasion. This can lead to a sharp rise in greenhouse gas emissions, leading to disastrous social and environmental consequences.
Sustainability
In countries where agribusiness drives the economy, indigenous territory is seen as an obstacle to the growth of relentless capitalism.
As Brazilian parliament is controlled by the powerful rural caucus “Redgers,” there is little concern about Indigenous rights as Indigenous rights are mercilessly pushing forward with laws that serve their own interests. For them, survival of Indigenous communities is merely a barrier to their pursuit of benefits.
The future of the Amazon, its indigenous communities, and our planet are at risk. The roads aren’t the only rebuild of the BR-319. It’s a dangerous movement that destroys centuries of heritage and harms the environment to such great extent that it cannot be repaired. As Brazil follows this path, the damage becomes permanent, leaving deep scars on the land, its people and the world.
With the world preparing for the COP30, the urgency to protect Amazon and its ecosystems was never clear.
The decisions made at this summit have a major impact on the preservation of the Amazon, and ensure that sustainability, indigenous rights and environmental protection are central stages of these debates.
This author
Monica Piccanini Regular contributors of Ecologist and a freelance writer focusing on environmental, health and human rights issues.
