“After more than 20 years of consistent misinformation about this project, nearly all local residents now support it and questioning it is a political challenge for any candidate. It’s suicidal.
“Resurfacing the BR-319 highway will connect the relatively peaceful central Amazon with the AMACRO region. deforestation hotspots It is named after the states of Amazonas, Acre, and Rondonia. “AMACRO is being promoted as a Sustainable Development Zone (ZDS), but it is the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest,” he added.
BR-319 is an 885 km long highway that opened in 1976 during Brazil’s military dictatorship, but was abandoned in 1988. In 2015 under Dilma Rousseff’s government, a maintenance program was launched to revive the highway. Since then, various governments have made repeated attempts to rebuild the 406km section of the highway.
survive
The fishbone effect is caused by the opening of illegal branches on both sides of the BR-319 highway. land grabber. This phenomenon is already occurring around the expressway, where it has been illegally extended for more than 6,000km, more than six times the length of BR-319.
Additionally, the proposed roads along BR-319 are: AM-366will provide loggers with access to vast areas of rainforest in the Trans-Pruss region west of BR-319.
Reconstruction of the BR-319 highway could lead to a catastrophic disaster. irreversible consequencesWidespread deforestation, loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, etc.
It may also encourage increases in illegal activities such as organized crime, illegal logging, mining, and mining. Encroachment on indigenous lands. In addition, there are risks such as: Leap forward in zoonotic diseases And a new appearance pandemic likely to rise.
These impacts could push rainforests beyond their viability, ceasing their role as carbon sinks and disrupting their role as regional and global climate regulators.
confusion
Lucas Ferrante, a researcher from the University of São Paulo (USP) and Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), discussed the important role of flying rivers in climate regulation.
He said: “In this forest area, important environmental ecosystem services known as flying rivers occur and play an important role in regulating Brazil’s climate. Moisture from the Atlantic Ocean flows through the northern region. “It’s transported to the continent, where it enters the Amazon.” .
“Evapotranspiration from protected forests generates high-pressure systems that generate rainfall, which moves southward and supplies water to Brazil’s southeastern, central-central and southern regions.
“For example, 70 percent of precipitation is Cantareira The system responsible for supplying water to São Paulo, the most densely populated region in South America, was born from this forest area. However, deforestation along BR-319 poses a serious threat to these flying rivers, and if destruction continues, it could have devastating consequences for the entire country. ”
Ferrante added: “Densely populated areas will face severe water shortages, resulting in deaths of the most vulnerable, disruption of industry, and devastating impacts on agriculture, making these areas uninhabitable. Deaf,” he said.
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“Essentially, the bursting of the flying river could cause the collapse of the country’s economic sector, causing losses of up to $500 billion (3 trillion reais) a year.”
research by map biomaThe Fire Monitor revealed that 22.38 million hectares of fires occurred in Brazil from January to September this year, an increase of 13.4 million hectares compared to 2023. This represents a 150% increase over the previous year. More than half of the area burned (51%, or 11.3 million hectares) occurred in the Amazon.
Regarding the fires in the Amazon and across Brazil, Ferrante said, “It’s important to recognize that Brazil is exceeding its greenhouse gas emissions targets and that due to widespread fires in the biome, the highest levels are coming from the Amazon. ” he said.
fire and drought In the Amazon, the environment is expected to deteriorate due to climate change and other factors, including the expansion of agribusiness, particularly livestock farming, both legal and illegal mining, logging, and large-scale agriculture. biofuel production – especially with the recently announced increase in biofuel mandates. lula.
This is further reinforced by Lula’s commitment to extracting “every last drop” of oil. The BR-319 highway plays a central role in facilitating this development in the region.
outbreak
The Amazon rainforest is recognized as one of the largest sources of zoonotic diseases. Scientists consistently believe that rebuilding the BR-319 highway, in conjunction with climate change, will accelerate forest degradation caused by agribusiness expansion, mining, oil and gas exploration, illegal activities, and infrastructure projects. I am warning you.
This will lead to increased human migration and urbanization, increasing the risk of zoonotic disease spillover. Diseases stored in forests could potentially spread to humans and cause large-scale infections. global pandemic Or a series of them.
Deforestation along BR-319 has already caused Malaria increased by 400 percent We report cases from this region and highlight the potential environmental damage caused by this project and its role in its emergence. new global pandemic.
article nature reported that the western Amazon of Brazil is facing the largest confirmed outbreak of Oroporchi virus (OROV), with more than 6,300 infections recorded between 2022 and 2024.
fungi
Researchers identified new genetic variants of the virus and highlighted that forest landscape fragmentation and vegetation loss caused by deforestation and expanded agricultural activities are important factors driving virus transmission. .
Most of the OROV positive cases in 2022-2023 were concentrated in the AMACRO region, a hotspot for deforestation.
Mr Fernside explained: “Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and other tropical regions is new human disease By increasing contact between rainforest wildlife and humans and livestock.
“It also contributes to climate change, which can create an environment more prone to parasitic, fungal, viral and bacterial infections.”
Terrace Devoltas
The BR-319 highway will serve domestic and international industries, especially those focused on the huge benefits generated by the “bioeconomy”.
Additionally, it will play an important role in promoting oil and gas exploration in the region, including Petrobras’ operations along the equatorial margin. This project has the full support of the government. lula.
Russian oil and gas companies Rosneft The BR-319 project will also benefit from the BR-319 project as it holds drilling rights for 14 oil and gas fields located west of the highway, approximately 35 kilometers from the Purus River. It will be. Solimões Sedimentary Basin. This pristine region is larger than the state of California.
Other sectors will also benefit from the BR-319 project. Agribusiness and livestock expansionboth legal and illegal mining, logging, and organized crime.
Mr. Ferrante elaborated on how BR-319 facilitates the expansion of agribusiness, livestock, and mining, saying, “BR-319 is a major contributor to the region’s expansion, especially in unallocated public lands (‘terras de voltas’). Accelerating the growth of agribusiness.
navigable
“Soybean farmers from Mato Grosso do Sul are moving to Rondonia and buying land from livestock farmers, who are moving south of Amazonas within the BR-319 corridor. land grabbing, illegal deforestation, or violent displacement of traditional communities.
“Since 2023, Manaus has seen increased smoke levels during the dry season, mainly due to forest fires that spread along the newly paved section of BR-319, where livestock farming is rapidly expanding. The presence of asphalt accelerates deforestation and intensifies fires.”It is commonly used to clear land for pasture. ”
He added: “Furthermore, there is a well-documented link between the two.” land grabber Organized crime along BR-319. Criminal groups often seize land, displace legitimate owners and traditional communities, and use the profits to force displaced communities into illegal mining operations. ”
Supporters of the BR-319 project, including politicians, businesses, and individuals, offer a variety of justifications for rebuilding the highway, citing the region’s ongoing drought.
However, Ferrante points out that despite the drought, the Madeira River remains navigable. Additionally, BR-319 is located across the Rio Negro River and therefore does not connect to drought-affected municipalities.
grab
The Madeira River has long been a major transportation route in the region, running parallel to the BR-319 highway, providing a safer, cleaner and more cost-effective means of transporting goods.
Rodrigo Agostinho, Director of Brazil’s Environmental Protection Agency, Ibama, said: amazonia real On November 14, he said that without proper governance, the BR-319 project could become a “front line for large-scale deforestation.” He further pointed out that those who build roads are not responsible for managing the surrounding areas, but this remains a highly contentious issue.
The Brazilian government continues to insist that: governance Along BR-319, with the help of several people. NGO with international support charity work organization. However, these groups refuse to oppose the BR-319 project.
Meanwhile, Brazilian federal police and military officials have made it clear that future governance scenarios are uncertain. unrealisticBecause of its vast size, complexity, and danger, testing agencies lack the resources necessary to monitor the area.
organized crime The region has already regulated land grabbing and mining, which has had a devastating impact on traditional communities.
unanimous
Who will benefit from the BR-319 project? The main beneficiaries will be those who finance illegal activities such as illegal mining and organized crime, as well as those who finance the expansion of agribusiness, large-scale biofuels These include production, animal husbandry, oil and gas exploration, and the development of the ‘bioeconomy’.
These profitable ventures are funded by domestic and international stakeholders.
“The 2009 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) showed that business leaders did not see this project as a priority for Manaus’ industrial hub,” Fernside said.
“In the years that followed, the unanimous political support for this project, understandably given its dependence on political support, led businessmen to take the same position.
ecosystem
“However, an academic study that assessed the feasibility of this project found it to be economically unjustified.”Notably, this was done without a formal economic feasibility study (EVTEA). This is the only major project in Brazil, so this is unlikely to be a coincidence.”
The reconstruction of the BR-319 highway includes Required economic feasibility study (EVTEA) is required by Law 5917/1973, but has not conducted significant consultations with indigenous communities as provided for in both countries’ laws. International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 and Brazilian Law 10.088/2019making the BR-319 project unconstitutional.
Following Mr. Ferrante’s presentation at the Ministry of the Environment on October 29 highlighting the negative impacts of the BR-319 project, all licenses and tenders will be suspended pending consultation with all affected indigenous communities. I’m asking you to.
He is also calling for the National Department of Transport and Infrastructure (DNIT) to suspend maintenance permits for the entire highway, saying it has already caused significant environmental damage to ecosystems, rivers and traditional communities. He also demands the removal of illegal branches and expropriation of all areas occupied along the BR-319 highway since 2008.
this author
Monica Piccinini I am a regular contributor to ecologist He is also a freelance writer focusing on environmental, health, and human rights issues.
