The reconstruction of Brazil’s BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho) highway (Figure 1) and its associated hidden projects are not yet a fait accompli, but the danger has reached a critical moment. In November 2023, the President Lula created a BR-319 working group (GT) organized by the National Department of Highways (DNIT) to consider what measures can be […]
This is a critical moment for the most damaging infrastructure project in the Amazon. On Monday, December 18th, a proposed law (PL 4994/2023) was put on the plenary agenda of the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of Brazil’s National Congress) under a special “urgency” regime that guarantees minimal debate and a quick vote. The […]
Brazil’s plan to open vast areas of Amazon forest to the entry of deforesters via Highway BR-319 (Manaus-Porto Velho) and associated side roads such as AM-366 is undoubtedly the planned infrastructure project with the greatest environmental consequences in Amazonia today (see here, here, here, here and here). One of the “elephants in the room” regarding […]
Public hearings are underway on the proposed reconstruction of BR-319, a highway which will pierce the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, despite vast potential environmental harm, and a failure to consult Indigenous groups.