Half of the road’s 900km length is still paved and is usually impassable during the six-month rainy season. Clear cutters used to stay away from the area – but that’s starting to change. “Law enforcement actions are insufficient to curb illegal occupation, invasions, deforestation, land speculation and pressures that have been growing exponentially in recent years,” said Fernanda Meirelles, executive secretary of Observatory BR-319 , of a monitoring group. The preliminary permit means the project has passed both financial and environmental screens and is a key part of the project’s final approval – but asphalt work cannot yet begin. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 13:45 The Daily Climate Show Conditions of approval include the creation of a conservation area as a protective space for an indigenous group, nearby water quality monitoring and an archaeological program. Sueli Araujo, former president of the environmental agency Ibama, said the government was ignoring “the main problem, the explosion of deforestation in the region”. He said the conditions would not prevent a rise in clarity and that permission should not have been granted. President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for re-election, hailed the permit as an example of an infrastructure project moving forward under his leadership. He said the paving will maintain the flow of traffic along the road. Read more: Deal to end deforestation misses first deadline months after signing at COP26 Household banks have invested billions in companies involved in deforestation, claims Subscribe to ClimateCast on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Spreaker. “Brazilians are used to jamming cars and trucks on the BR-319 highway,” he said on Twitter, along with a video showing deep mud on the road. “This time, thankfully, it’s coming to an end.” The road was originally built by Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1970s, but fell into disrepair. Paving it would result in a fivefold increase in deforestation by 2030, according to a study.
