Brazil establishes Amazon reserves amid highway plans
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The Brazilian government created four new sustainable development reserves in the Amazon rainforest, protecting over 668,000 hectares (1.65 million acres) as it moves forward with plans to pave the BR-319 highway.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed decrees on September 8 establishing the reserves, which will allow current residents to stay and sustainably harvest forest products. Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco stated the government aims to balance highway construction with environmental protection and economic development.
The new reserves will be managed by Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. In addition to the reserves themselves, the government established buffer zones around three of them, adding another 109,718 hectares (271,119 acres) under protection, though mining may still be permitted in those areas. The BR-319 highway, connecting Manaus and Porto Velho, was originally built in the 1970s but deteriorated over time.
Previous plans to repave the highway under former president Jair Bolsonaro led to a 144% increase in deforestation from 2019 to 2022. However, deforestation decreased 73% between 2022 and 2025, and an additional 43% by July 2026, after Bolsonaro left office. Experts caution that establishing the reserves is not enough to guarantee protection, as the Chico Mendes Institute lacks sufficient funding for effective enforcement in a region facing ongoing threats to environmental agencies and personnel.
