Brazil creates protected areas near Amazon highway
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The Brazilian government established four natural protected areas totaling 6,690 square kilometers in the Amazon rainforest to lessen the environmental impact of paving the BR-319 highway.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the new conservation units during a celebration of Amazon Day. These areas contain small settlements of people who fish and farm for their own needs, and they will be allowed to continue those activities.
The government hopes these protected zones will prevent land occupation and increased deforestation along the BR-319 highway, a project the current administration is pursuing. Lula stated that economic development from improving the road can coexist with environmental preservation. The BR-319 highway runs for almost 900 kilometers, connecting Porto Velho and Manaus, the capitals of Rondônia and Amazonas states, respectively.
A 400-kilometer section of the road is in poor condition, making it impassable during the rainy season and isolating Manaus from land routes. While businesses and politicians have long requested the paving, environmental groups have voiced concerns about the potential damage to the rainforest. The Lula administration has reduced deforestation in the Amazon through increased enforcement of environmental laws, decreasing tree felling around the BR-319 by 70% between 2022 and 2025.
