What happens if Brazil revives a long-abandoned Amazon highway? Lawmakers are pushing to weaken environmental licensing rules, which could clear the way to rebuild BR‑319. Experts say that this could spark massive deforestation and disrupt weather, food, and water systems across South America and beyond.
What's happening?
According to Mongabay, Brazil's Congress recently passed a reform allowing "strategic" infrastructure projects to bypass full environmental reviews, making approvals almost automatic. This reform could apply to the 550‑mile BR‑319 highway, which cuts through biodiverse forests between the Purus and Madeira rivers.
Courts have delayed the project's revival for years. In 2022, a regional court ruled in favor of the Climate Observatory, which documented illegal side roads branching off BR‑319 in a "fishbone" pattern — a clear sign of deforestation. Authorities suspended licenses again in 2024 and 2025 because of environmental risks. Now, new legislation threatens to override those decisions.
Why does rebuilding the BR-319 highway matter?
Environmentalists warn that reconstructing BR‑319 without safeguards could increase deforestation rates fourfold. "We are knocking on the door of the collapse of the Amazon system," said Marcos Woortmann of the Democracy and Sustainability Institute, per Mongabay.
If the tipping point is reached, the region could see droughts and increased forest fire risks. Indigenous communities also risk losing resources, ancestral land, and culture. The damage could ripple outward, as the Amazon recycles rainfall that supports weather systems across the continent.
What's being done?
Brazil's environmental minister, Marina Silva, has strongly opposed the policy, saying via her Instagram that it "fatally undermines" key environmental licensing rules. Per Climate Home, top Amazon Fund donors like the U.S. and Germany have also urged Brazil not to use the fund to back the project.
Meanwhile, local groups continue to train community leaders to protect their land, and researchers like Lucas Ferrante are collaborating with displaced families to monitor forest loss, per The Canary.
Small but meaningful actions, such as discussing environmental issues, supporting pro-environment organizations, choosing certified deforestation‑free and low-pollution products, and making other planet-friendly choices, can help counter destructive trends.
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