but those who attempt it are rewarded with an unfiltered experience of the Amazon that few get to see
Nobody seems to remember how Brazil's Road of Ghosts came by its name
desolate stretches along its 900km course through the Amazon rainforest without a soul or settlement in sight
Or perhaps its "ghosts" are the burnt-out carcasses of overturned freight trucks found abandoned on the roadside
Though the highway's dire condition makes it impassable in the rainy season
drivers will often gamble on its condition in the summer months
braving crater-sized potholes and bouncing along dry
Sometimes the odds aren't in their favour
I grip the handlebars of my motorcycle a little tighter and hope that they'll be in mine
The Road of Ghosts – officially the BR-319 – is the only overland connection between the Amazonian city of Manaus
Built in the 1970s to facilitate the exploitation of the Amazon's natural resources
its construction led to an influx of pioneering migrants drawn to the region from across Brazil under promises of cheap agricultural land and opportunity
much of the BR-319 soon fell into disrepair
leaving the Wild West-style communities that had emerged along its length isolated and forgotten
paving the way – quite literally – for unprecedented levels of deforestation
For travellers, the BR-319 carries a different significance. Famed as one of South America's most thrilling and challenging drives
it invites overlanding enthusiasts to test their mettle against a jungle environment that's equal parts extraordinary and exhausting
the Land Cruisers and adventure motorcycles that join the freight trucks on road are often manned by intrepid visitors detouring from the famed Pan-American highway (Porto Velho is less than 300km from the Bolivian border)
A wild drive through the rainforest ends in Manaus
a vibrant and exciting city best known by travellers as the gateway to eco-adventures in the jungle and river expeditions along the Amazon
Few people know more about driving the BR-319 than Flávio Bressan. Through his Brasília-based adventure company Cerrado Moto Aventura
Bressan leads motorcycle tours deep into the Amazon along the BR-310
guiding riders across the rainforest's difficult terrain while sharing the important story of a rich and diverse region at the crossroads of change
These tours have also helped to map newly emerging roads and points of interest to inform future travellers
we had almost no data on the Amazon's roads," Bressan tells me
"Only dramatised accounts from the travellers that had driven them
But the routes aren't as dangerous as many Brazilians believe," he adds
as he hands me the keys to the Royal Enfield Himalayan motorbike that will carry me into the heart of the Amazon
but it's no longer true to call it the Road of Ghosts
You'll see that the Amazon is not as abandoned or underdeveloped as we're told."
My ride to Porto Velho takes me through the undulating plains of Brazil's vast interior
past endless soy plantations and remote agricultural towns
I'm travelling solo – Bressan is leading another tour along the Transamazônica
another rainforest highway that runs from Brazil's east coast to the state of Amazonas – but he's helped with my preparations and rented me one of his bikes
the first 300km north along the BR-319 makes for smooth riding
with some work having been completed on the road already
But this partially maintained section ends at the frontier town of Realidade
where the asphalt gives way to rough dirt and mud
The town's name means "reality" in Portuguese
and the harsh one here is that life might have been so different for its few thousand residents if the government had delivered on its promises to repair the highway running through the town
"But the road never happened," she says
"Five years later and we're still waiting for it."
A properly asphalted road would bring more opportunities to businesses like Léia's
who bought her diner on the BR-319 to cater to drivers on the long journey between Porto Velho and Manaus
and that's good for business," Léia says
there's nothing." The wet season creates additional challenges for the community
like sewage overflow and difficulties bringing in supplies
Léia's heard that the government plans to improve the road
but after so many false dawns she's reluctant to raise her hopes
The next morning, a smoky haze hangs over Realidade. This is cattle ranch country, where farmers have always used fire to clear swathes of forest for pasture. But a historic drought has turned the Amazon into a tinderbox and the fires have got out of control
I take my phone out to record a man in a wide-brimmed hat scorching a tract of land by the roadside
A 4x4 vehicle or adventure motorbike is recommended for tackling the BR-319. The dry season (June to September) is the safest time to go as the road becomes impassable during the rainy season. Cerrado Moto Aventura runs several group tours each year from Brasilia
along with bike rentals and logistical support for solo riders
Consider breaking the middle section up by staying overnight in the small town at the Igapo Açu Balsa (ferry)
the equatorial sun slowly burns off the thick veil of smoke shrouding the rainforest
light is beaming through in shimmering waves
casting colour over the canopy and the jungle foliage
Giant ferns dusted with reddish-brown soil lifted from the trail guard the boundary between the BR-319 and endless untamed rainforest
I stop to take a photo of my bike on a rickety wooden bridge
and a cacophony of raucous squawking betrays two blue macaws streaming across the pale sky in the mid-distance
as suddenly as the rainforest crept up on me
The jungle landscape's towering trees yield to sprawling farmland; from behind a low wooden fence
She and her husband moved here in January from Rondônia
They prefer not to use fire to tend to their pastures
but that hasn't stopped their land from burning
but the smoke will stay until it rains."
Environmentalists worry that paving the BR-319 will provide land grabbers with easy access to unspoiled areas of the Amazon
allowing them to carve out spur roads for illegal logging and mining operations
They'll soon be followed by farmers who'll buy up the cheap land for cattle ranching and soybean plantations
It's been estimated that this would lead to a fivefold rise in deforestation
clearing the equivalent of an area larger than Florida
many of which could be directly threatened by a re-developed BR-319 if illegal land-grabbing and deforestation should follow
Daiane Tenharim's village was built on land that's belonged to her people
it's connected to the BR-319 via another jungle highway
which has brought a host of problems to Tenharim’s doorstep
Tenharim explains how the elders in her village have been suffering from respiratory problems linked to the wildfire smoke
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"For years we've been fighting to evict the invaders on our territory," she says
"This is supposed to be protected land
but the government is slow to respond to our complaints."
with Indigenous communities like Tenharim's receiving threats from land-grabbers
What protection will we have?" Tenharim asks
"We've always said we're not against the paving
so long as decisions aren't made without consulting the people who already live here
The middle-section of the BR-319 is its most challenging: a 400km stretch of deep ruts and skidding sand spread over baked
There are few ranches here; just dense jungle that threatens to swallow up what's left of the road
Every bump and jolt is a test of skill and endurance
immersed in the thrill of my expedition off the beaten track in the middle of the world's largest and most important rainforest
I speak with a man in his 50s driving an expensive pick-up truck
They're heading to Manaus for their annual father-son fishing trip along the Amazon's tributaries
When I ask why they chose to drive to Manaus instead of fly
"Where is the adventure in that?"
after another morning spent bouncing along the BR-319's ruts and rocks
the sudden arrival of tarmac under my wheels feels like floating on a cloud
A smile escapes my lips as I twist the throttle and watch the speedometer climb
It's easy to imagine how a fully finished highway with a surface like this would be a lifeline to the communities who live along its length
But paving the way to progress could also threatens to cut deeper scars into an Amazon already under siege
One thing is for sure though: driving the BR-319 will always be a rip-roaring ride through the jungle
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Living in the municipality of Careiro da Várzea
means facing the river floods and drought every year
almost all the housing units there are located in rural areas
and some of the houses can even change places as one of the singularities of the region is floating homes
shanty boats supported by tree trunks and built with wood pieces
the challenge is travel many kilometers down the river
dealing with the drought that gets more severe every day at this time of year
in order to count each resident and portray their reality by means of statistics
It takes a 30-minute trip on a small motorboat to get to Careiro da Várzea
we see the beautiful landscape of the Meeting of Waters of Negro River and Solimões River (this one being the upper part of the Amazon River in Brazil)
where one can often see porpoises swimming
another 30 minute trip crossing Solimões and Paraná do Curari Grande Rivers leads us to the community of São Sebastião do Paraná-Mirim
one of the enumeration areas of the municipality
The coordinator of the Census in Careiro da Várzea
explains that planning for the work at the IBGE was conceived to start from the enumeration areas near downtown and
and that generates a bigger demand of work because the logistics is more complex and supervisors of the municipality have monitored all the sectors since the start of data collection
and this logistics has been difficult since the beginning of the Census.”
Working as an assistant to Édina in the Census in Careiro da Várzea
the census agent Nailson Fernandes is responsible for monitoring the work of his colleagues in the municipality
He told us this is his second time in the Population Census
he was also an enumerator in the municipality
the technological innovations in the Census represented a major advance since then and that “guarantees the quality of information; and coverage of the territory”
But something very important has not changed: “almost the entire team live in the municipality; for this reason
so it is necessary to walk long distances to visit them
One of the first houses visited by the enumerator Maria da Glória
who lives together with his parents and brother
The house of the family was built more than three meters over the floor
in order to avoid being affected by the floods
he says that on some occasions the housing unit gets flooded: “see the height it reaches
“It is so bad to be inside a flooded house
It is even worse because we have a small child living with us
Denison answered the sample Census questionnaire
The Young man believes the information obtained in the 2022 Census “will help the government look at people’s reality more closely.” He says that something that needs to be changed in his community is the access to water in housing units
“It is okay for us because there is a lake nearby and we pump water
but many people face several difficulties during the drought,” he explains
this family like many others in the community
families buy mineral water from a grocery store some kilometers away
Census agent Nailson Fernandes explains that
Careiro da Várzea faces problems to have potable drinking water
“The ideal would be distribution from a general system because most people here work in agriculture
The resident Ângela Maria watches from her window as her husband answers the Census
They have lived in the same housing unit for more than 20 years
in the community São Sebastião do Paraná-Mirim
and she says the greatest advance in the community is the start of electricity
but she does not even remember when that took place
She says it would be ideal to have a “better healthcare facility; it would make things easier
Ângela has just had a cataract surgery and has to go to Manaus for appointments with her doctor
She gets emotional when she recalls losing her right eye
and adds she has low vision in the left eye
“I cannot do almost anything… My husband has kidney stones
so we cannot plant anymore or raise cattle
Ângela says she prefers living in the community than in Manaus: “it is fresher her
She thinks “the Census can help because the government can be informed all the things we need
responsible for conducting the interviews in the São Sebastião community
said she was very interested in working in Careiro da Várzea
in the surroundings of Careiro for about 12 years
although she is far from her husband and daughter during the Census
she is “happy to be contributing to the enumeration.” The enumerator “will do anything to overcome difficulties dealing with the technology” of the mobile data collection device (DMC) of the Census
so that she can do her job “the best way possible,” she highlights
Maria has been spending some time in the community to conduct the Census
and it takes her 20 minutes by boat to commute from home to the community
she gets there at 8 am and leaves at about 5 pm
Maria says she sees no problem in facing difficulties in the rural area
but that she was afraid of making some mistakes when interviewing the residents
“I can’t say I’m not afraid of being bitten by a snake
and they may really come towards us; we also Walk in the sun
My real difficulty is technology because i don’t practice
my supervisor came and taught me everything
he was very patient.” And she adds “whenever I have a doubt
Maria noticed a characteristic of part of the riverside population of Careiro da Várzea: spatial mobility related to the status of rivers
they build the house: gather 15 people and
who sometimes finds occasionally-sed housing units in a given area
“In the periods of flood they can place a buoy under the house and move it somewhere else.”
and she says When her mission in Careiro da Várzea is over
she will go back to Manaus: “except in case the Census still needs me somewhere else
Going back from São Sebastião do Paraná-Mirim to the Careiro da Várzea ferry
and they have already been visited by the enumerator
He says his family lived in a common house before
but that was land affected by river erosion
Souza reports that the main difficulty is the drought
“It would be nice to have artisan wells to provide water throughout the year
the resident also spoke about the need of improvements in health services: “we need a better health facility
We have to go to Manaus whenever there is a more serious problem
My brother had a heart attack some days ago and it took him three days to get to Manaus and have an appointment.”
Most of the year he works in fishing and says that
We take every opportunity possible to work
and life goes on like that.” In spite of that
there are no thieves because one takes care of the other”
the Censo makes him realize “how urgent it is to have those data updated and made available
because the population here is hardworking but They need public policies a lot.” Mr
Fernandes believes that “When we see the Census results
the percentage of persons without sewage system
and even without a bathroom in their home is very big.”
For the superintendent of IBGE in Amazonas
conducting the Census is a “naturally complex and challenging activity”
He says the challenges of urban centers are common
we have to cross rivers for hours and hours
the superintendent highlights that the drought that hits the state
“This year there is a very severe drought in many localities
so we received videos from enumerators having to push their boats in areas Where the water level is very low; videos of enumerators having to cross waterfalls
so all these situations make the census in Amazonas a challenging experience
demanding a lot from our team and our enumerators.”
Despite the difficulties that include the logistics to traverse the territory and also people’s refusal to answer the Census
the superintendent considers that “Census in the state is at a very good pace
way above the national average.” According to him
the team is adopting varied actions aiming at dissemination and awareness raising of the population in order to reverse refusals and finish the enumeration
Mendes also makes a point of thanking all the enumerators: “we should always call attention to the excellent job they do
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The Brazilian Amazon covers nine of the country’s 27 states
but environmental crimes committed in the rainforest have rippled out to nearly every single state
Activities such as illegal logging, gold mining and illegal occupation of public lands are linked directly to a range of crimes that are widespread throughout the country, according to the analysis conducted by the Igarapé Institute
It found these crimes are present in 24 of the 27 states
Paraíba and Pernambuco the only exceptions
That translates into a total of 254 Brazilian municipalities as well as eight cities in other South American countries caught up in this web of illegal businesses that contribute directly and indirectly to the degradation of the largest tropical rainforest on Earth
The Amazonian state of Pará is the most affected by these crimes
which the analysis recorded in 161 locations within the state
This is followed by the states of Rondônia (122 locations) and Amapá (101)
São Paulo is the most affected state (36 locations)
Analyzing information generated by more than 300 Federal Police operations conducted between 2016 and 2021
researchers found that the illegal logging industry has the biggest footprint beyond the Amazon; criminal activity associated with illegal logging was found in 166 municipalities across 23 states
Illegal mining in the Amazon also reverberates far beyond the rainforest
with associated criminal activity in 125 municipalities across 20 states
illegal mining — mainly for gold — is associated with crimes such as fraud
The data also indicated that Indigenous territories are some of the main targets of the criminal organizations operating in the Amazon from national and international networks
The Yanomami Indigenous Territory in Roraima state had the most police operations during the period studied
mostly in response to illegal mining and logging
It was followed by the Munduruku Indigenous Territory in Pará and the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Territory
Investigations involving some type of violence were mapped in 19 Indigenous territories in the Amazon
research director at the Igarapé Institute
said the analysis is part of the research series “Mapping environmental crime in the Amazon Basin,” which in turn is part of the institute’s Climate Security Program
is to look beyond Brazil’s borders to understand how the “ecosystem of environmental crimes” operates and to present recommendations to tackle these interconnections between networks and organizations
The first report from the mapping series was released in February
and a comparative study between the countries that lie in the Amazon Basin will be next
The researchers want to further understand how financial flows are operating as drivers of illicit economic activities in the region
where the Risso pointed out that “there is a mix of legality and illegality.”
She said markets such as the gold market benefit from the absence of information that would otherwise make it possible to track the entire supply chain
“How do you dismantle a criminal organization that has a financial section operating in São Paulo?” Risso said
the Igarapé Institute plans to soon launch a multidimensional security proposal for the Amazon that will contribute to integrated planning actions
“There is a section of society that is interested in knowing how this debate is advancing
and the current scenario serves as a warning,” she said
She added that part of the solution for this problem is political will
“The issue has to be at the center of the public agenda
since environmental crime is still perceived as a second-class crime by those who fail to understand its impact and scope,” Risso said
executive secretary of the Indigenist Missionary Council (CIMI)
an advocacy group affiliated with the Catholic Church
said the Igarapé Institute’s report highlights an alarming scenario of violence against Indigenous peoples and their territories in the Amazon
He said the situation has worsened due to efforts by both the executive and legislative branches of government to loosen socioenvironmental protections
“Government leaders’ speeches and the bills announced as priorities in Congress encourage the invasions of Indigenous lands that are at the mercy of armed militias,” Oliveira said
which proposes opening up Indigenous territories to mining and other exploitation activities that run counter to the principles of safeguarding the natural and cultural heritage of Indigenous communities
that have contributed to weakening the institutional framework for protecting Indigenous territories
“These peoples have remained mobilized and sought support from the courts and from national and international civil society
since the government is insensitive and not concerned with socioenvironmental issues in Brazil,” he said
a political and socioenvironmental law adviser at the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)
a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of Indigenous and traditional peoples
agreed that government rhetoric and hostile legislation likely contribute to the criminal activity in Indigenous territories
She said a key point revealed in the Igarapé Institute report is the pervasiveness and persistence of the illegal logging industry in the Amazon
Ramos also emphasized the need to allocate public lands for socioenvironmental protection purposes
“has been undermined in Congress.” But beyond establishing more protected areas
there also needs to be real effort to protect these territories
She also called on financial watchdogs to consider “the presence of illegality in itself as a risk to investments,” saying that mechanisms of accountability have been weakened under the current administration
Ramos said it’s crucial to expand support mechanisms for traditional communities who have acted in resistance to the criminal elements and aren’t responsible for the environmental crimes occurring in the Amazon
“They need support to become even stronger as guardians of nature,” she said
Banner image of illegal timber seized in the municipality of Novo Progresso
This story was reported by Mongabay’s Brazil team and first published here on our Brazil site on Aug
The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa
as protected areas become battlegrounds over history
and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss
Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins
and trying to forge a path forward […]
FILE - Residents of a riverside community carry food and containers of drinking water after receiving aid due to the ongoing drought in Careiro da Varzea
the municipality distributed emergency kits using an improvised barge originally designed to transport cattle
FILE - Riverside communities receive water and food supplies due to the ongoing drought in Careiro da Varzea
Brazil (AP) — As the Amazon drought rages on
public authorities in Brazil are scrambling to deliver food and water to thousands of isolated communities throughout a vast and roadless territory
where boats are the only means of transportation
Across Amazonas state, which has a territory the size of three Californias, 59 out of its 62 municipalities are under state of emergency, impacting 633,000 people. In the capital Manaus, Negro River — a major tributary of the Amazon — has reached its lowest level since official measurements began 121 years ago
One of the most impacted cities is Careiro da Varzea
The Associated Press accompanied the delivery to two communities
to walk long distances through former riverbeds turned into endless sand banks and mud
Each family received a basic food package and 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of water
enough for just a few days but a heavy burden to carry under the scorching heat
“I will have to carry the food package on my back for half an hour,” Moisés Batista de Souza
He said the biggest problem is getting drinkable water
To reach the closest source demands a long walk from his house
“Everybody in Careiro da Varzea has been affected by the drought,” said Jean Costa de Souza
chief of Civil Defense of Careiro da Varzea
while others couldn’t transport their output.”
Costa de Souza said the municipality will finish next week the first round of deliveries to all rural communities
pending on receiving aid from state and federal governments
Dry spells are part of the Amazon’s cyclical weather pattern
with lighter rainfall from May to October for most of the rainforest
The season is being further stretched this year by two climate phenomena: the warming of northern tropical Atlantic Ocean waters and El Niño — the warming of surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region — which will peak between December and January
AP reporter Fabiano Maisonnave contributed from Brasilia
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here
The AP is solely responsible for all content
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In a village full of farmers located in the Terra Nova district
people live willing to face difficulties to crop and harvest
Despite the adversity of living together with the risk of landslides and in the middle of annual inundations coming with the floods
some residents in Várzea do not change their lives for anything
Whenever the plant is at its best and we are beginning to raise some money
But all our family lives here and we are not willing to leave"
Careiro da Várzea is surrounded by water from all sides
The access is very hard to reach where the Silva´s family lives and rudimentary wood bridges should be used
Along the way you face one of the most famous tourist attractions in Amazonas: the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers
Rivers are not only a delight for the eyes
They determine the production cycle and living conditions of the population
Houses should be built at such a height that they are not reached by floods; life is unpredictable in the riverbanks
because they collapse and cause landslides
In a municipality where people live on the agriculture or fishing
the uplifted gardens are a strategy for not losing the crops whenever the river rises
Many families build uplifted wood structures to plant
but those that do not count on financial resources to mount them
so we need to plant and have something to sell when flood comes"
is from Maranhão and lives in Amazonas since when he was 19
and takes advantage of the months of October and November when the harvest is bigger
He is one of the residents in Terra Nova who needs to disassemble his wood house and rebuild it somewhere else
they ask me why I do not leave and I answer: to do what there
the life style of the producers in Careiro da Várzea reflects the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture
released by the IBGE: most of the employed persons are a relative of the producer
they work in family farming and the head of the establishments is predominantly a man (between 79 and 81%)
The shared management between couples occurs in 20% of the establishments in Brazil
though it reaches 26% in Careiro and in the state of Amazonas
Silva tells that agriculture is an occupation passed from generation to generation among the women in her family
watermelon and other food to complement the family income
though she is married and she plants for her own family"
He tells that he works in agriculture since he was 12 years old
agriculture and livestock today are better than in the past
due to the mechanization of the work: "today it is much better because we have the machines to revolve the soil"
only one out of his three daughters is a farmer
except one of them who is my neighbor and plants with her husband"
"He learned to plant since he was a child and went to the farm with me
The children who do not replace their parents in the establishments – either because they leave Careiro da Várzea to study or look for a job or because they take on their own agricultural establishments – contribute to the so-called aging in the country
Family farming is the one that mostly feels the weight of the change in the age profile of the producer
he naturally sees the move of his children to the capital
because they can have what he didn´t have: education
I always tell my children that I want they working for themselves
but also source of satisfaction - Photo: Adjalma Jaques
The comparison between the 2006 and 2017 Censuses of Agriculture shows that the participation of the producer groups between 25 and 35 years decreased (from 14% to 10%) and that of the producers aged 55 years and over increased (from 40% to 46.7%)
aging is still more evident: 54% of the producers have more than 45 years and only 4.9% of the farmers have less than 25 years
Carvalho says that it is not so easy to face the hard work of farming
the passion for fishing is what makes him go ahead: "I am in love with fishing
I fish for fun and I will fish while I am willing to to it"