Brazil protects Amazon as BR-319 advances

September 24, 2026

Brazil has created four new sustainable development reserves in the Amazon rainforest as the government moves forward with plans to fully pave the controversial BR-319 highway.

The new protected areas are intended to reduce environmental risks associated with improving the highway, which crosses one of the most preserved regions of the Brazilian Amazon. Environmental groups have long warned that easier road access could accelerate deforestation, illegal logging and land occupation in remote forest areas.

More than 668,000 hectares of Amazon protected

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed decrees on September 8 establishing the four reserves, which together protect more than 668,000 hectares — approximately 1.65 million acres — of Amazon rainforest.

The areas will operate under a sustainable-use conservation model. Unlike strictly protected reserves, this approach allows existing communities to remain in the territory while sustainably harvesting forest resources.

The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), a federal agency linked to Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, will oversee the four conservation areas.

Brazilian officials say the initiative is part of a broader effort to balance infrastructure development with rainforest protection and sustainable economic opportunities for communities in the region.

Buffer zones add further protection

In addition to creating the reserves, the government established buffer zones around three of the four largest protected areas.

These zones cover another 109,718 hectares, or roughly 271,000 acres, providing an additional layer of environmental protection around the reserves. However, some activities, including mining, could potentially be permitted within these buffer areas.

The measures come as Brazil attempts to address the environmental consequences of plans to improve BR-319, one of the Amazon region’s most controversial infrastructure projects.

Why the BR-319 highway is controversial

BR-319 connects Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, with Porto Velho in Rondônia. Originally constructed during Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1970s, large sections of the highway later deteriorated.

Today, a roughly 339-kilometer section in the middle of the route remains difficult to travel, particularly during the rainy season.

Fully paving the road could significantly improve transportation between Manaus and the rest of Brazil. At the same time, conservationists fear that improved access could open previously isolated rainforest areas to agriculture, illegal logging, mining and land grabbing.

Road construction in the Amazon has historically been associated with a distinctive “fishbone” pattern of forest loss, in which smaller access roads spread outward from major highways and create new fronts for deforestation.

Deforestation around BR-319 remains a concern

Pressure on forests surrounding BR-319 increased significantly after former President Jair Bolsonaro pledged to repave the highway after taking office in 2019.

According to data cited by Mongabay, deforestation in the area increased by 144% between 2019 and 2022 amid growing expectations that the highway would eventually be fully paved.

Brazilian Environment Ministry official João Paulo Capobianco said forest loss later declined substantially. According to figures he cited, deforestation fell 73% between 2022 and 2025 and decreased by another 43% by July 2026.

Despite the decline, conservation specialists say stronger protection and enforcement will be essential if the highway project proceeds.

Enforcement could determine the reserves’ success

Creating protected areas does not automatically guarantee effective conservation. Environmental organizations have raised concerns about whether Brazil has sufficient funding, personnel and enforcement capacity to manage the new reserves.

The region has faced serious challenges for environmental authorities, including threats and attacks against public employees and government agencies.

Suely Araújo, a senior public policy specialist at Brazil’s Climate Observatory, told Mongabay that establishing conservation units is a positive measure but will not be enough without effective implementation.

She pointed to limited resources available to the Chico Mendes Institute and stressed the importance of demonstrating how environmental rules will be enforced on the ground.

Balancing Amazon conservation and infrastructure

The creation of the four Amazon reserves highlights the challenge Brazil faces as it attempts to combine infrastructure development with its commitments to reduce deforestation and protect biodiversity.

Improving BR-319 could strengthen transport links and economic activity in northern Brazil, but it could also increase pressure on some of the Amazon’s most intact forests.

The effectiveness of the newly established reserves will therefore depend not only on their legal status, but also on long-term funding, monitoring and enforcement as plans to pave the highway move forward.