Brazil’s Indigenous groups demand a voice in new soybean railway project

In the Brazilian Amazon, the resumption of the Ferrograo railroad has sparked demand for proper consultation from indigenous groups who will be impacted by the railroad. They will also be fighting for reparations. The railroad will be 580 miles, stretching from the city of Sinop to the northern state of Para. This will cause massive amounts of deforestation. In fact, deforestation alone could lead to $1 billion in losses. In a report, the railway will cut through many indigenous communities and it will cause severe socio-environmental impacts on many waterways. For an example of this, heavy traffic transporting soybeans in the area will increase pressure on forested areas being made available for agriculture.

The environmental impact of the loss of the Amazon rainforest is detrimental for not only Brazill, but for South America and the world as a whole. New pandemics will come about and the horrendous effects of climate change such as massive biodiversity loss, species extinction and an increase in flooding and other extreme weather events will take place. Focusing on South America, rainfalls and rivers that feed into the Amazon account for 70% of South America’s GDP and 50-75% of its precipitation. Unfortunately, it’s often seen as more economically viable to cut down the Amazon than to keep it standing.

 The U.N has played a major role in the preservation of the Amazon. In the U.N, a panel of 200 U.N. scientists call for the complete stop to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, stating that the biome must be protected because of its crucial role in global water cycles and regulating climate change. The U.N.E.P. (the U.N.’s environmental program) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are collaborating with the indigenous people of the Amazon on a $1.5 million dollar project to help the indigenous people address the environmental damage in the Amazon Basin.