BR319 - Road to Ruin — Agentur Focus

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Evgeny Makarov

Reportage

BR319
ROAD TO RUIN

Reportage — 2019

Truck driver Regivan, transports fresh fish. He got off the track early in the morning on the unpaved part of the BR-319 and got stuck in the mud. Wife Daniela and his son Daniel Victor came along for the first time. Attempts to pull the truck out of the mud with the help of another truck failed.

”BR319 - Road to Ruin” — Die größte Gefahr für den Regenwald ist der Weg dorthin: Der Highway BR-319.

Die BR-319 ist die einzige Straße, die Manaus, die Hauptstadt des Amazonasbeckens, mit dem Rest Brasiliens verbindet. Sie wurde zuerst von der Militärdiktatur in den 1960er Jahren gebaut, um den Amazonas zu "kolonisieren", degradierte dann aber schnell. Menschen, die entlang der Straße lebten, starben an Malaria, Dörfer wurden verlassen, die Straße verwilderte - der Wald nahm sein Land zurück. Ende der 1980er Jahre war die BR-319 dann unpassierbar.

"Die Zerstörung der BR-319 war das Beste, was dem Regenwald passieren konnte, sagt Philip Fearnside, ein US-Umweltwissenschaftler, der seit 40 Jahren in Manaus lebt. "Die Strasse ist der einzige Weg in das Herz Amazoniens", sagt er. 95 Prozent der Abholzung findet im Umkreis von vier Kilometern um eine Straße statt. Das Jahr 2019 weist bereits die höchste Entwaldungsrate seit 10 Jahren auf, allein im Juli waren es 278 Prozent mehr als im gleichen Zeitraum des Vorjahres. Nirgendwo im Amazonasgebiet ist die Entwaldungsrate schlimmer als in der Region am Südende der BR-319. In dem kleinen Dorf Realidade - portugiesisch für Realität - liegen Rauch und Staub in der Luft, Sägewerke arbeiten die ganze Nacht, Tausende von Holzfällern schlagen Korridore im Regenwald. Das Dorf befindet sich in einem Abholz-Rausch. Die Menschen laufen bewaffnet umher, die Autos haben keine Nummernschilder, die Atmosphäre ähnelt der einer Goldgräberstadt. Realidade ist der letzte Posten der "Zivilisation" am Südrand von BR-319. Von hier aus in Richtung Norden liegt unberührter Regenwald. Südlich von Realidade findet man hunderte von Kilometern Weideland; abgeholzte Landschaften. Der "Bogen der Entwaldung" beginnt hier. Die Landschaft hinter Realidade ist ein Blick in die Zukunft des Amazonasbeckens: Ende Juli kündigte Präsident Bolsonaro an, dass er BR-319 neu pflastern lassen will.

Zusammen mit dem Autor Fabian Federl reisten wir 2019 ende Juli für 10 Tage entlang des Highway BR-319 durch den Amazonas Regenwald von Manaus bis nach Realidade.

Veröffentlicht in Das Magazin (CH), Smithsonian Magazine (USA), Society (FR) u.A.

Ausgezeichnet: Royal Geographical Society's Earth Photo 2020 competition „A Climate of Change“ (finalist)

Erika Casto de Santos (15) is on the lookout for the pink Amazon river dolphins (Boto), who sometimes swim to the dock and are fed with fish. The water in the river is black lent by its high acidity. Black water, means safety: there can be no malaria, because the larvae of Anopheles mosquitoes cannot survive in such acidity. Also, crocodiles prefer to hunt in clear water. The rainbow shimmer on the water is caused by a boat that is leaking oil or gasoline nearby. Igapó-Açu

The inhabitants of this community are descendants of the indigenous called "amazonenses". The reservation protects their lifestyle and they protect the reserve: they fell trees only when needed and fish only what they eat. They are not allowed to sell raw goods or organize agriculture. Igapó-Açu is split in two, the river cuts through the village and the BR-319. Everyone who drives down the road has to use the ferry, wich is the villagers' cooperative. A 24-hour business, seven days a week. Igapó-Açu

A very small and young Bagre fish (Catfish) that two girls in Igapó-Açu have taken out of the water.

Emmerson Casto de Santos (41) demonstrates a Jaguar skull. He built guest houses on the riverbanks and wants to be a pioneer of sustainable tourism in Igapó-Açu. But for that he needs guests, and an accessible street. A problem that makes Emerson and the other residents of Igapó-Açu ambivalent. Igapó-Açu

BR-319, just before Realidade - a truck transports wood from the rainforest. Many of the transports happen in the dark, wich indicates that he wood is not legal.

Brothel in Realidade. Most visitors are lumberjacks, a sex worker tells. Realidade began with two busloads of landless workers in 2016. They were supposed to grow crops, but quickly realized wood sells better than corn, or even cattle. They began cutting down trees on the edge of the BR-319, carving out corridors into the forest. The corridors became wider. The loggers started to tear down entire trees with tow trucks. In this way they opened further corridors. And since, Realidade has grown to seven thousand residents, eight sawmills have opened, and 62 percent of the district is deforested.

The settlement began with two busloads of landless workers in 2016. They were supposed to grow crops, but quickly realized wood sells better than corn, or even cattle. They began cutting down trees on the edge of the BR-319, carving out corridors into the forest. The corridors became wider. The loggers started to tear down entire trees with tow trucks. In this way they opened further corridors. And since, Realidade has grown to seven thousand residents, eight sawmills have opened, and 62 percent of the district is deforested. Realidade

Smoke comes out of one of the many sawmills operating in the village. Realidade

A tire and repair service specialised on trucks and construction equipment - most of the vehicles are used for logging and need regular maintenance. Realidade

Since Seu Joaõ has built the small church named "At the site of the restoration of the BR-319" on his piece of land, sometimes even a pastor comes through for a church service. After the opening of the BR-319, thousands of southern Brazilians migrated along the road, enticed by promises given by the government. Donna Maria (74) and Joaõ (77) José Cordeiro have been living on the BR-319 since the 1970s when they sold their cottage in Curitiba to buy the piece of land on which they run the "Pousada Rica", even during the rainy season. Offering travelers food and sleeping places. The two are married 53 years and have 8 children.

Church in Realidade, cross with the inscription "Peace and Good". "Realidade was once a community", says Seu Aloizo, a former municipal administrator, "...that time is past now".

Nilda Casto de Santos (61) "Donna Moçinha" with her sisters Margarita and Dora and neighoor Anna-Luiza prepare food and fresh Acai in the kitchen. Most residents want an intact BR-319. But some also are unsure if it is the right decision. Dona Moçinha wants it for police and ambulances to drive on, on the other hand she does not want it, because with it comes deforestation. Igapó-Açu

Joaõ Araújo de Souza with a Pirarucu fish during a visit to residents on the river Paraná do Araça. When asked about the dangers of the wildness, João laughs, "Gringos come here with the idea they can discover the unknown," he says, "But people live here, and they know their neighbors." That includes the crocodiles, mosquitos, and wildcats. Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya fever. "I am more scared to cross a busy street in Manaus."

While in the morning the ferry departs loaded with trucks from Igapó-Açu, the inhabitants bathe in the river.

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Evgeny Makarov

Hamburg/Rio de Janeiro

Evgeny, 1984 in St.Petersburg geboren, verbrachte seine Kindheit zwischen Deutschland und Russland, nachdem seine Familie 1992 nach Hamburg gezogen war. Er studierte Sozial- und Politikwissenschaften an der Universität Hamburg. Während dieser Zeit entdeckte er die Fotografie als ein Werkzeug, um soziale Realitäten jenseits des traditionellen akademischen Ansatzes anzugehen. Anschließend studierte er Fotojournalismus an der Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus, Dänemark, und schloss dort das internationale Programm 2014 ab. Evgeny nahm an der Joop Swart Masterclass 2015 von World Press Photo und am Eddie-Adams-Workshop 2018 teil. Aktuell lebt er zwischen Hamburg und Rio de Janeiro.

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