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| Diary: Amazon road trip | Diary: Amazon road trip |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| The Brazilian government is seeking to repave the almost impassable BR-319 route between Porto Velho and Manaus. But the plan is controversial because the 900 km (560 mile) road cuts right through the Amazon rainforest. | The Brazilian government is seeking to repave the almost impassable BR-319 route between Porto Velho and Manaus. But the plan is controversial because the 900 km (560 mile) road cuts right through the Amazon rainforest. |
| The BBC's Ben Sutherland is travelling along the BR-319; meeting the people whose lives are set to change as the road is upgraded. | The BBC's Ben Sutherland is travelling along the BR-319; meeting the people whose lives are set to change as the road is upgraded. |
| 25 OCTOBER: OUT IN THE OPEN | |
| It is four in the morning, and in the steaming Brazilian night we are flashing the lights of our 4x4 at a small wooden ferry on the other side of the bank of the river at the edge of Porto Velho. | |
| There is no questionable motive for this - it is simply the only way to get the attention of the ferry crew so they can come and pick us up. | |
| This macaw was on show but not a recently discovered crow species | |
| The ferry runs all night. It has to, there is no bridge. One has been proposed, but will only be constructed if the repaving of the BR-319 goes ahead. | |
| We are up this early because we want to get to a special part of the Amazon rainforest, and hope to get a look at some of the animals there. Dawn, when they come out to feed, will offer us the best chance of catching a glimpse. | |
| What is special is that it is not the typical high-canopied dense jungle. Indeed, there are hardly any trees, and those that do stand are barely more than 1 or 2m high. | |
| But this is not the result of deforestation - although that is much in evidence along the way. On the contrary, this is natural savannah - a wide expanse of grasses, shrubs and ponds. | |
| Places like this occur where the ground is higher in the forest. This one is particularly special, as it was here that earlier this year a species of blue crow, previously unknown to taxonomy, was first identified. | |
| Our visit is less successful in that respect. We do see a number of macaws, toucans and parakeets, as well as the footprint of a tapir - one of the largest mammals of the Amazon, which can weigh up to 300kg. | |
| We film by the side of a picturesque pond, which proves to be a problem when halfway through a take my colleague Eric, making a piece for BBC Brasil website, is stung on the arm by a particularly vicious-looking insect. He bravely continues for a few words before leaping around and shouting in violent Portuguese. There are a number of guffaws from the watching drivers. | |
| Cattle farming is one of the causes of deforestation - both legal and illegal | |
| Once recording has finished we make our way back to Porto Velho. The savannah ends and the deforested areas begin, huge cows struggle for shade amongst the burned stumps of the cleared land. | |
| On the way we meet cattle farmer Juan Gugeiro. He is is partially - and perfectly legally - responsible for some of the deforestation - Brazilian law allows farmers to clear 20% of their land, and he has done so. | |
| "If I want to expand any more, I will have to make the land I already have work harder," he says. "A lot of farmers will tell you the same." | |
| He is all for the BR-319, saying that the economic potential of repaving the road is massive. | |
| And he has firm words for Western governments who criticise Brazil for not doing enough to stop farmers burning trees. | |
| "What are Europe and the US doing to stop emissions?" he asks. "They destroyed all their forests, and now they want to tell us what to do. | |
| 24 OCTOBER: AN ALLURING CHALLENGE | 24 OCTOBER: AN ALLURING CHALLENGE |
| It was around 1988 that the BR-319 finally became impassible. | It was around 1988 that the BR-319 finally became impassible. |
| The road that bisects the Amazon rainforest had never really been properly maintained since being built in the 1970s. Every year, the rainy season took away another layer of tarmac. | The road that bisects the Amazon rainforest had never really been properly maintained since being built in the 1970s. Every year, the rainy season took away another layer of tarmac. |
| The potholes were getting deeper; with every vicious bump, more and more drivers were having their crowns knocked from their teeth and the bumpers knocked from their bodywork. | The potholes were getting deeper; with every vicious bump, more and more drivers were having their crowns knocked from their teeth and the bumpers knocked from their bodywork. |
| Luiz Clayton - and his 4x4 - will be taking the BBC along BR-319 | Luiz Clayton - and his 4x4 - will be taking the BBC along BR-319 |
| Eventually, the Eucatur bus company decided that the damage the road caused their vehicles was such that it was simply not worth running along the route anymore. | Eventually, the Eucatur bus company decided that the damage the road caused their vehicles was such that it was simply not worth running along the route anymore. |
| Subsequently, the road was left to rot and the forest grew back all around it. Its very dilapidated status is what makes the plan to repave it into a shimmering bitumen river so controversial. | Subsequently, the road was left to rot and the forest grew back all around it. Its very dilapidated status is what makes the plan to repave it into a shimmering bitumen river so controversial. |
| But even in its current state, what remains of the road is not completely free of traffic. Indeed, some see its very "impassible" status as a challenge. | But even in its current state, what remains of the road is not completely free of traffic. Indeed, some see its very "impassible" status as a challenge. |
| Amongst them are the Jeep Club of Porto Velho. | Amongst them are the Jeep Club of Porto Velho. |
| Jeep clubs are very popular in Brazil. We saw one as we changed planes in Brasilia; eight or nine men of a certain age, gathered in a crowded coffee lounge, laughing together in identical T-shirts and shorts. | Jeep clubs are very popular in Brazil. We saw one as we changed planes in Brasilia; eight or nine men of a certain age, gathered in a crowded coffee lounge, laughing together in identical T-shirts and shorts. |
| In other countries, this type of person would perhaps go hunting, or on a particularly nasty ramble. Here, they get into 4x4 vehicles - Jeep, or "jipe", being the Portuguese generic term - and challenge themselves to drive through everything this country's wild terrain can throw at them. | In other countries, this type of person would perhaps go hunting, or on a particularly nasty ramble. Here, they get into 4x4 vehicles - Jeep, or "jipe", being the Portuguese generic term - and challenge themselves to drive through everything this country's wild terrain can throw at them. |
| They see themselves as the last adventurers. | They see themselves as the last adventurers. |
| And as our plane climbed into the air over the deep Amazon on the final leg of the flight, it was easy to see the adventure, laid out beneath us: undergrowth like a rampant wig, mud deep enough to drown a hippo - although admittedly, one that had got very lost. | And as our plane climbed into the air over the deep Amazon on the final leg of the flight, it was easy to see the adventure, laid out beneath us: undergrowth like a rampant wig, mud deep enough to drown a hippo - although admittedly, one that had got very lost. |
| Excitement junkies they may be, but reckless they are not. Luiz Cleyton, one of the founders of the Jeep Club of Porto Velho and our driver for this journey, is a researcher on the rainforest for the university here. | Excitement junkies they may be, but reckless they are not. Luiz Cleyton, one of the founders of the Jeep Club of Porto Velho and our driver for this journey, is a researcher on the rainforest for the university here. |
| "We have a passion for studying the Amazon," he says. | "We have a passion for studying the Amazon," he says. |
| "Every opportunity to travel around the BR-319 is interesting. I think we will have a very good trip, and we will make the most out of what the people can teach us." | "Every opportunity to travel around the BR-319 is interesting. I think we will have a very good trip, and we will make the most out of what the people can teach us." |
| We hope so too. Sunday we make our first excursion into the rainforest, before leaving Porto Velho properly on Monday. It will be a chance for us to experience some of that adventure for ourselves - and to share it with you. | We hope so too. Sunday we make our first excursion into the rainforest, before leaving Porto Velho properly on Monday. It will be a chance for us to experience some of that adventure for ourselves - and to share it with you. |
| 23 OCTOBER: BEFORE THE JOURNEY | 23 OCTOBER: BEFORE THE JOURNEY |
| The BR-319 was originally built in the 1970s, but abandoned after a decade - the military government of the time failing in its effort to develop the region. | The BR-319 was originally built in the 1970s, but abandoned after a decade - the military government of the time failing in its effort to develop the region. |
| The major part of what remains is little more than a 900km dirt track. | The major part of what remains is little more than a 900km dirt track. |
| But this is all set to change - and the BBC is going to find out how and who will be affected. | But this is all set to change - and the BBC is going to find out how and who will be affected. |
| The federal government is seeking to push ahead with plans to improve the BR-319, seeing it as key to boosting the region's economy. | The federal government is seeking to push ahead with plans to improve the BR-319, seeing it as key to boosting the region's economy. |
| Manaus is one of the country's most isolated cities, but with a permanent link to Porto Velho and the Latin American countries that lie beyond, there are hopes that some of the poorest areas of the country can be opened up for growth and development. | Manaus is one of the country's most isolated cities, but with a permanent link to Porto Velho and the Latin American countries that lie beyond, there are hopes that some of the poorest areas of the country can be opened up for growth and development. |
| However, the plan is not without opposition. | However, the plan is not without opposition. |
| Many environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential destruction the road could cause to the rainforest. | Many environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential destruction the road could cause to the rainforest. |
| This is an area where a total of 130 military police are tasked with preventing illegal logging. | This is an area where a total of 130 military police are tasked with preventing illegal logging. |
| How they go about this task, and how rebuilding the road might change their approach, is just one of the stories we will be looking at once we head into the forest. | How they go about this task, and how rebuilding the road might change their approach, is just one of the stories we will be looking at once we head into the forest. |
| I will be travelling with my colleagues Eric Camara from BBC Brasil and Rami Ruhayem from BBC Arabic along the BR-319, documenting the lives of the people who live along it. | I will be travelling with my colleagues Eric Camara from BBC Brasil and Rami Ruhayem from BBC Arabic along the BR-319, documenting the lives of the people who live along it. |
| Ultimately, we are hoping to build a full archive of life along this hugely controversial piece of highway, before it is changed forever. | Ultimately, we are hoping to build a full archive of life along this hugely controversial piece of highway, before it is changed forever. |