Governance Area of Influence and Environmental Risks of Transport Infrastructure Investments: Case Studies in the State of Pará

The report analyzes four federal infrastructure projects in Pará: Ferrogrão, BR-155/158, BR-163/230/MT/PA, and BR-230. Using a 'market access approach', researchers found that these projects collectively risk nearly 7,000 square kilometers of native Amazon vegetation, with 3,800 square kilometers located in Pará. The study highlights significant transparency issues, noting that socio-environmental documents were often unavailable or difficult to access. It argues that the state of Pará should engage in early political coordination with the Federal Government to incorporate deforestation control and land governance measures into project designs, estimating an annual mitigation cost of US$ 43 million for the region.

• Four federal infrastructure projects—Ferrogrão, BR-155/158, BR-163/230/MT/PA, and BR-230—collectively threaten nearly 7,000 square kilometers of native Amazon vegetation, with 3,800 square kilometers of that risk located within the state of Pará.
• Mitigating the deforestation risks associated with these four projects would require an annual investment of US$ 43 million for the region, with US$ 23 million specifically earmarked for actions in Pará, based on a mitigation cost of US$ 5/tCOe.
• The BR-155/158 road concession project is estimated to increase accessibility for 69 municipalities across Pará, Mato Grosso, and Tocantins, covering nearly 500,000 square kilometers and risking the loss of 1,774 square kilometers of forest over 30 years.
• The Ferrogrão railroad project, currently suspended by court decision, is projected to increase accessibility for 64 municipalities in Pará, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas, with a predicted forest loss of 1,273 square kilometers over 30 years.
• The BR-163/230/MT/PA concession is expected to increase accessibility for 61 municipalities in Pará, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas, posing the highest deforestation risk of the group with a projected loss of 3,670 square kilometers over 30 years.
• The paving of the BR-230 highway between Medicilândia and Campo Verde is projected to increase accessibility for 6 municipalities in Pará, with a predicted forest loss of 272 square kilometers over 30 years.
• There is a systemic lack of transparency in federal infrastructure planning, as socio-environmental studies and documents were frequently unavailable or difficult to access, even when requested via the Information Access Law (LAI).

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). Governance Area of Influence and Environmental Risks of Transport Infrastructure Investments: Case Studies in the State of Pará. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para-2/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. Governance Area of Influence and Environmental Risks of Transport Infrastructure Investments: Case Studies in the State of Pará. 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=Governance Area of Influence and Environmental Risks of Transport Infrastructure Investments: Case Studies in the State of Pará |date=27 September 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021governance, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{Governance Area of Influence and Environmental Risks of Transport Infrastructure Investments: Case Studies in the State of Pará}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }