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

The Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio analyzed four federal transport projects in Pará—EF-170 Ferrogrão, BR-155/158, BR-163/230/MT/PA, and BR-230—using project life cycle mapping and a market access approach to quantify deforestation risks. The study emphasizes that local governments must engage with federal authorities to mitigate negative impacts, though the window for dialogue varies by project stage: early-stage projects like BR-155/158 offer more opportunities, while implemented projects like BR-163/230/MT/PA and BR-230 require political articulation rather than project-level discussion.

• The study utilizes an adapted market access approach to quantify the impact of roads, railways, or waterways on deforestation, which provides a more precise method for defining areas of influence and environmental risks than current distance-based criteria. This method uses geoprocessing tools and agricultural freight data from 1990-2010 to determine bilateral transport costs between Brazilian municipalities and the nearest ports.
• The opportunity for the state of Pará to influence federal projects depends on the project's life cycle stage. For the BR-155/158 project, which is in its initial phase, there is an opportunity to monitor the project and the impacts identified by the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility Study (EVTEA). For the EF-170 Ferrogrão project, immediate dialogue with the Federal Government and the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) is recommended due to a judicial suspension regarding the reduction of the Jamanxim National Park area.
• For projects already in the implementation or execution phase, such as BR-163/230/MT/PA and BR-230, formal opportunities to discuss the project design are significantly reduced or non-existent, although political articulation remains possible because the projects' impacts persist regardless of their status.

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/dataviz/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para/

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/dataviz/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para/.

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/dataviz/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para/ |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/dataviz/governance-area-of-influence-and-environmental-risks-of-transport-infrastructure-investments-case-studies-in-the-state-of-para/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }