Alongside the BR-319 highway, in the rural settlement of Realidade, locals await the arrival of politicians at an event in support of paving the road. The area is a hub for processing timber that has been illegally extracted from the Amazon rainforest (opening image). A truck crosses a makeshift wooden bridge on an unpaved section of the highway (top). Maria Jose Cordeiro owns a small hostel offering the only respite for travellers on the most inhospitable stretch of the BR-319 (middle). The 900km highway crosses some of the best preserved areas of the Amazon (bottom)
Children living in the remote village of Moanense take part in Catholic celebrations (top). Even without a paved road, land-grabbing has continued in the Amazon (middle). In Realidade, a tractor tyre has been made into a shrine to the Virgin Mary (bottom)
Workers in Realidade smooth a section of the BR-319 ahead of the political rally. The BR-319 has become central to everyday life in the town
Cowboys pray before a rodeo in Careiro Castanho, a city alongside the highway. Cattle ranching is one of the main drivers of deforestation
During the rainy season, unpaved sections of the BR-319 become almost impassable. Many illegal branch roads have been cut deep into the rainforest. Deforestation has increased as the prospect of a resurrected BR-319 grows more likely (top to bottom)
