The special zone of protection running adjacent to the BR-163 Santarem-Cuiaba highway was eliminated from the decree to prevent and control deforestation in the Amazon. The area along the Santarem-Cuiaba highway is a main target of illegal loggers and is also a widely used road for migrating soya producers. Removing land along BR-163 from the original decree will benefit soya producers, representing the main cause of deforestation in the region, raises the question of whether the government is committed to preservation of the Amazon.
