BR 163-Transoceanic Highway

Earlier in the year a 2600km highway was opened for the public that travels from the Atlantic coast of Brazil to the Pacific coast of Peru--cutting straight through the heart of the Amazon rain forest. Because this region is such a poor region it is hard to ignore the potential economic outcomes but the environmental concerns could be frightening.

As an attempt to document and figure out the environmental impacts a project was launched that deals with a "leaf pack". A leaf pack will be a mesh bag full of tree leaves that will remain secured in streams. A period of time will be allotted for organisms to feed and live on these leaves. When given the chance to examine the leaves after the experiment scientists will be able to gauge the health of the water and the organisms in the water. Hopefully, this project will show the impact of the new road.