Infrastructure Projects and Socio-Environmental Conflicts on the Brazil-Bolivia Border

Our two-day research workshop, “Infrastructure Projects and Socio-Environmental Conflicts on the Brazil-Bolivia Border,” took place on August 27-28, 2024, in the twin cities of Guayaramerín (Bolivia) and Guajará-Mirim (Brazil). With 30 participants, the workshop featured an engaging and dynamic agenda. It opened with a participatory session mapping key actors and conflicts, followed by expert panels discussing water issues and visits to significant infrastructure sites, including the proposed international bridge.

Local representatives from municipalities, environmental organizations, peasant communities, Indigenous nations, fishermen’s unions, and international scholars from Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia actively participated in a lively exchange of ideas, addressing a wide range of issues. One key topic was the construction of a new international bridge, set to span the 900-meter-wide Mamoré River, connecting the two cities. Another major focus was the development of dams along the Madeira River and their deep impacts on local communities, particularly for community leaders concerned about the livelihoods of their people.

The workshop coincided with a period of extreme illegal fires that had engulfed the Amazon, bringing the region’s environmental challenges into sharp focus. Many participants faced travel difficulties as their connecting flights were cancelled due to the fires, forcing them to endure long overland journeys via overnight buses and taxis. Air quality was hazardous, and attendees were advised to wear face masks. Despite these challenges, the workshop kicked off on time in Guayaramerín, where participants were warmly welcomed by Rector Jesús Eguez Rivero of the Beni Autonomous University, our gracious local host on the Bolivian side.

The event was held at the Palace of Culture, a stunning auditorium decorated with vibrant murals depicting historical scenes of the rubber harvest, battles, and everyday life in the region. Participants were accommodated on the Brazilian side, requiring daily border crossings by small passenger boats. The workshop also received support from the Federal University of Rondônia, with invaluable assistance from geography professor Luciana Mourão Borges and her dedicated students.

The workshop was organized by Luis Paulo Silva (Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Bahia), Bianca de Marchi Moyano (Researcher at Arturo Prat University), Rebeca Steiman (Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), and Fernando Schrupp Rivero (PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam). It was the result of months of careful planning and was made possible by funding from the Urban Planning program at UvA. As experts in urbanization, border studies, and socio-environmental change, the organizers designed a two-day program to foster dialogue between local actors facing conflicts and scholars researching the region’s complex social and environmental dynamics.

The discussions revealed deep divisions in how development is perceived, particularly regarding who benefits from infrastructure projects, which are often linked to the interests of ruling elites. The region’s long history of social conflict and environmental transformation dates back to the 19th-century rubber boom and the 20th-century expansion of livestock and soybean industries—the latter contributing to the wildfires that greeted us upon arrival. The workshop provided a crucial space for participants to examine how this historical context continues to shape the present-day realities of these divided communities and to explore ways to create a more equitable balance of power.

Participatory mapping activity in the halls of the Palace of Culture on the first day.

Day one

The first day of the workshop began with an introductory session at Guayaramerín’s Palace of Culture, followed by our first field excursion. The group visited the construction site of the new international bridge, located on peasant land at the town’s outskirts. The tour was led by Bolivian navy officials, who oversee the country’s waterways. However, the dense smoke from the ongoing wildfires became an unavoidable topic of discussion. The smoke, which had already shocked many during the river crossing, obscured the opposite riverbank 900 meters away, making it barely visible through the haze.

The main participatory activity of the workshop was a collaborative mapping session, where participants explored the cities and surrounding regions at different scales. This exercise encouraged participants to think spatially while considering various perspectives on development. Coordinators facilitated discussions between participants with opposing views—such as peasant leaders and engineers—who debated the need for connectivity. The session concluded with highlights of these conversations, including a striking account of how regional migrants had begun occupying land around infrastructure sites before construction even started, showing how projects can trigger changes long before they are completed.

Participants also shared experiences of forming new alliances, such as COMVIDA representatives, who have created an international coalition of Indigenous groups, peasants, and environmentalists. Their goal is to protest the negative impacts of dams and industrial agriculture encroaching on protected territories. Many of these cross-border efforts adapt strategies based on the unique political conditions in each country on opposite sides of the river.

Images from the excursion on the second day: ferry crossing over the River Yata on our second field visit to Cachuela Esperanza in Bolivia, an old industrial town and site for a new dam; group visiting the ruins of the early 20th-century transportation system in Cachuela Esperanza; group visiting fishers community on the Madre de Dios River; and final moments of the workshop on our return over the River Yata. The contamination due to the illegal agricultural fires obscures the visibility of the Amazonian landscape.

Day two

The second day of the workshop focused on expert panels, where researchers presented on topics related to water, conflict, and state programs. The first panel examined infrastructure projects, including waterways, road systems, power dams, and water quality. The second panel tackled the sensitive topic of conflict, exploring how local communities resist development projects that threaten their livelihoods. The day concluded with a field visit to Cachuela Esperanza, once the site of the largest rubber operation in the 19th century. Today, a vibrant Amazonian community lives amidst the ruins of the former factory, including remnants of its theatre, hospital, and train tracks from that historic era.

Looking ahead, the organizers plan to make this workshop an annual event, visiting remote border towns between Bolivia and Brazil. The second edition, scheduled for August 2025, will be held in Cobija (Bolivia) and Brasileia (Brazil), with the official announcement coming in early 2025. The goal is to expand participation and reach communities in neighboring Peru. If this report piqued your interest, stay tuned for the official announcement!

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