BR163 and the Castle of Dreams

A truck driver on the controversial BR163 highway which leads to Castelo dos Sonhos (the Castle of Dreams), an isolated, dusty (and muddy) town in the northern state of Par that until recently was at the centre of Brazil's illegal logging trade. The tale of Castelo dos Sonhos' sudden economic bust is, in many ways, the tale of the Brazilian government's success in trying to protect the world's largest rainforest. Until recently, when authorities began clamping down on illegal deforestation in the region, the town was at the centre of a timber boom as lucrative as it was illicit. (Australfoto/Douglas Engle)

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A truck driver on the controversial BR163 highway which leads to Castelo dos Sonhos (the Castle of Dreams), an isolated, dusty (and muddy) town in the northern state of Par that until recently was at the centre of Brazil's illegal logging trade. The tale of Castelo dos Sonhos' sudden economic bust is, in many ways, the tale of the Brazilian government's success in trying to protect the world's largest rainforest. Until recently, when authorities began clamping down on illegal deforestation in the region, the town was at the centre of a timber boom as lucrative as it was illicit. (Australfoto/Douglas Engle)

brazil amazon amazonia para mato grosso deforestation forest highway road environment labor slave 20061025 122313