Oil extraction in Brazil

Migrants flock to isolated Amazon town in hopes of economic boom

The northern and largely isolated town of Oiapoque in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil has seen a sharp increase in migrants since last year, in anticipation of a possible economic boom that may never come to fruition, reports the AP.

Oiapoque is located in the northern state of Amapá, and about 180 kilometers off the coast, the state oil company Petrobras has received environmental permits for offshore drilling.

“Over the past 18 months, Oiapoque has seen significant population growth,” says a municipal politician, warning that social problems have already arisen.

The population growth has not been without problems. The state of Amapá is one of Brazil’s poorest, and in Oiapoque less than two percent of residents have access to a functioning sewage system. In the new areas that are emerging, the situation is even worse.

But not everyone is negative. Lawyer Yuri Alesi, who is running for deputy mayor, sees a vision in which Oiapoque could become the Dubai of the Amazon if oil reserves grow.

“Dubai is located in the middle of a desert, an unlikely place to grow. The industry that drove its development was oil,” he says. 

Rainforest gives way as new neighborhoods emerge

The city of Oiapoque in the state of Amapá in northern Brazil has welcomed several thousand migrants in the past year, after the state oil company Petrobras received environmental permits for offshore drilling, reports the AP.

To make room for the new arrivals, the Nova Conquista area has sprung up, where rainforest has been cleared for new housing.

The rainforest, which plays an important role in the global climate, is under constant pressure from deforestation. At the same time, Amapá is one of the most preserved states in the Amazon – 82 percent of the land area is still covered by forest.

“We know it’s not right to destroy the forest. Everyone knows it’s wrong. But space is limited,” says Reginaldo Nunes Fonseca, who has moved to the city.

Meanwhile, indigenous groups have sued the Brazilian state and Petrobras to stop offshore drilling. They warn that oil spills could have devastating consequences for rivers and wetlands.

“Most indigenous territories consist of flooded wetlands. How do you clean up a wetland? Once oil reaches the rivers, there’s no way to remove it,” says Renata Lod, a representative of the Oiapoque Indigenous Council.