The upgrading of a road that runs from the Guyanese capital of Georgetown to the Brazilian border has environmentalists and indigenous peoples worried about the project’s secondary impacts. The 430-mile (692-km) route, which runs south from the coast through Guyana and then turns west to cross into Brazil at the Guyanese town of Lethem, has existed at least since early last century, when cattle were driven along it to be slaughtered on the coast. Until very recently it was poorly maintained and frequently rendered impassible by rains. However, last year the government for the first time signed a contract to ensure grading and compacting of the road. Though the roadway is still dirt and thus unsuitable for large trucks, minibus companies have begun... [Log in to read more]