In the middle of the road, there was a swamp: the social and environmental impacts of the Bragança-Ajuruteua highway, Pará, Brazil

Abstract The article investigates the social and environmental impacts of construction of Highway PA-458, which turned 26km of mangrove swamp into a landfill between the municipality of Bragança and Ajuruteua beach in northeastern Pará. Working with official documents, newspapers, photographs, and oral accounts, it analyzes politicians’, local residents’, and crab harvesters’ representations of the significance of the highway. It is concluded that officials have disregarded the environmental impact both on the mangrove swamps and on the daily lives of crab harvesters. While the latter may even view the road as positive, they have been confronted with a progressively dwindling crab population and a growing number of crab dealers.