Spanning 468 km, the longest trail in Latin America will be inaugurated during the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP30 - in the city of Belém. The track crosses the state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon.
According to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the structure and signage for the Atlantic Amazon Trail are in their final stages. The initiative is part of the government's efforts to combine environmental conservation, job and income promotion, and leisure.
A total of 10 thousand people are expected to walk or cycle the trail in its first year. The route will pass through seven conservation areas, including extractive reserves, environmental protection areas, and a state park. It also crosses six quilombola territories.
The trail will feature maps, signage, and assistance from local residents, small service providers, and entrepreneurs trained by the initiative.
Through the eTrilhas app, visitors can learn about nearby service providers and contact them directly.
The ministry reported that the route was planned to ensure the smallest possible environmental impact, allowing wildlife to circulate and offering an even more attractive path for visitors.
The Atlantic Amazon Trail is part of the federal government's National Network of Long-Distance Trails and Connectivity.
Pedro Cunha e Menezes, director for protected areas at the ministry's National Secretariat for Biodiversity, said that this connection strengthens efforts to protect animals living in the region.
"This policy is allowing us to have forested corridors between conservation units - which are used for tourism and recreation, and also by wildlife, to move between conservation units, allowing them to migrate," he noted.
The route also allows visitors to learn about the way of life of extractive communities, such as crab collectors, babassu palm explorers, small farmers, and fishing workers, as well as enabling them to learn about forest areas, mangroves, and grasslands.
The project is the result of joint efforts between traditional communities, volunteers, the Ministries of the Environment and Tourism, the Institute for Forest and Biodiversity Development of the State of Pará (Ideflor-Bio), and Conservation International (CI), an environmental non-profit that works to protect nature in over 30 countries.