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The 12,4km-long new bridge promises to revolutionise transport. However, progress comes at a high price: destruction of mangroves, threats to biodiversity and impact on fishing communities. Environmentalists and experts warn of the ecological and social risks, while the debate over sustainable alternatives continues.
Bahia is about to experience a monumental project which promises to shorten distances and accelerate economic development.
However, beneath the discourse of progress, a silent threat looms over delicate ecosystems and entire communities that depend on them for survival.
At 12,4 km long, the Salvador-Itaparica bridge will be the second largest in Brazil and is budgeted at R$9 billion.
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The work, led by a consortium of Chinese companies, is expected to begin in 2025 and is expected to be completed in 2029.
According to journalist Lobato Felizola, from the newspaper Mongabay, The bridge promises to reduce the crossing time between Salvador and Itaparica Island from 50 to just 15 minutes, which makes it attractive for both residents and productive sectors, such as agriculture.
However, Environmentalists, fishermen and experts warn of the high environmental and social cost of this undertaking.
The project threatens mangroves, reefs and the rich biodiversity of Todos-os-Santos Bay, in addition to compromising the livelihood of traditional communities.
A bay at risk
All Saints Bay, the largest bay in Brazil, is a mosaic of biodiversity that is home to endangered species, such as sea turtles and humpback whales.
According to Severino Agra, a biologist at the Federal University of Bahia and co-founder of the Bahia Environmental Group (Gambá), the impacts of the work include underwater noises caused by the driving of pillars, which affect the behavior of several species.
"The 139 planned pillars could act as physical barriers, hindering the movement of large marine mammals and other animals essential to the balance of the local ecosystem.,” Agra told Mongabay.
Furthermore, noise and vibrations can harm coral reefs and make nesting areas used by turtles unviable.
Enrico Marcovaldi, a researcher at the Humpback Whale Project, highlights that the waters of Todos-os-Santos Bay have become increasingly important for these mammals.
In 2024, during the 90-day observation season, 1.008 sightings were recorded in the region, with 72 of them inside the bay.
Mangroves and shellfish farms under threat
The work involves the duplication of roads and the construction of a highway of 22 km, which will imply the destruction of mangroves in Vera Cruz, in the south of Itaparica Island.
According to Lobato Felizola, Mangroves are essential for carbon capture, erosion protection and supporting marine biodiversity.
Furthermore, the activity of shellfish gatherers, women who support their families by collecting shellfish by hand, is under threat.
"Shellfish gathering will be drastically reduced with the loss of vegetation cover over the mangroves”, laments Agra.
The pressure on Itaparica
With the bridge, Itaparica Island could face a population explosion that threatens to overwhelm public services and disfigure the traditional way of life.
For Tânia França, representative of the Religious Cultural and Environmental Association (Arca), “the bridge will be invasive and will bring more harm than good to the island.”
This scenario contrasts with the current crossing made by ferry, which, despite criticism of being obsolete, is defended as the most sustainable alternative.
"It seems that there was a deliberate process of scrapping the ferry to justify the bridge.”, denounced Maria José Pacheco, executive secretary of the Pastoral Council of Fishermen in Bahia.
Bridge: development or destruction?
Although it is a logistical shortcut that favors agricultural transport, the bridge project raises a crucial question: Does progress justify the destruction of ecosystems and the impact on vulnerable communities?
The controversy continues amid the analysis of environmental licensing, which so far has only obtained a preliminary license.
Severino Agra points out flaws in the Environmental Impact Report, claiming that it does not adequately cover the expected damage.
As the Bahia government and the consortium move forward with planning, it remains to be seen whether the promise of development will offset the ecological and social costs.
Could the price of progress be paid by destroying ecosystems and compromising the way of life of traditional communities?
Ever since I was a child, I have been hearing this speech that progress is to blame for destroying animals and forests... yes, it is true, however, no environmentalist shows solutions to make life easier for thousands of people who are born every day. There is no progress anywhere in the world without it bringing some problems to the environment in question.
Tell these environmentalists to buy a house on the Island or in Reconcavo and wait 5 hours in the ferry queues on weekends and holidays... 200/300 fishermen or shellfish gatherers will be harmed, for a logistical and social benefit for more than 1 million people and/or tourists...
Some of these environmental critics may be receiving some contribution from the ferryboat operators to criticize the progress of the bridge construction. Because they know that with the bridge and the operation of the ferryboats, they will no longer have the flow they have today. Environmentalists may not study sustainable development in a country to understand that no country considered developed will have to limit its progress because of shellfish, humpback whales, and turtles. These animals do not have a fixed space in the water; they live where they adapt best. Therefore, if the noise of pillars being installed or other noises scare them here, they have millions of km2 of sea to explore. The shellfish gatherers, who are the poorest classes of people in the region, can improve their lives with the construction of the bridge, which will offer them economic alternatives, both for these people and for other inhabitants of these areas. And, the most important thing is the reduction in time for those who transport cargo for the fish trade. Salvador, who comes from different regions of Brazil, will have to travel a long way to get to the capital, via Feira de Santana. These are the difficulties that make the prices of products in the markets and even at Ceasa more expensive. Don't environmentalists know that? These environmentalists would be better off looking for other things to criticize and leaving the bridge project alone.
I fully agree with you