Along BA-247, the border of Bahia with Tocantins is green and yellow: kilometers of soy, corn, and cotton farms paint the horizon for hours, in a practically inert landscape. From time to time, the silence is broken by the engine of small planes flying over the fields, spraying poison and spreading an acidic smell, similar to bleach. Carried by the wind, the pesticides make the eyes burn and the throat itch even for those inside the car, just passing through.
On the road, sometimes paved, sometimes dirt, it is difficult to find a snack bar, gas station, or traffic signs, although there are plenty of signs with names of different rural properties. Folha's report even had to ask a truck driver for directions, but he didn't know which way the municipality of Mateiros (TO) was. "Here, I only know the way to the farms," he replied.
Mateiros (about 305 km from the capital, Palmas) is the gateway to Jalapão, a region that attracts tourists with its plateaus, dunes, and crystal-clear waters, in the eastern portion of Tocantins. Upon arrival, the contrast between the monotony of the soy sea and the biodiversity of the cerrado is striking.
Right at one of the first paths, where dense vegetation surrounds the springs, it was possible to spot a maned wolf on the side of the road, which quickly disappeared into the bushes when it noticed the approaching car. Away from the plantations, the heat becomes a little milder, the air smells of earth, and the soundtrack is provided by macaws. There, areas protected by law prevent the advance of the correntão (a deforestation method where a thick chain is attached to two tractors, which move in a straight line, uprooting the trees) over the cerrado. This is the so-called Jalapão Mosaic, a set of nine conservation units, covering almost 30,000 km², that spread across municipalities in Tocantins, Bahia, Piauí, and Maranhão.