ACROSS THE RIVER from the congested metropolis of Manaus, nothing but dense green forest lines the banks of the River Negro in the Brazilian Amazon. Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas and host city to England’s opening match against Italy in the forthcoming Fifa World Cup, is an urban oasis surrounded by more than 5 million sq. km of rainforest, the largest expanse of jungle in the world. But later this year, the Manaus-Iranduba bridge will lead to a new university city across the river in the middle of the forest.

An ambitious project now under way, supported by R300 million (Rs.775.8 crore) in initial funding, will provide a new central campus for the University of the State of Amazonas (UEA), testimony to seemingly unstoppable growth in the region. Following its creation in 2001 from the vocationally focused University of Technology of Amazonas, the publicly funded university expanded to 57 of the 62 municipalities across the state, reaching some of the remotest parts of the country. In less than 15 years, it has outgrown its outdated buildings and now requires greater infrastructure for its burgeoning student population.

The new Cidade Universitaria (university city) will offer a base for the biggest multi-campus university in Brazil, uniting the current five sites in Manaus. The project will also involve increasing the university’s satellite campuses from a current tally of nine. But creating a nucleus in the middle of the rainforest brings with it some unique challenges. “The biggest question is the environmental impact and, above all, the preservation of biodiversity, which is a characteristic of our university,” says Cleimaldo de Almeida Costa, rector of the university. “It’s very delicate from a planning point of view and logistics are very complicated.”

The massive 13 million sq. m site in the city of Iranduba, across the river from Manaus, is within an environmental protection area on the River Negro. The area is home to 52 species of fish, three species of crocodiles and 80 bird species. According to an environmental impact study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Protection of Amazonas, “almost all” native fauna will be affected with “irreversible fragmentation” of habitats. The lecturers’ union at the neighbouring Federal University of Amazonas has criticised plans for the new UEA campus on the grounds of its environmental impact.

But the Amazonas state government says the master plan has taken account of environmental and geographical concerns, and that the new university city will address problems posed by the region’s challenging geography.

(Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education)