Soy crops squeeze Amazon park with 11,000-year-old rock paintings in Brazil

Soy crops squeeze Amazon park with 11,000-year-old rock paintings in Brazil

MONTE ALEGRE, Brazil — Despite its name, all is not well in Monte Alegre, or “Happy Mountain.” Situated on the north bank of the Amazon River, some 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) from Santarém, a town with some 50,000 inhabitants, Monte Alegre guards one of Brazil’s best-kept secrets. Founded as a conservation area in 2001, the Monte Alegre State Park (PEMA in Portuguese), protects a forested complex of canyons, valleys and caves, home to some 600 …