Manaus: Manaus: _DSC8561

A couple stands near the banks of the Rio Negro in Ponta Negra, an upscale neighborhood of Manaus, on Friday, March 16, 2012.The Manaus- Iranduba Bridge over the Rio Negro branch of the Amazon River is the first to cross the world's greatest river system. It is a reflection of the development at the center of the world's largest rainforest. It will bring much-needed economic opportunities for those living on the opposite bank. However, environmentalists fear that the bridge, combined with new gas pipelines, roads and rising populations, could open up the rainforest to further destruction. Photographed on Saturday, March 10, 2012.

A couple stands near the banks of the Rio Negro in Ponta Negra, an upscale neighborhood of Manaus, on Friday, March 16, 2012. 

The Manaus- Iranduba Bridge over the Rio Negro branch of the Amazon River is the first to cross the world's greatest river system. It is a reflection of the development at the center of the world's largest rainforest. It will bring much-needed economic opportunities for those living on the opposite bank. However, environmentalists fear that the bridge, combined with new gas pipelines, roads and rising populations, could open up the rainforest to further destruction. Photographed on Saturday, March 10, 2012.