as part of a broader popular backlash against the port; while it was initially supported by locals who hoped for jobs, opinion has turned against it as the jobs have not appeared. In July 2006, federal prosecutor Felícia Pontes Jr. suggested that the government was close to shutting down the port. Cargill responded to criticisms of the port by emphasizing its contribution to encouraging economic development in the local province, one of the poorest in Brazil. It says that "extreme measures," such as closing the port, are not necessary because "Soybean occupies less than 0.6 percent of the land in the Amazon biome today." Cargill also points to its partnership with The Nature Conservancy to encourage farmers around Santarém to comply with Brazilian law that requires 80% of forest cover to be left intact in Amazon forest areas while the land is being cultivated. Sister cities Santarém, Portugal See also Fordlândia Nova República Further reading Allen, J. A. 1876. "List of Birds Collected by Mr. Charles Linden, Near Santarem, Brazil," Bull. Essex Inst. 8(8): 78-83. Bernard, E., and M. B. Fenton. 2007. "Bats in a Fragmented Landscape: Species Composition, Diversity and Habitat Interactions in Savannas of Santarem, Central Amazonia, Brazil," Biological Conservation. 134, no. 3: 332-343. Easby, Elizabeth K. 1952. "The Pre-Conquest Art of Santarém, Brazil". M.A. Thesis, Department of Fine Arts and Archaeology, Columbia University, New York. Fearnside, Philip M. 2007. "Brazil's Cuiaba- Santarem (BR-163) Highway: The Environmental Cost of Paving a Soybean Corridor Through the Amazon". Environmental Management. 39, no. 5: 601. Winklerprins, Antoinette M G A. 2006. "Jute Cultivation in the Lower Amazon, 1940-1990: An Ethnographic Account from Santarem, Para, Brazil", Journal of Historical Geography. 32, no. 4: 818. References External links Santarém WebSite Municipalities in Pará Populated places on the Amazon 1661 establishments in the Portuguese Empire