For more than a decade the Hidrovia project has proposed to dredge and canalize the Paraguay and Parana Rivers to create a 2,100-mile (3,400-kilometer) channel at least ten feet (three meters) deep throughout so that oceangoing ships could reach the interior of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. ... Hidrovia's goal is to expand exports of soybeans, timber, iron ore, and other commodities from the interior. -Zoltan Istvan, “Drainage Plan Will Devastate South American Rivers, Groups Say" How has geography affected human activities in the region Zoltan Istvan discusses?