Indigenous leaders traveled to Paris and London to protest the construction of mega-dams in the Amazon.
Belo Monte
Brazil Judge Blocks Amazon Belo Monte Dam
BBC | Para, Brazil – A Brazilian judge has blocked plans to build a huge hydro-electric dam in the Amazon rainforest because of environmental concerns.
Amazonian Leaders Tour Europe to Warn Investors of Risks of Large Dams
Delegation Exposes the Role of Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) in Bankrolling Amazon Destruction
A two-week delegation of Amazon indigenous leaders and their allies to Europe will highlight socially and environmentally destructive mega-dams planned for the Amazon basin while highlighting greener alternatives for meeting Brazil’s energy needs.
Judge Suspends Partial License for Construction of the Belo Monte Dam
Judge Orders Immediate Halt of Construction Plans Until Preparatory Conditions Are Met
Para, Brazil – A Federal Judge in the Brazilian state of Para has ordered the immediate suspension of the partial installation license for the commencement of construction of the Belo Monte Dam Complex on the margins of the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon.
"A Message from Pandora" Wins International Cinema for Peace Award
The 20-Minute Feature Spotlights the Battle to Stop the Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon
Berlin, Germany – At today's Cinema for Peace film festival Gala, the International Jury announced James Cameron's "A Message from Pandora" as the winner of the Cinema for Peace's international Award.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Belo Monte and Brazil's "Pandora"
Can a Massive Dam Project in the Amazon Be Stopped?
In These Times | Brasilia, Brazil – It's the biggest forest battle on Earth. The plot: a big government, in this case Brazil – armed to the teeth with unlimited executive and financial powers – takes on a rag tag group of river-dwelling tribes and around 20,000 poor people who happen to be in the way of what might become the world's largest...
Indigenous Tribes Protest Against Amazon Dam
BBC | Brasilia, Brazil – Hundreds of indigenous Brazilians have been protesting in the capital against the construction of what will be the world's third biggest hydro-electric dam.
Brazilian Protesters Criticize Dam Project
CNN | Brasilia, Brazil – Environmentalists and indigenous-rights supporters gathered in the Brazilian capital Tuesday to protest a hydroelectric dam project that they say would be devastating to the Amazon region.
Over 600,000 Petitions Delivered to Brazilian Government This Week
If you are one of over 600,00 people who signed the global petition to stop the Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon, you should know that your signature didn't get lost in cyberspace somewhere. It was delivered to the Brazilian government on Tuesday afternoon here in Brasilia by a delegation of indigenous and community leaders from the Xingu...
Hundreds Protest Against the Belo Monte Dam
Outside the Brazilian Congress and Presidential Palace, hundreds of people gathered in protest, including indigenous chiefs and community leaders from the Xingu River basin.
Dam-Affected People Deliver Half a Million Signatures to Stop the Belo Monte Dam
Several Hundred Amazonian Indigenous Leaders and Dam-Affected People Participate in Colorful Demonstration and Deliver Signatures to the Office of the President
Brasilia, Brazil – Over half a million people, most of them Brazilians, are calling on newly-elected President Dilma to halt plans to construct the Belo Monte Dam. Outside the Brazilian Congress and Presidential Palace, several hundred people gathered in protest, including indigenous chiefs and community leaders from the Xingu River basin.
Developer Backing Out of Loan for Construction of Risky Belo Monte Dam
After Last Week's Green Light to Begin Construction, the Dam Consortium Faces Another Hurdle as BNDES Reveals It Will Not Release Funds Until Full License Granted
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – After learning that the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) will not release funds from the $640 million bridge loan issued in late December unless Brazilian legislation is honored, the dam consortium Norte Energia, S.A. (NESA) is threatening to drop the loan and is now seeking private funders to finance...
China and Brazil Inundate Latin America with Dams
Inter-Press Service (IPS) | The growing presence of Chinese and Brazilian capital in Latin America's energy sector is facilitating the construction of hydroelectric complexes, but is also the fuelling nationalist stances that are adding to the environmental criticisms of those major projects.
Brazil's Belo Monte Dam: A Major Threat to the Amazon and Its People
This briefing paper focuses on the Brazilian government's plans to build the third-largest dam in the world and one of the Amazon's most controversial development projects.
Brazilian President's Promises Crumble Under Weight of Belo Monte Dam
Dilma Rousseff Pleased Environmentalists with Her Inaugural Speech, but They're Not So Happy Now
The Guardian | Brazil's new president, Dilma Rousseff, has never been popular among environmentalists. Since the early days of predecessor Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's presidency many activists have seen her as a leader with an old-fashioned view of development. Something like "economic growth is priority number one, no matter if some hectares of Amazon...
Brazilian Dam Clears Hurdle
The New York Times | A significant hurdle in the construction of a huge dam on a tributary of the Amazon river was removed this week when Brazilian authorities approved the clearing of hundreds of acres of forest at the dam site and the construction of new roads to service the project.
Brazil Green Lights Amazon Dam Despite Opposition
New Dilma Government Approves Fast-Track Forest Clearance and Commencement of Controversial Belo Monte Construction Site
Brazília, Brazil – The Brazilian government has issued a "partial" installation license allowing the Belo Monte Dam Complex to break ground on the margins of the Amazon's Xingu River despite egregious disregard for human rights and environmental legislation, the unwavering protests of civil society and condemnations by its Federal Public...
Risky Business in the Amazon
New Report Reveals Looming Financial, Legal and Reputational Disaster of Belo Monte, World's Third Largest Dam Project
Brasília and São Paulo, Brazil – The Belo Monte Dam Complex, slated to begin construction in April along the Xingu River in heart of the Brazilian Amazon, not only threatens ecological integrity and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and other local communities but also presents tremendous risks for financiers, investors and the country's...
Critic of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil Receives "Right Livelihood Award"
Belem, Brazil – International Rivers, Amazon Watch and the Movimento Xingu Vivo para Sempre celebrate the news that Bishop Erwin Kräutler will be one of four recipients of this year's Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize."
March and Human Banner Are Reminder that "The Rivers of the Amazon Are Alive"
700 people, many threatened by dams and deforestation, form a human banner on Tapajós River in Santarém to bring attention to the threat of large dams in the Amazon
Santarém, Para, Brazil – For the people of the Amazon, the forests and the rivers are life. That is why they mobilized at the V Pan Amazon Forum in a global call to protect the rivers of the Amazon.
Just Released: James Cameron's "A Message from Pandora"
The 20-minute Feature Available on the Avatar Extended Collector's Edition DVD Casts Timely Spotlight on the Battle to Stop the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil
Los Angeles, CA – James Cameron, the creator of Avatar, has produced a short new film called "A Message from Pandora" – released this week — about an epic battle to stop the massive Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon.
Construction of the Belo Monte Dam Could be Delayed
Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency Technicians Recommend Against Partial Construction License Until Safeguard Conditions Are Met
Brasilia, Brazil – The technical team from Brazil's environmental protection agency, IBAMA, has issued its long-awaited technical assessment on the Belo Monte Dam Complex strongly recommending against a partial installation license until the dam building consortium, Norte Energia complies with upwards of 40 social and environmental...
Indígenas piden a la CIDH la suspensión de la presa de Belo Monte en Brasil
EFE | Grupos de indígenas y organizaciones de derechos humanos han solicitado protección a la CIDH para que suspenda la construcción de la hidroeléctrica de Belo Monte, en la Amazonía brasileña, informó hoy la organización Amazon Watch.
Indigenous and Riverbank Communities: Suspend the Belo Monte Dam
As the government prepares to issue the dam's construction license, communities urge the Commission to denounce illegalities in licensing and violations of human rights
Washington, D.C., Brazil – Today international and Brazilian human rights and environmental organizations submitted a formal petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), denouncing grave and imminent violations upon the rights of indigenous and riverine communities that will be affected by the construction of Belo Monte...
Belo Monte: It's Not Too Late!
The Brazilian government is on the eve of granting permission begin construction on the Belo Monte Dam, which would carve the world's third largest hydroelectric dam into the heart of the Amazon. We need to take action now before it's too late.
Amazon in Focus 2010
In this year’s Amazon in Focus, we are pleased to present to you powerful and insightful articles from our campaigners in the field. The journeys and events that inspired these articles demonstrate the breadth of our work and, at the same time, the depth of our connection to our indigenous partners and the rainforest.
The September Eye on the Amazon Is Out!
The latest version of our Eye on the Amazon enewsletter is out and online. Among other developments, it highlights the historic agreement the Government of Ecuador has made with the United Nations to create a trust fund in exchange for refraining from drilling for oil in the Yasuni National Park.
Brazil Dam Project Prompts Animated Response from Director Cameron
CNN | Movie director, James Cameron has teamed up with environmental campaigners in an effort to help Brazilian tribes' epic fight against the construction of a controversial dam in northern Brazil. "Defending the Rivers of the Amazon" is a 10-minute interactive presentation created jointly by Amazon Watch and International Rivers.
Defending the Rivers of the Amazon, with Sigourney Weaver
10-minute Tour in 3-D Highlights the Dam's Harmful Impacts on Xingu River and Greener Alternatives
Amazon Watch and International Rivers | Sigourney Weaver Narrates New Google Earth Animation on Brazil's Controversial Belo Monte Dam in the Amazon Rainforest.
