There are currently over 60 major hydroelectric dam projects in the Amazon. The third largest project is the Belo Monte on the Xingu River, Brazil, which has already displaced 20,000 indigenous and riverine people.
Belo Monte
Brazil’s New Government Needs Economic Growth and May Sacrifice the Amazon To Get It
The impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff, coup or not, represents a fundamental realigning of modern Brazil. For some in the country, the crisis is an opportunity. These politicians and businessmen are now exploiting the upheaval to roll-back environmental laws and get their hands on the vast natural resources found in protected regions...
Brazil Judge Suspends Operating License for Belo Monte Hydrodam
A judge in Brazil's Amazonian state of Para suspended the operating license of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River for failing to provide required water and sewage services to local communities.
Victory on Brazil’s Tapajós River and the Battle that Lies Ahead
Last week, in a stunning turn of events, Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA definitively shelved plans to carve the São Luiz do Tapajós mega-dam into the heart of the Amazon. Deeming the project a socio-environmental liability for its devastating impacts upon the lands and way of life of the Munduruku people, IBAMA's bold move could reflect a...
Indigenous Tribe Applauds State Move To Cancel Brazil Amazon Dam
Indigenous people living in Brazil's rainforest have welcomed a decision by the national environment agency to cancel a proposed mega-dam in the Amazon which they say would have displaced communities while opening the sensitive region to logging.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Major Amazon Dam Opposed by Tribes Fails To Get Environmental License
Christian Poirier of Amazon Watch said: "We have been awaiting such a welcome announcement from the Brazilian government for more than a decade, while witnessing the tragic and unnecessary damming of the Madeira and Xingu rivers during this time."
Brazilian Government Cancels Mega-dam on the Amazon’s Tapajós River
Brasilia, Brazil – Brazil's Federal Environmental Agency announced the cancellation of licensing for the polemic São Luiz do Tapajós mega-dam, the largest hydroelectric project planned for the Amazon.
Indigenous People Protest Against the Violation of Their Rights in Front of Brasilia Embassies
Last week's indigenous mobilization in Brasilia – detailed in the following blog from the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) – came as a response to the current, alarming and mounting assault on the rights of Brazil's indigenous peoples. The Brasilia protest articulated an appeal from indigenous leadership to national governments via their...
Dams Threaten Future of Amazonian Biodiversity, Major New Study Warns
Amazonia's surge in hydropower development threatens numerous species with extinction and puts unique habitats at risk, warns a recent study.
Brazil: Rules Protecting Amazon Under Threat in New Political Fight
Renewed attempts by top lawmakers to remove environmental licensing requirements for "strategic" development projects in Brazil have been stalled. Controversial schemes include stalled plans for the São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric complex – which critics warn could infringe on indigenous lands, destroy local biodiversity and trigger...
Brazil’s New Government May Be Less Likely To Protect the Amazon, Critics Say
"Those who have taken power are backing an explicitly regressive, anti-environmental agenda," said Christian Poirier, of U.S.-based Amazon Watch.
Brazil Prepares to Roll Back Green Laws
Taking advantage of Brazil's present political turbulence, as the battle to impeach President Dilma Rousseff reaches its climax, reactionary politicians are quietly rolling back environmental and indigenous protection laws in defiance of the country's commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Brazil’s Political Meltdown Could Spell Disaster for the Amazon
Under the cover of political mayhem, lawmakers have discreetly moved this polemic proposal toward a plenary vote, threatening to erase Brazil's environmental legislation in one fell swoop.
Belo Monte and How NOT to Produce Energy in the 21st Century
The most important project of President Dilma Rousseff's energy program is also a monumental example of how energy should not be produced in the 21st century. In addition to its high price tag, the dam is associated with corruption and massive human rights violations due to its social and environmental impacts.
Bold Moves Block Tapajós Mega-dam and Uphold Indigenous Rights, for Now
In the shadow of last week's contentious vote to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's indigenous agency FUNAI and environmental agency IBAMA made unexpected, decisive rulings in defense of indigenous rights and ecological protection in the Amazon.
Amazon Mega-dam Suspended, Providing Hope for Indigenous People and Biodiversity
This Wednesday, IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Resources suspended the São Luiz do Tapajós dam’s license, citing its threat to the Indigenous lands of the Munduruku Indians, a land claim just recently recognized by FUNAI, Brazil’s National Indian Foundation. The decision could still be reversed by the Brazilian...
Brazil Amazon Dam Project Suspended Over Concerns for Indigenous People
While the recession may have forced a pause in the development of the region, Brazil’s political crisis, which looks set to see President Dilma Rousseff removed from office next month, could change that dynamic. “We are living in a moment of great instability. Potentially, a new Ibama president could reverse the decision.”
Insider Claims Rousseff Coalition Took Funds from Belo Monte Mega-Dam
"It further confirms what we've suspected since the project was rammed forward, in violation of Brazil's legislation and constitution," said Christian Poirier, program director of Amazon Watch. "Today's news sheds further light on the rampant corruption that underpins the construction of Belo Monte. Aside from its looming ethical...
Belo Monte and the Face of Development We Refuse To See
It does not come as a surprise to those who have followed the Belo Monte saga over the last six years that the mega-dam has been allowed to begin operating this year without first complying with most of its legally mandated socio-environmental conditions.
Belo Monte a Symbol of Obscene Destruction and Corruption in Brazil
Amazon Watch and our allies have long argued that the Belo Monte mega-dam project made no sense in terms of energy production or economics – especially taking into account the enormous environmental and social destruction it was certain to cause. The dam was constructed despite the steadfast resistance of the affected Kayapo and riverine peoples...
Honoring River Defenders: Brazil’s Munduruku People
In light of last week's damning evidence directly implicating Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Lula da Silva in a kickback scheme, a driving force behind Brazil's dam-building boom has been laid bare: corruption.
Report from the Amazon: Altamira, a City Transformed by the Belo Monte Dam
The scale of this change, mind-boggling as it is, is not unusual in this part of the world. Over the last half century, Brazil’s economic frontier reached the region, bringing a huge influx of workers – waves of loggers, gold-panners, cattlemen, miners, road and dam builders.
Which Chinese Corporations Have Their Eyes on the Amazon?
The implosion of Brazilian businesses with the Lava Jato corruption operation, the devaluing of the Real currency, and the rise in credit rates in Brazil have created an opportunity for Chinese businesses to establish greater participation in the country. Taking advantage of this situation, the China Three Gorges enterprise is preparing to make an...
In Santarém More Than 500 People Debate Dams, but the Brazilian Government Doesn’t Send a Representative
So many people attended the hearing that in the beginning one group that couldn't manage to enter the public auditorium provoked a bit of a ruckus in response to the attempt to cancel or change the location of the hearing.
The High Price of Belo Monte and Modernization in the Life of the Muratu Indigenous Community
The most drastic change in Bel's life was the obliteration of her ancestral identity and the imposition of a new identity when she was compelled to transform from a fisherwoman into a farmer.
Munduruku Building New Alliances To Fight Tapajós Basin Dams in Amazon
"They want to end the history of the Munduruku, but we won't let them," chief Juarez Saw declared. After every pronouncement, his listeners responded with a resounding shout: "Sawé!" – both a salutation and a war cry.
The World’s Forests Will Collapse If We Don’t Learn To Say "No"
An alarming new study has shown that the world's forests are not only disappearing rapidly, but that areas of "core forest" – remote interior areas critical for disturbance-sensitive wildlife and ecological processes – are vanishing even faster.
Belo Monte: Burning Legal Timber Stokes the Fires of Brazil’s Illegal Lumber Market
The burning of trees and animal deaths is only the first stage of a vicious cycle that marks the relationship between Belo Monte and the surrounding forest. Authorized to devastate thousands of hectares, the plant should use the timber for its own purpose or donate it for external use. The entry of large volumes of timber into the local market...
Brazil Court Revokes Injunction Blocking Belo Monte Dam Operation
The ministry said a decision from the federal court in Brasilia lifted the earlier order blocking the beginning of power generation at Belo Monte, which had been planned for the coming weeks.
