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Nazareno, A., Lovejoy, T. Giant dam threatens Brazilian rainforest. Nature 478, 37 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/478037b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/478037b
Mateus Ferrareze
Despite nearly 250 years of occupation and agriculture, the Brazilian Pantanal still maintains many natural characteristics. Nevertheless, this scenario is rapidly changing. Due to the high economic value of agriculture commodities and government subsidies with extremely generous tax incentives, an ever growing number of people are moving to the region, causing more deforestation of the natural vegetation. Besides that, the country is going through a period of high social-economical development so the demand for electric energy increases. As the Brazilian energy policy is based on hydroelectrically produced electricity, the building of power plants is a government priority and hundreds of dams are being planned and constructed in the whole country, some of gigantic proportions, as stated by Nazareno and Lovejoy (Nature 478: 37, 2011). Although giant dams merit highlighting, most of the requests for an installation license are for small size undertakings (for a flooding area of up to 3.0 km2 and an output power between 1,000 and 30,000 kW; see www.aneel.gov.br). It is currently foreseen that there will be 84 small hydroelectric power plants in the Pantanal region alone (see www.cpap.embrapa.br/publica.... These undertakings ignore the World Wildlife Fund conservation evaluation and the Biodiversity Support Program that the Pantanal is ?globally notable? and ?vulnerable? and has the ?highest priority? for conservation action. Construction of dams in the Pantanal will alter the pulse of floods, jeopardise the biodiversity of the region, limit migration of fish that swim up the rivers to reproduce, and retain aquatic organisms that are important for animal feeding. They will also alter the dynamic of nutrients, impeding them from flowing from one place to another, jeopardising both the aquatic biota and terrestrial ecological processes. A replication of this energetic model represents a continuation of an outdated production mechanism which causes enormous environmental and social damage. When approving such plans, the Brazilian Government should consider The Convention on Wetlands (see www.ramsar.org) that came into force in 1993, and engineers who deal with the technical issues should think of modern and alternative plans, which would permit the equation of energy production, environmental conservation, and social needs with country development.
Ferrareze, M. & Casatti, L.
Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, IBILCE, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Brasil
mferrareze@ibb.unesp.br