[Ursus sapien]

"...The Brazilian government is preparing to give the green light for the Belo Monte Dam to be built on the Xingu River in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. If built, it would be the third-largest dam in the world. The dam complex would divert nearly the entire flow of the Xingu River along 100 kilometers and devastate an extensive area of the Amazon rainforest, threatening the survival of indigenous and traditional peoples and displacing up to 40,000 people. With more than 80 percent of the Belo Monte dam to be funded by BNDES (the Brazilian National Development Bank), Belo Monte is a critical battle in the fight for the Amazon and for Latin America's future. Belo Monte is the gateway dam for 70 proposed dams throughout the Amazon... "

Additionally, a number of distinct species of rainforst fish face extinction as a result of this project. For more info, or to add your voice to the protest:

Amazon Watch link

Facebook group

 

[skrick]

Great post

 

[effox]

Already signed up.

 

[Luke78]

An excellent post, i signed the petition as well.

 

[Ursus sapien]

As one of my most respected aquarium gurus said in a post:
if you like Loracarids (that's all the plecos we love in the hobby, folks), you had better start breeding them. The ecological impact of this is going to be brutal, given the diversity of rivers like the Xingu.

 

[jobber]

List of endangered fish species of the Rio Xingu:
(Taken from AMAZONAS: AMAZONAS 31: S. 8-12 Belo Monte (englisch))
Aequidens michaeli
Anostomoides passionis
Astaynax dnophos
Moenkhausia heikoi
Ossubtus xinguense
Parancistrus nudiventris
Pituna xinguensis
Plesiolebias altamira
Simpsonichthys reticulatus
Teleocichla centisquama
L013 Peckoltia sp.
L014 Scobinancistrus aureatus
L015 Peckoltia vittata
L017 Hopliancistrus sp.
L018 Baryancistrus sp.
L019 Baryancistrus sp.
L020 Oligancistrus sp.
L046 Hypancistrus zebra
L047 Baryancistrus sp .
L048 Scobinancistrus sp.
L066 Hypancistrus sp.
L075 Peckoltia sabaji (Xingu Population)
L081 Baryancistrus sp.
L082 Ancistrini sp.
L172 Ancistrini sp.
L173 Hypancistrus sp.
L174 Hypancistrus sp.
L177 Baryancistrus sp.
L236 Hypancistrus sp.
L250 Hypancistrus sp.
L252 Ancistrini sp.
L253 Scobinancistrus sp.
L254 Spectracanthicus sp.
L258 Parancistrus sp.
L315 Spectracanthicus sp.
L333 Hypancistrus sp.
L353 Oligancistrus sp.
L354 Oligancistrus sp.
L399 Hypancistrus sp.
L400 Hypancistrus sp.
Hypancistrus sp. „Unterer Xingu" Artenkomplex
Leporacanthicus heterodon

 

[Luke78]

Ming,

Thanks for posting that list up, too many species that are vital for many purposes.Lets not forget the thousands of people living off the lands near by.

 

[Ursus sapien]

Thanks Ming,

I knew the list was extensive but couldn't for the life of me re-find the information. Thanks for that.

 

[jobber]

For me, its the local tribes that depend on the river that concerns me. Aside from the fish which provides the local collectors income. Its so sad and helpless to see this happen in my lifetime.

 

[Ursus sapien]

Absolutely. It's why I mentioned the extinctions 2nd in the initial post. It's an old school, 'Soviet-style' mega project that is a tragedy no matter which way you look at it.

 

[jobber]

Taken from: Brazil pulls out of OAS meet over Amazon dam dispute - Yahoo! News

Brazil pulls out of OAS meet over Amazon dam dispute

Brazil will not take part in the annual meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington on Wednesday due to a dispute over a giant hydroelectric plant, said opponents of the scheme.
"We received a statement from the permanent mission to to OAS on Friday evening and reports that Brazil will not be represented at the meeting," said lawyer Andressa Calgas, director of support group Global Justice, at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro.
In the statement, Brazil reiterated that all social and environmental protection measures related to the $11 billion project in western Para state, along the Xingu river in Brazil's Amazon rainforest project should be met.
The decision not to appear at the meeting "shows the cowardice of the government" that "wants to avoid being publicly blamed," Calgas said.
Environmentalists and activists for Brazil's indigenous peoples on September 29 cheered a federal court order halting construction at the controversial dam.
Government officials said they would appeal the decision on the project, which is a centerpiece of efforts to boost energy production in the rapidly growing economy but has drawn criticism both at home and abroad for its impact.
The Belo Monte dam would be the third biggest dam in the world, after China's Three Gorges construction and the Itaipu dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay.
It would produce more than 11,000 megawatts, or about 11 percent of Brazil's current installed capacity.
The project is expected to employ 20,000 people directly in construction, flood an area of 500 square kilometers (200 square miles) along the Xingu river and will displace 16,000 people.

 

[Ursus sapien]

thank you for the update Ming