Belo Monte Research Articles

The impact of hydropower dam construction on malaria incidence: Space-time analysis in the Brazilian Amazon.

During the first two decades of the 21st century, Brazil carried out massive public investments on infrastructure projects, such as large hydropower dams, with potential impact on population health. Here we characterize local malaria transmission and its potential spread during the construction of three large hydropower dams in the Brazilian Amazon. We focus on Porto Velho (PVH), in Rondônia state, where the Santo Antônio and Jirau dams were built (2008-2013), and Altamira region (ATM), in Pará state, where the construction of the Belo Monte dam took place (2011-2016). Analyzed data cover 4 years before, 6 years during, and 4 years after each dam construction. In total, we utilized malaria case notifications entered into the electronic malaria notification system of the Ministry of Health of Brazil between January 2004 and December 2020 (n = 39,977,167 malaria notifications). First, we used Interrupted Time-Series Analysis (ITSA) to assess temporal changes in malaria notifications in the study sites. Then, we conducted a space-time cluster analysis to investigate the potential of malaria spread from the study sites (sources) to elsewhere (sinks). Finally, we present the sociodemographic characteristics of exported cases over time using multivariate logistic regressions. Our results show that there was no upsurge in malaria cases in the study sites and exported cases did not trigger outbreaks in other localities. Exported malaria infections originating from PVH and ATM were typically found in working age literate males involved in mining, farming or traveling. We suggest that efficient control measures, such as ensuring timely diagnosis and treatment; fostering integrated vector control; promoting health education; and prevention, detection and containment of outbreaks, if properly implemented and sustained, may prevent local and introduced malaria outbreaks during and after hydropower dam construction in the Amazon.

Socioeconomic impact assessment during the stages of building and operating hydropower plants in the Legal Amazon Region

Hydropower plants (HPPs) play an important role in the Brazilian energy matrix, largely in the Amazon region where the largest amount of hydropower generation potential is found. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze socioeconomic impacts caused in the stages of building and operating a large HPP in the Legal Amazon region. For such a purpose, the socioeconomic impacts detected in environmental studies of five projects (Belo Monte, Jirau, Peixe Angical, São Manoel and São Salvador) were analyzed. Socioeconomic impacts were sorted out according to the stage of their life cycle (construction and operation); these impacts were compared using a matrix and a descriptive analysis of data. Many similarities and correlations between the socioeconomic impacts were found in five studies. During the analysis, it was found that numerous impacts were improperly mitigated in these studies. Furthermore, social costs, such as population relocation, are typically underestimated, and gains brought by operating the HPP are overestimated. It is expected that an assessment of socioeconomic impacts caused by HPP in the Legal Amazon is going to allow broadening discussions about these constructions in areas of socioenvironmental sensitivity. Moreover, it is found that socioeconomic impacts in assessed studies are associated with multiple conflicts between the population affected by the project, government, and enterprise.

State of Exception and Internal Colonialism:The Construction of the Belo Monte Power Plant in Brazil

This study analyzes two of the most important pillars of Brazil's developmentalist project: its internal colonialism and the use of the State of Exception. In order to do that, the focus of the analysis is the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant, identified as an outstanding case of Brazil's development project. The adopted methodology is based on bibliographic and documentary review through law and literature. It explains the Brazilian project by tracing parallels between the Belo Monte plant and the construction of the windmill in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. The first parallel is the manipulation of ideas to generate social legitimization. In Orwell’s novella, the legitimation was generated by the popular demand for better lives for all, summarized in the promise of the “three-days week”, while in Brazil the basis for social legitimation is the fuzzy concept of development, almost interchangeable with economic growth, based on a notion of trickle-down economics according to which the whole population would stand to gain from the enrichment of a few. The second parallel is the creation of a State of Exception aimed at making the exception of law the rule in specific territories and to specific populations in order to legally justify the constructions. Finally, it brings up a debate about what it means to be a subject of rights in a context of autoimperialism, drawing attention to the fact that traditional populations, such as indigenous peoples, are being sacrificed in the name of a Brazilian developmental project, as for accumulation to exists it needs to coexist with violence and hoarding.

A territorial approach for infrastructure project management: the case of the hydropower plant of Belo Monte, Pará, Brazil

Resumo A complexidade sociopolítica e custos transacionais dos projetos de infraestrutura são exacerbados na Amazônia brasileira, rica em recursos e com fragilidades socioambientais, apresentando desafios para o gerenciamento de projetos. Vetores da estratégia nacional de desenvolvimento, megaprojetos não entregam desenvolvimento local, sobrecarregam serviços públicos, alteram modos de vida, violam direitos humanos, intensificam vulnerabilidades sociais, com degradação ambiental e desmatamento. Apesar do maior escrutínio do licenciamento ambiental, o processo é insuficiente para mitigar impactos, e a participação social limitada. Consequências para o gerenciamento de projetos incluem atrasos, judicializações e danos reputacionais, e oportunidades perdidas para o desenvolvimento territorial sustentável. A tomada de decisão permanece tecnocrática e isolada da sociedade civil, ignorando seu caráter político. Projetos territorialmente cegos e socialmente surdos levam a contestações da sociedade e baixa antecipação das demandas, fazendo dos territórios meros repositórios de investimentos. Por meio de análise documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas e um estudo de caso da Usina Hidrelétrica de Belo Monte, na Amazônia brasileira, investigamos como uma abordagem territorial na governança da infraestrutura pode afetar o gerenciamento de projetos. A análise mostra que territórios influenciam e são influenciados pelos megaprojetos, corroborando a ideia de que especificidades contextuais requerem formas específicas de planejamento e gerenciamento. Uma abordagem territorial específica ao contexto poderia antecipar melhor alguns dos desafios e complexidades da gestão de infraestrutura nos países em desenvolvimento e economias emergentes. Além disso, resultados orientados a metas de desenvolvimento, como os ODS, podem ser mais eficientes tanto para territórios como para a entrega de projetos.

Uma abordagem territorial para o gerenciamento de projetos de infraestrutura: o caso da usina hidrelétrica de Belo Monte, Pará, Brasil

Abstract The socio-political complexity and consequent transactional and institutional costs of infrastructure projects are magnified in the Brazilian Amazon, a rich-resource region with social and environmental fragilities, thus posing challenges for project management. One of the main drivers of the Brazilian development strategy is infrastructure projects. However, these projects struggle to meet results in terms of local development, overloading social services, changing livelihoods, violating human rights, and exacerbating social vulnerabilities, environmental degradation, and deforestation. Despite greater scrutiny in environmental licensing, the process remains insufficient to mitigate impacts, and social participation is limited. The decision-making process remains technocratic and isolated from civil society, ignoring its inherently political character. Territorially blind and socially deaf projects lead to contestations by civil society and poor anticipation of demands, making territories mere receptacles of investments. Consequences for project management include delays, processes in courts, reputational damages, and missed opportunities for sustainable territorial development. Through semi-structured interviews and documental analysis of the case study of the Belo Monte Hydropower Plant, we investigate how a territorial approach to infrastructure governance can affect project management. Analysis shows that territories are actively influencing and influenced by infrastructure delivery, which corroborates the idea that contextual specificities to infrastructure delivery require specific ways of planning and managing projects. Adopting a context-specific territorial approach could anticipate some of the challenges and complexities of infrastructure management in developing and emerging economies. Also, results oriented toward development goals, such as the SDGs, can be more efficient both for territories and project delivery.

A new species of armored catfish of the genus Scobinancistrus (Loricariidae: Hypostominae) from the Xingu River basin, Brazil

Abstract A new species of Scobinancistrus from the Xingu River, Brazil, is described. It can be distinguished from its congeners by color pattern and a combination of non-exclusive characters: overall body covered by large yellow spaced blotches over a dark background (vs. small round and densely packed spots over light or dark background in S. pariolispos and S. aureatus); lack of orange to yellow/orange distal band on dorsal and caudal fins (vs. presence in S. aureatus), dorsal fin not reaching adipose-fin supporting plate when adpressed (vs. reaching the adipose-fin plate in S. pariolispos and S. aureatus). The new species is only known from a portion of the middle Xingu River, ranging from the Volta Grande do Xingu, an area under a strong anthropic impact due to the construction of the Belo Monte dam, to near the Iriri River confluence with the Xingu River. Aspects concerning the species’ threats and its conservation status are discussed.

Arranjos de governança para a sustentabilidade socioambiental na implementação de grandes projetos de infraestrutura na Amazônia brasileira

Abstract This article explores governance arrangements’ conditions to attend socio-environmental demands from local communities in the context of megaprojects. Specifically, we investigate how the causal conditions “social participation effectiveness,” “political entrepreneurs,” “governmental coordination,” “public budget,” “political priority,” and “administrative capacity” are mobilized in sustainable territorial development plans - governance arrangements to attend socio-environmental demands - in the context of infrastructure megaprojects in the Brazilian Amazon. We applied Mill’s method of difference to compare the role of these conditions in processing five socio-environmental demands claimed in the context of the implementation of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant and paving BR-163. The results indicate that the relevance of these conditions depends on context, and only the condition “social participation effectiveness” was shared by all the successful cases.

Carbon stock and dynamic in the middle Xingu forests at eastern Amazonia

ABSTRACT Studies on the quantification and spatial distribution of stored carbon, as well as the potential for carbon uptake by forests, are of great importance. We assessed the spatial distribution and dynamic of carbon in forest plots in the Middle Xingu. These plots are part of the vegetation monitoring area of the Belo Monte Dam. We estimated the biomass of trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥10 cm using an allometric equation with forest inventory data in the eastern Amazonian region in the Xingu River area. We evaluated the vegetation structure and carbon stock dynamic in 2012, 2014, and 2016, and temporal effects on carbon uptake. The periodic annual increase in carbon was significantly higher between 2012 and 2014 (2.5 Mg ha−1) than between 2014 and 2016 (1.84 Mg ha−1). Plant biomass was highly influenced by the abundance of species with low diameters (between 10 cm and 50 cm DBH). Despite the mortality rate being higher than the recruitment in the second period (2014–2016), we found that the forest did function as a carbon sink but showing increases in carbon emissions.

A growth model for Paleosuchus trigonatus (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) from the Rio Negro predicts growth of individuals from the Xingu River, Brazil


 
 
 
 Patterns of growth of crocodilians vary geographically within the same species, so models developed in one area may not predict size-age relationships in others. We used recapture data for three females and six males of Paleosuchus trigonatus from the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam area on the Xingu River to validate a growth model developed on a tributary of the Rio Negro. Individuals were recaptured between two and 10 years after marking (2012–2022). The data indicate that the monomolecular (von Bertalanffy by length) model is adequate to model growth of intermediate size animals. Recapture of one female after eight years indicates that the Rio Negro model can be used to model growth with accuracy for individuals from the Xingu River.
 
 
 

Regionalization of Climate Change Simulations for the Assessment of Impacts on Precipitation, Flow Rate and Electricity Generation in the Xingu River Basin in the Brazilian Amazon

This study applied regionalization techniques on future climate change scenarios for the precipitation over the Xingu River Basin (XRB) considering the 2021–2080 horizon, in order to assess impacts on the monthly flow rates and possible consequences for electricity generation at the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant (BMHPP). This is the fourth largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, with a generating capacity of 11,233 MW, and is located in the Brazilian Amazon. Two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and an ensemble comprising four general circulation models (CanESM2, CNRM-CM5, MPI-ESM-LR and NORESM1-M) were used. The projections based on both scenarios indicated a considerable decrease in precipitation during the rainy season and a slight increase during the dry season relative to the reference period (1981–2010). According to the results, a reduction in the flow rates in Altamira and in the overall potential for power generation in the BMHPP are also to be expected in both analyzed periods (2021–2050 and 2051–2180). The RCP 4.5 scenario resulted in milder decreases in those variables than the RCP 8.5. Conforming to our findings, a reduction of 21.3% in the annual power generation at the BMHPP is expected until 2080, with a corresponding use of 38.8% of the maximum potential of the facility. These results highlight the need for investments in other renewable energy sources (e.g., wind and solar) in order to compensate for the upcoming losses in the BMHPP production.

A comprehensive analysis of observed and projected climate extremes of temperature and precipitation in Belo Monte Hydropower Plant ‐ eastern Amazon, Brazil

AbstractIn this work, the climatology, observed trends, and future projections of temperature and precipitation extremes are analysed in the drainage area of the Belo Monte Hydropower Plant in the Xingu River basin. Observed data come from gridded information for the period 1980–2013. The climate projections until the end of the 21st century are provided by the regional climate model Eta‐20 km nested to the global climate model MIROC5. Seventeen climate indicators were selected for this assessment, and statistical tests were used to evaluate the significance and magnitude of trends. A tropical climate predominates in the whole basin but with differences in the climatology of extreme temperature. The average annual rainfall (PRCPTOT) presents values between 1,500 and 2,200 mm. Remarkable contrasts of consecutive dry days (CDD) can also be seen. We found a warming signal during the examined period in much of the Xingu River basin, with an increase in the frequency of extremely warm days and nights. In the northern (south‐central) area of the basin, there is an increase (reduction) in precipitation. There is a contrasted and local distribution of detected trends in all climate extremes indices related to rainfall. CDD has displayed a considerable elevation in the south‐central area over the last decades. The study area exhibits statistically significant warming projections to the future climate. As for the precipitation projections, future changes are toward a dryer climate. We also found that dry periods may last longer in the following decades. Thus, heatwaves can be excited by subsequent days without precipitation in the basin in the future climate. The impacts of climate change on the balance of different environmental and socioeconomic sectors in this area must be wholly investigated.

Immunohematological features of free-living Alouatta belzebul (Linnaeus, 1766) red-handed howler monkeys in the Eastern Amazon.

The red-handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul) is one of the 35 threatened Brazilian primate species found in two highly endangered Brazilian biomes. Their Amazonian native populations have been declining due to exponential deforestation associated with human activities, especially the construction of dams. The studied population (n = 27) was located in the Belo Monte dam Area of Influence. For the first time, we presented hematological parameters and the basic profile of T (CD3) and B (BSAP PAX5) cells by immunocytochemistry. The results supported the hypothesis that the immuno-hematological profile is influenced by sex, age, and season. Eosinophils were significantly higher in females (p = 0.03), monocytes statistically greater in juveniles (p = 0.04), and total plasma protein increased significantly (p > 0.001) during the dry season. Furthermore, adults showed a statistically higher average absolute number of B lymphocytes than young individuals (p = 0.03), in contrast to T lymphocytes. Even without knowing the full history of antigenic exposure, these results not only contribute to elucidating the boundaries between health and disease but may help lay the groundwork for future research into the effects of anthropogenic stress on immune activation.

Rever o passado para estigmatizar um presente incômodo: Montano e outros “heresiarcas” do século II no olhar de Euclides da Cunha sobre Antonio Conselheiro

This article addresses how Euclides da Cunha, in Os sertões, approaches Christian leaders of the 2nd century, viewed as heretics, in order to stigmatize the figure of Antonio Conselheiro. Particularly, the millenarian tenor of Montano’s announcement, applied without further ado as an interpretative key to the Conselheiro’s preaching, serves to affirm the historical infeasibility of what Belo Monte (better known as Canudos) represented for the backlands’ men and women who bet their lives on it. It is highlighted how the author's mistake is also due to prejudice with religion and with the central place it occupied in the Conselheiro’s project.

Early impacts of the largest Amazonian hydropower project on fish communities

Hydropower is a threat to freshwater fishes. Despite a recent boom in dam construction, few studies have assessed their impact on mega-diverse tropical rivers. Using a before-after study design, we investigated the early impacts of the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex, the third-largest hydropower project in the world, on fishes of the Xingu River, a major clear-water tributary of the lower Amazon. We explored impacts across different river sectors (upstream, reservoir, reduced flow sector, and downstream) and spatial scales (individual sectors vs. all sectors combined) using joint species distribution models and different facets of diversity (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic). After 5 years of the Belo Monte operation, species richness declined ~12% in lentic and ~16% in lotic environments. Changes in abundance were of less magnitude (<4%). Effects were particularly negative for species of the families Serrasalmidae (mainly pacus), Anostomidae (headstanders), Auchenipteridae, and Pimelodidae (catfishes), whereas no taxonomic group consistently increased in richness or abundance. The reservoir and downstream sectors were the most impacted, with declines of ~24–29% in fish species richness, overall reductions in fish body size and trophic level, and a change in average body shape. Richness and abundance also declined in the reduced river flow, and changes in size, shape, and position of fins were observed. Relatively minor changes were found in the upstream sector. Variation in functional and phylogenetic diversity following river impoundment was subtle; however, across sectors, we found a reduction in functional divergence, indicating a decline in the abundance of species located near the extremities of community functional space. This may be the first sign of an environmental filtering process reducing functional diversity in the region. Greater changes in flow and habitats are expected as hydropower operations ramp up, and continued monitoring is warranted to understand the full scope and magnitude of ecological impacts.

Mobility of Al, Fe, Mn, Ti, and Organic Matter in Xingu River Sediments

The objective of this work was to evaluate the mobility of Al, Fe, Mn, Ti, and organic matter in the sediments of the area called Volta Grande do Xingu, the site is influenced by the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Complex, municipality of Altamira-Pará, region of Brazilian Amazon. In relation to the total content of elements found in the sediments, the order of abundance obtained, based on the average found in the analyzed points, was: Al (20560 mg.kg-1 ) &gt; Fe (16148 mg.kg1 ) &gt; Ti (5534 mg.kg-1 ) &gt; Mn (273 mg.kg-1 ). As for the distribution of elements in the geochemical environment, the mobility order found was: Mn (50.8%) &gt; Fe (1.53%) &gt; Al (0.60%) &gt; Ti (0.00%). The organic matter contents ranged from 0.73 to 19.73%, with an average value of 4.95±4.48%. The data obtained revealed a high association between FeMn-Ti, mainly attributed to the lithology of the region.

Checklist and New Occurrences of Odonata (Insecta) from Volta Grande do Xingu, Pará, Brazil

The order Odonata (Insecta) is composed of aquatic insects popularly known as dragonflies and damselflies. Members of this order are closely linked to the conservation status of their habitats; however, the Wallacean shortfall in some regions still remains high. The Volta Grande do Xingu region is known to have high endemism of some groups, such as Actinopterygii (fish), which can be applied to other groups that do not yet have their fauna known at the site, such as the order Odonata. The Wallacean shortfall and constant anthropic changes (for example, the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric) have been obstacles in the preservation of these and other groups. In that regard, the main aim of this paper is to provide a checklist of Odonata (Insecta) adult species from the streams of Volta Grande do Xingu, Pará, Brazil. The collections were carried out in 19 streams in the Volta Grande do Xingu region in September 2019, corresponding to the drought period. A total of 526 specimens were collected, where two suborders, six families, 26 genera and 43 species were identified. Three species of Odonata were registered for the first time in the state of Pará: Erythrodiplax famula (Erichson in Schomburgk, 1848); Acanthagrion chacoense Calvert, 1909 and Epipleoneura lamina Williamson, 1915. These data allow us to help increase the knowledge of Odonata fauna in the streams of Volta Grande do Xingu, a region that is under intense anthropic pressure. This helps to reduce the Wallacean shortfall, with another area sampled for the state of Pará.

Changes in Social Capital Associated with the Construction of the Belo Monte Dam: Comparing a Resettled and a Host Community

Nations in the Global South have increasingly embraced large hydropower. Hydropower development typically involves the displacement and resettlement of entire communities and has a range of social and ecological impacts. Some communities become the operational center for the dam construction, as well as host new neighborhoods of resettlers. One of the less-studied impacts of dams is the potential loss of social capital both in resettled and host communities. Here, we ask how the Belo Monte dam in the Amazon is associated with social capital in a resettled group and a non-resettled population that, while not experiencing resettlement, nevertheless was impacted by the dam as well. We use measures of cognitive and structural social capital. Results suggest that resettlers have lower structural social capital across two proxy indicators, whereas the host community has lower cognitive social capital. Future research and social impact assessments should pay more attention to how hydropower impacts both kinds of social capital.

Making space for indigenous law in state‐led decisions about hydropower dams: Lessons from environmental assessments in Canada and Brazil

AbstractThe article examines the environmental impact assessment of hydropower dams as an opportunity for applying indigenous laws. Although indigenous laws of affected communities exist and have guided the management of land and natural resources for millennia, they have not yet occupied a significant place in state‐led decision making. Consequently, decisions to approve dams, based on state laws and officials' discretionary power, affect indigenous peoples in distinct and profound ways. The analysis is based on the comparison between two decision‐making processes—Site C (Canada) and Belo Monte (Brazil) dams. The methodology includes the application of principles from the environmental justice literature, the analysis of interviews, case law and legislation. The article concludes that environmental justice for indigenous peoples in environmental decision making of projects with significant impacts, such as large dams, requires recognizing and making institutional spaces for implementing indigenous laws.

Impactos da UHE de Belo Monte para os pescadores artesanais da Colônia Z-57, em Altamira, PA, Brasil.

The trauma that resulted from the construction of large hydroelectric dams in the Amazon is marked by major social and environmental restructuring, plunder, and impacts, on Indigenous Lands, Conservation Units, and residents on the outskirts of cities or through the country roads. In general, the effects caused by the Belo Monte HPP gain prominence and production, in which one of them composes the objective of this article: to analyze the impacts on the fishing territory. Having as methodological path the bibliographic review, field, and relative work with the fishermen of the Fishing Colony Z-57. It appears that the installation of the plant ended up deleteriously altering the systemic and cultural relations, under which the fishing territory is expressed. Compromising it, translating into low fishing stocks in the communities; a decrease of up to 70% in fisheries production and, consequently, an increase in pain and economic costs for carrying out the activity. It was evident that the legal frameworks and the licensing instruments, all the judicialization resulting from these infrastructure projects, and the struggle imposed on their installation, were not capable of safeguarding the interests of society - fishermen, specifically - in the face of the despoliation effect of the construction of the hydroelectric dam on the fishing territory.

A qualitative analysis on implementing the sewer system for an indigenous village in the influence area of Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant (Brazil)

Abstract In this article, the project and implementation of the sewer system in the Paquiçamba Village, as a condition for environmental licensing, was investigated. This village is surrounded by the influence of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant (Brazil). This research aimed to characterize the context of ethnodevelopment, thus recognizing the social participation of the indigenous people. The research within a qualitative approach between 2009 and 2018 was based on primary data sources (through structured interviews) and secondary data (electronic files related to the environmental licensing). Data were analysed according to descriptive, focused and selective observations until reaching theoretical saturation. The organization of the data was followed by the organization of the themes, which formed a spiral of interconnected activities based on Creswell's proposal. It was detected that indigenous involvement occurred at some moments in the elaboration of the sewage system project. The maintenance of ancestral habits in the disposal of excreta by a portion of the indigenous people, even with the sewage system in place, makes it essential to broaden the debate on the projects proposed on the environmental licensing processes. The Indigenous can not only have a consultative role, but assume a deliberative participation, being protagonists in conducting their own development.