Tapajós, the current target of hydropower - Alexandre, Carolina B, Guilherme, Maria Eduarda e Vitória 3A

The largest tropical forest of the world is well known for being slowly destroyed, with a high quantity of illegal “institutions of logging,” a strong land dispute related to agronomists/owners of big lands and natives of the forest and the big reduction of the biodiversity of the place. Tapajós is one of the last big rivers of Amazônia, and it has been declared by the government that it is their current objective for the installations of big hydroelectric power plants. The huge amount of energy that we consume in Brazil is a fact, but is it hydropower the best solution? And if it is, is it right in the habitat of Brazilian Indians tribes (and a great biodiversity) the right place for setting the power plants? The name of the plant that is trying to be constructed is São Luiz do Tapajós. It is going to occupy 722,25 km², and Eletrobras has made an estimate that it is going to produce 29.548,8GW/year. That is a great number, considering that it is only related to the energy it will produce, but now let’s see it’s impacts: When a great area of a forest is flooded by a lake, it’s quite obvious that it will affect the flora and the fauna of the biome. The government affirmed that they will restore the flora of the flooded place, and that it possible. But the affected fauna cannot be correctly restored, since it was related to a biome, and it interacts with it. So, the biome will be permanently affected. The forced displacement of the traditional and native people of Amazônia brings a big increase of the population in the urban zone, and by this exodus, natives end in the streets, increasing the percentage of homeless people in the cities. By the flooding and logging that is being placed in the forest, it happens to increase the quantity of illegal loggers, miners and hunters, and consequently, the increase of illegal roads crossing the Amazônia, beyond the invasions of natives in the forest. Those are just some resumed consequences of the increasing constructions of power plants, invasions for lands and others in the Floresta Amazônica. Lastly, we ask, is it the desire for more and more consume of energy, worth the destruction of the biggest forest in Brazil and the forgetfulness of the historic and cultural heritage of the native/traditional tribes of Brazil?