Over two thousand Brazilians will be negatively impacted if seven new dams are built on the Tapajos River. By far the worst hit will be the Munduruku tribes. Indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon, the Munduruku's ancestral lands will be partly under water by the time the dams are finished. And people won't be the only ones out of a home. The tiny Tapajos Hermit hummingbird is one of 613 fragile bird species that rely on the Tapajos River Valley.
If the dams are so potentially destructive, who do they benefit? Answer: the mining industry. The region is rich in gold and bauxite, two minerals highly sought after in the production of aluminum.
And it is Brazil's own publicly-owned utility Eletrobras that proposes this much damage to its own people and wildlife! Tell Brazil's federal government not to put the interests of the mining industry ahead of native Brazilians!
Dear Union:
We the undersigned are grieved to hear that Eletrobras is gaining traction on a proposal to build seven dams in the Tapajos River Valley.
The Tapajos River Valley is home to thousands of rural Brazilians, including the indigenous Munduruku tribes. These native residents will see their homes and lands laid waste by flooding if you allow these dams to go forward. The Munduruku have been in the Amazon far longer than hydroelectric energy has. They deserve to be respected and left in peace.
Please desist from your plans to develop hydroelectric power on the Tapajos!
