Gold at what cost? Another megaproject threatens biodiversity in the Amazon

Tófoli, Raffael Marcos; Dias, Rosa Maria; Alves, Gustavo Henrique Zaia; Hoeinghaus, David J.; Gomes, Luiz Carlos; Baumgartner, Matheus Tenório; Agostinho, Ângelo Antônio

doi:10.1016/j.pecon.2017.06.003

Cited by 28 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Polluting infrastructures have often been established in IPs' lands without FPIC and without the appropriate social and environmental safeguards (Dokis 2015; Tófoli et al 2017). In other contexts, IPs have also made the decision to accept polluting infrastructures in exchange for development, such as the Skull Valley Goshute in Utah, who agreed to host a high‐level nuclear waste facility on their reservation (Gross 2001), or the Ipili of Papua New Guinea, who agreed to the opening of a large‐scale Au mine in their lands (Jacka 2007; Macintyre 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Fernández‐Llamazares

Garteizgogeascoa

Basu

et al. 2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Indigenous peoples (IPs) worldwide are confronted by the increasing threat of pollution. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature (n = 686 studies), we present the current state of knowledge on: 1) the exposure and vulnerability of IPs to pollution; 2) the environmental, health, and cultural impacts of pollution upon IPs; and 3) IPs' contributions to prevent, control, limit, and abate pollution from local to global scales. Indigenous peoples experience large burdens of environmental pollution linked to the expansion of commodity frontiers and industrial development, including agricultural, mining, and extractive industries, as well as urban growth, waste dumping, and infrastructure and energy development. Nevertheless, IPs are contributing to limit pollution in different ways, including through environmental monitoring and global policy advocacy, as well as through local resistance toward polluting activities. This work adds to growing evidence of the breadth and depth of environmental injustices faced by IPs worldwide, and we conclude by highlighting the need to increase IPs' engagement in environmental decision-making regarding pollution control. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:324-341.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Fernández‐Llamazares

Garteizgogeascoa

Basu

et al. 2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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“…For instance, non-native freshwater species have been introduced for aquaculture or other activities for decades in the country (e.g., Magalhães et al, 2005;Coelho & Henry, 2017;Pelicice et al, 2017;Coelho, Fernandez, Cesar, Ruocco, & Henry, 2018;Gubiani et al, 2018), which can result in loss of native species and biotic homogenization (Mack et al, 2000;Simberloff et al, 2013;Vitule, Freire, Vazquez, Nuñez, & Simberloff, 2012). Other harmful actions, such as mining, have high impact on rivers (e.g., Fernandes et al, 2016;Tófoli et al, 2017), and existing PAs will be inefficient in protecting biodiversity from these perturbations.…”

Section: The Need For More Pa Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Protected areas: A focus on Brazilian freshwater biodiversity

Azevedo‐Santos

Frederico

Fagundes³

et al. 2018

Diversity and Distributions

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133

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Brazil has a variety of aquatic ecosystems and rich freshwater biodiversity, but these components have been constantly damaged by the expansion of unsustainable activities. An array of different conservation strategies is needed, especially the creation of protected areas (PAs, hereafter). However, Brazil's PAs are biased towards terrestrial ecosystems and we argue that current PAs have limited efficacy in the protection of freshwater biodiversity. New PAs should better consider aquatic environments, covering entire basins, rivers and other freshwater habitats. We recommend ways to implement these PAs and provide guidance to avoid social impacts. Freshwater systems in Brazil provide essential goods and services but these ecosystems are being rapidly degraded and will be lost if not adequately protected.

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“…The hydro-ecological systems of the Amazon are dependent on plentiful rainfall (Cook et al, 2012;Espinoza et al, 2015Espinoza Villar et al, 2009;Nepstad et al, 2008) and the vast amount of water that flows down through extensive river networks and massive floodplains (Bonnet et al, 2008;Coe et al, 2002;Frappart et al, 2011;Miguez-S. Chaudhari et al: Multi-decadal hydrologic change and variability Macho and Fan, 2012a;Yamazaki et al, 2011;Zulkafli et al, 2016). The spatiotemporal patterns of precipitation are, however, changing due to climate change and variability (Brando et al, 2014;Cook et al, 2012;Lima et al, 2014;Malhi et al, 2008Nepstad et al, 2008), large-scale alterations in land use (e.g., deforestation) (Chen et al, 2015;Coe et al, 2009;Davidson et al, 2012;Kalamandeen et al, 2018;Lima et al, 2014;Panday et al, 2015;Tollefson, 2016), and more recently the construction of mega-dams (Finer and Jenkins, 2012;Latrubesse et al, 2017;Moran et al, 2018;Soito and Freitas, 2011;Timpe and Kaplan, 2017;Winemiller et al, 2016), among others. Such changes in precipitation patterns typically manifest themselves in terms of altered magnitude, duration, and timing of streamflow (Marengo, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-decadal hydrologic change and variability in the Amazon River basin: understanding terrestrial water storage variations and drought characteristics

Chaudhari

Pokhrel

Moran

et al. 2019

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. We investigate the interannual and interdecadal hydrological changes in the Amazon River basin and its sub-basins during the 1980–2015 period using GRACE satellite data and a physically based, 2 km grid continental-scale hydrological model (LEAF-Hydro-Flood) that includes a prognostic groundwater scheme and accounts for the effects of land use–land cover (LULC) change. The analyses focus on the dominant mechanisms that modulate terrestrial water storage (TWS) variations and droughts. We find that (1) the model simulates the basin-averaged TWS variations remarkably well; however, disagreements are observed in spatial patterns of temporal trends, especially for the post-2008 period. (2) The 2010s is the driest period since 1980, characterized by a major shift in the decadal mean compared to the 2000s caused by increased drought frequency. (3) Long-term trends in TWS suggest that the Amazon overall is getting wetter (1.13 mm yr−1), but its southern and southeastern sub-basins are undergoing significant negative TWS changes, caused primarily by intensified LULC changes. (4) Increasing divergence between dry-season total water deficit and TWS release suggests a strengthening dry season, especially in the southern and southeastern sub-basins. (5) The sub-surface storage regulates the propagation of meteorological droughts into hydrological droughts by strongly modulating TWS release with respect to its storage preceding the drought condition. Our simulations provide crucial insight into the importance of sub-surface storage in alleviating surface water deficit across Amazon and open pathways for improving prediction and mitigation of extreme droughts under changing climate and increasing hydrologic alterations due to human activities (e.g., LULC change).

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Gold at what cost? Another megaproject threatens biodiversity in the Amazon

Cited by 28 publications

References 15 publications

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Protected areas: A focus on Brazilian freshwater biodiversity

Multi-decadal hydrologic change and variability in the Amazon River basin: understanding terrestrial water storage variations and drought characteristics

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