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the tapajos river in brazil is currently being illegally mined for gold.
it's the largest clearwater river that runs into the amazon
many indigenous people depend on it, but due to the mining, the tapajos river is being polluted by mercury and affecting their lives
the surrounding forests are being destroyed, indigenous tribes are being pushed out of their territories among other crimes like forced labor and human trafficking
The struggle for the Tapajos River The Munduruku people are pushing back against Brazil's plans to build a number of dams on the Tapajos River in the Amazon. The tribe won an unexpected victory when Brazil's environmental protection agency canceled permits for the largest dam in the complex, but threats to the tribe -- and the Amazon itself -- remain, writes Robert Walker, professor of Latin American studies and geography at the University of Florida.
Earth Island Journal (Autumn 2016)
Yellow butterflies (species: Anteos menippe) on the bank of the Tapajós river (one of the major tributaries of the Amazon river), Brazil. Not far from Alter do Chão.
107 Years Old
I met a woman who is 107 years old, and she is awesome.
In the tiny village of Pimental, Maria Gabriela da Silva lives with her 81-year-old son Bernardo. She is 107 years old and can no longer walk, but she shared animated stories from her youth like it was yesterday.
When she was six years old, Maria moved from northeast Brazil with her family to become a “rubber soldier” in the Amazon. At six years old, Maria bushwhacked her way through the uninhabited Amazon jungle, harvested rubber and helped establish the village of Pimental.
Maria spent the majority of her life harvesting rubber for the government and has lived in Pimental since establishing it 100 years ago. Today, she and her son—who was also a rubber warrior—barely survive on the government’s stipend for former rubber harvesters.
Bernardo is the only one of her children with whom Maria still has a relationship.
“We’re not rich. We don’t have a nice house, so (my other children) have left and will never come back,” she told us.
In the next few years, there may be nothing to come back to. Should the government approve the construction of a nearby dam, Pimental will be under water. Maria, Bernardo and the other 12,000 people displaced by the dam will need to find new homes and new ways of life.
“I’m 107 years old,” Maria told us. “I’ve been here my entire life. Where do they think I’m going to go?”
Pimental is all Maria knows—and knows quite well. She told us she delivered nearly 1,000 babies in her village and became a “renowned” mid-wife in the community.
I walked away from Maria’s house in tears. I had just met a 107-year-old soldier—a soldier with the sweetest smile and most gentle hands. A soldier who warmly welcomed us into her home and kissed us as we came and went.
My tears came from every emotion I could possibly have: the joy of meeting her, respect for her strength, frustration over the dam and thoughts of my own grandmother and mother.
I know Brazil needs more reliable energy. I’ve visited places during this trip where it is certainly necessary. But, meeting Maria, my heart is broken knowing that negatives come along with the positives. In this case, the negative was Maria—and 12,000 other people—losing her home and way of life.
These are the challenges Brazil is facing and why The Nature Conservancy’s work to help plan and eliminate or mitigate these risks is extremely important.
The Nature Conservancy’s Teresa Moreira talks with Maria’s son Bernardo. Teresa is Brazil’s Environmental Governance Specialist.
Pimental kids swing from trees and enjoy the waters of the Tapajos River.
Walfredo, Itaituba’s governmental secretary, visits Maria every three months. He was born in Pimental and Maria is his grandmother’s sister.
Photos: © Julia Bourque/TNC
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Angelfish "Pterophyllum scalare" in the Tapajos river, Brazil.
An underwater video by Hudson Crizanto.
