Posted on April, 27 2016

WWF’s engagement in the Tapajos Basin is part of a broader initiative designed to face the threats posed by the expansion of unsustainable hydroelectricity generation in the entire Amazon region where there are already 154 dams installed, 21 currently being built and 277 at the early planning stage. In addition to Brazil, WWF has active programs to foster sustainable hydropower in the Bolivian and Peruvian Amazon regions.

This study of the Tapajos Basin brings together a series of analyses undertaken by WWF and its partner organizations designed to define conservation scenarios and indicators on the basis of hydrological, biological and land use information, in the perspective of the aquatic and terrestrial environment.

Information gathering embraced official data, consultation of the scientific literature and workshops held with experts on Amazonian biodiversity, all directed at identifying targets (habitats and species) in the basin and defining their conservation goals as well as calculating the Ecological Risk Indexes which represent the risk of the regional ecosystems losing their integrity. WWF’s intention is to contribute towards developing the knowledge, methodologies and tools needed to support the construction of a form of hydropower planning that is integrated and sustainable and that includes identifying conservation opportunities and allowing for participation of, and discussion with other sectors and organizations of society.