March 23, 2014. Mutton birds are seen at a families home on the Iriri Extractavist reserve in the Xingu Basin. Extractavists are the descendants of Rubber Tapers who came to the forests generations ago during Brazils Rubber Boom. Days away by boat from the city of Altamira, they live along the river banks with an economy based on harvesting sustainable natural products such as rubber, nuts, and oils. Many of the Belo Monte Dam's impacts have been indirect to the Extractavists, such as commercial fisherman who now need to travel further away from the impacted Xingu, are beginning to over fish the rivers these people depend upon for food.

February 21, 2014. A child from the Xikrin village of "Pot crô" stands for a photo on the banks of the Rio Bacaja, in Para State, Brazil. The rivers name means "the water that runs in river is the same as the blood that flows through our veins." The Xikrin are a warrior tribe that strongly resisted the Belo Monte Dam, though they were dived into 8 smaller groups to get more compensation during an "emergency plan" enacted by Norte Enegria between 2011-2013, the company building the dam, which gave each indigenous community 30,000 reais or $10,000 US dollars per month. The emergency plan created devastating impacts to the customs and way of life of these self-sustaining cultures with many abandoning their crops and activities for processed foods and television. Furthermore, the Bacaja, a tributary of the Xingu River, which the people depend upon for fish and transportation, has severely dried since the completion of the Dam impacting the water quality and effecting the health of the community.

December 15, 2014. Munduruku women bathe and do laundry in a creek by the village of Sawre Muybu, on the Tapjos River in Para State, Brazil. The Munduruku are a tribe of 13000 people who live traditionally along the river and depend on fishing and the river ecosystem for their livelihood. They have been fighting against government plans to construct a number of hydroelectric dams on the Tapajos River in the Amazon rainforest that would flood much of their traditional lands. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

March 10, 2016. Garimpero or artisinal gold and diamond miners work at mine called Chapeo du Sol on the Tapajos River in Para State, Brazil. Much of the energy from hydroelectric projects power large scale mining projects within the Amazon such as the proposed Belo Sun gold mine near Belo Monte, which would be the largest open pit gold mine in the country, and the Carajas Mine in Para State, the largest Iron ore mine in the world powered by the Tucuruí Dam on the Tocantins River. While illegal mining is unregulated and damaging to the environment, industrial mines also pose a large threat and any new infrastructure opens access routes for illegal mining and logging activity.

October 2, 2017. A fire lit by a rancher burns on the side of highway BR-163 north of Novo Progresso, Para, Brazil. The BR-163 runs from the agricultural state of Mato Grosso to the transport hub of Santarem in Para State, Brazil. From there soy and corn are exported by boat through the Amazon River to international markets. The opening of the highway has created widespread deforestation in the Amazon, with about 95 percent of all deforestation occurring within 50 kilometers of highways or roads. Furthermore the government has plans to build a series of 43 large dams in Tapajos River basin to create the Tapajos Waterway which would supplement the highway and allow barges to travel the full length of the river to transport soybeans and corn from Mato Grosso to ports on the Amazon River. January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs. Yet the future of the Tapajos is far from certain as some of the dams are already completed or underway.

October 1, 2017. Agents with ICMBio, (The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation and the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's administrative arm) charge a gourp of garimpeiros or illegal artisnal gold miners they found while investigating illegal logging and clearing during an operation in the Jamanxim National Forest. The team, which has one agent per one million hectares of forest, uses satellite imaging to track new forest clearing and fires and are assigned to protect conservation areas around the municipality of Novo Progresso, Para state. With their limited resources agents are often frustrated at the futility of their work. Novo Progresso resides on the BR-163 highway, which runs from the agricultural state of Mato Grosso to the transport hub of Santarem in Para State, Brazil. The opening of the highway has created widespread deforestation in the Amazon, with environmental groups estimating 60 percent of Brazil's Amazonian deforestation happens along this stretch.

March 8, 2016. Munduruku youth from the village of Dacé Watpu on the Tapajos River collect Açai berries from the forest in Para state, Brazil. The Munduruku are a tribe of 13000 people who live traditionally along the river and depend on fishing and the river ecosystem for their livelihood. They have been fighting against government plans to construct a number of hydroelectric dams on the Tapajos River in the Amazon rainforest that would flood much of their traditional lands, the largest one, the Sao Luiz do Tapajos, if built would flood their village. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

October 5, 2017. Deforestation is seen from the air near the BR-163 highway near Itaituba, Para state, Brazil. With Brazil being one of the largest exporters of beef in the world, cattle ranching has become a major driver of deforestation in the country and accounts for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon. On average each cow takes one hectare of deforested land. The BR-163 runs from the agricultural state of Mato Grosso to the transport hub of Santarem in Para State, Brazil. From there soy and corn are exported by boat through the Amazon River to international markets. The opening of the highway has created widespread deforestation in the Amazon, with about 95 percent of all deforestation occurring within 50 kilometers of highways or roads.

October 2, 2017. Ranchers skin a cow near the town of Sinop in Mato Grosso State, which through deforestation has become Brazil's agricultural heartland and has the largest cattle herd in the nation. (http://earthinnovation.org/our-work/regional-initiatives/brazil/mato-grosso/) With Brazil as the largest exporters of beef in the world, supplying 1/4 of the global market, cattle ranching has become a major driver of deforestation and accounts for 80% of total deforestation in the Amazon.

September 27, 2017. Joamil de Aleida, 40, poses for a picture while filling trucks with corn kernals at Fazenda Japuíra, a corn and soy farm in Nova Mutum, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The corn is being loaded on trucks to be exported on the BR-163 a highway that runs from the agricultural state of Mato Grosso to the transport hub of Santarem in Para State, Brazil. From there soy and corn are exported by boat through the Amazon River to international markets. The opening of the highway has created widespread deforestation in the Amazon, with about 95 percent of all deforestation occurring within 50 kilometers of highways or roads.Furthermore the government has plans to build a series of 43 large dams in Tapajos River basin to create the Tapajos Waterway which would supplement the highway and allow barges to travel the full length of the river to transport soybeans and corn from Mato Grosso to ports on the Amazon River.

March 4, 2014. Residents of Altamira, Para, Brazil, who once lived along the river overlook the resettlement district of Jatoba during it's construction. Today there are five such settlements housing many of the 20,000 people displaced by the Belo Monte dam. The neighbourhoods suffer from poor construction quality as well as high levels of unemployment and crime. Belo Monte is considered the world's fourth largest hydropower project, yet is also one of the least efficient in the history of Brazil, producing only 10% of its 11,233 MW capacity during the dry season between July and October - On average it will produce only 4,571 MW, throughout the year, or 39% of capacity. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

November 11, 2016. Juruna from the Paquicamba Indigenous Reserve are seen at a public audience where riverine communities were able to voice their grievances to the Public Ministry and Notre Energia, the consortium in charge of building the Belo Monte Dam. The Juruna live on the stretch of the Xingu River in Para State, Brazil known as the Big Bend, which has had 80% of it's flow diverted by the dam impacting their fishing, river navigation and overall sustainability. They are now fighting to stop the proposed Belo Sun gold mine that would be 11km away from their village and would be the largest gold mine in the country. While the environmental impacts of Belo Monte are still being analyzed, licensing for the mine hasn't taken into account any potential cumulative impacts to the river or the people who live upon it.

March 19, 2016. A Munduruku indigenous girl with her pet monkey in the village of Sawre Muybu, on the Tapjos River in Para, State, Brazil, is seen in traditional paint preceding a ceremony the day after an action in coordination with Greenpeace in protest of plans to construct a series of hydroelectric dams on their river in Para State, Brazil. The Munduruku are a tribe of 13000 people who live traditionally along the river and depend on fishing and the river ecosystem for their livelihood. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

March 18, 2016. Greenpeace activists rest in the village of Sawre Muybu after an action in coordination with the Munduruku indigenous tibe against plans to construct a series of hydroelectric dams on the Tapajos River in in Para State, Brazil. They marched around a giant banner that read "Damn the Dam, Keep the Tapajos River Alive." The Munduruku are a tribe of 13000 people who live traditionally along the river and depend on fishing and the river system for their livelihood. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

April 5, 2014. Veia balances her child who she and her husband David, left, had yet to name in their home on the Extractavist Reserve of Riozinho do Anfrísio, a tributary of the Iriri and Xingu Rivers, in Para State, Brazil. Extractavists are the descendants of Rubber Tapers who came to the forests generations ago during Brazils Rubber Boom. They now live along the riverbanks with an economy based on harvesting sustainable natural products such as rubber, nuts, and oils. Many of the Belo Monte Dam's impacts have been indirect to the Extractavists, such as commercial fisherman who now need to travel further away from the impacted Xingu, are beginning to over fish the rivers these people depend upon for food.

March 8, 2014. A girl stands in her flooded house in Invasao dos Padres, a neighbourhood in the city of Altamira that has now been permanently flooded and now demolished due to the Belo Monte Dam. Those displaced have been resettled in districts on the outskirts of the city. Today there are five such settlements housing many of the 20,000 people displaced by the Belo Monte dam. The neighbourhoods suffer from poor construction quality as well as high levels of unemployment and crime.

April 5, 2016. Cassici, or chief, of the Juruna indigenous tribe, Gilliarde Jacinto Juruna, leads an indigenous occupation of the offices of Norte Energia, the company building the Belo Monte Dam, in the resettlement district of Jatoba in the city of Altamira, Para, Brazil. Occupations and protests are a constant part of the regional indigenous communities fight for compensation and promised programs from the company. The Juruna live on the strech of the Xingu River known as the Big Bend, which has had 80% of it's flow diverted by the dam impacting their fishing, river navigation and overall sustainability.

December 5, 2016. Ana De Fransesca and her son Thomas, visit the Belo Monte Dam site, which will be completed in 2019 on the Xingu River in Para state, Brazil. De Fransesca is an anthropologist that has been working for a local NGO, Instituto Socioambiental, while doing her PHD on the displaced riverine communities and fisherman impacted by the dam. Belo Monte is considered the world's fourth largest hydropower project, yet is considered one of the least efficient in the history of Brazil, producing only 10% of its 11,233 MW capacity during the dry season between July and October - On average it will produce only 4,571 MW, throughout the year, or 39% of capacity. The project has displaced over 20,000 people while impacting numerous indigenous and riverine communities in the region. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

December 11, 2016. Caboco Juruna from the Juruna village of Miratu in the Paquiçamba Indigenous Reserve on the Volta Grande do Xingu, fishes for Acarí fish on the Xingu River in Para State, Brazil. This part of the Xingu River has had 80% of its water flow blocked by the newly completed Belo Monte Dam, severely damaging the fishing livelihoods of the people. The Juruna are now worried that the construction of the proposed upstream Belo Sun Gold Mine, which will be the largest open pit gold mine in Brazil, will further damage their river and way of life. While the environmental impacts of Belo Monte are still being analyzed, licensing processes for the mine hasn't taken into account any potential cumulative impacts to the river or the people who live upon it. Belo Sun had its environmental licensing suspended in February of 2017 due to lack of consultation with the Juruna. The company claimed they didn't need to do an impact assessment with the Juruan because Brazilian law only necessitates that within a 10km zone, while the village of Paquiçamba is 11km away from the proposed mine.

2016. Pedro Vianna of the Juruna tribe, clears trees in a slash and burn in order to plant corn on the Paquiçamba indigenous territory. The Juruna live on the islands and banks of the Volta Grange or Bing Bend of the Xingu River. They are known as “proprietors of the river” for their great ancestral knowledge of its flow, and for having migrated for centuries from the mouth of the Xingu to its headwaters. The Paquiçamba indigenous territory, sits roughly 10 km below one of Belo Monte’s reservoirs which has restricted the flow of water on the Volta Grange impacting their traditional fisheries. As a recourse to the disruption in their economy Norte Energia has advised the tribe to plant corn to both feed chickens for the community and to sell at market. /Aaron Vincent Elkaim

December 08, 2014. Munduruku warriors hang a sign notifying outsiders to respect their territory while self demarcating their land on the Tapajos River. After years of fighting, in 2016 the Munduruku were successful in lobbying the government to officially recognize their traiditonal territory with a demarcation. This recognition forced IBAMA, Brazil's Environmental Agency, to suspend the environmental licensing process for the 12,000 megawatt Tapajós hydroelectric complex, due to the unconstitutional flooding of their land. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

November 26, 2014. A member of the Munduruku indigenous tribe carries rocks on a sandbar on the Tapajos River in protest against plans to construct a series of hydroelectric dams in Para State, Brazil. The tribe members used the rocks to write 'Tapajos Livre' (Free Tapajos) in a large message in the sand in an action in coordination with Greenpeace. After years of fighting, in 2016 the Munduruku were successful in lobbying the government to officially recognize their traditional territory with a demarcation. This recognition forced IBAMA, Brazil's Environmental Agency, to suspend the environmental licensing process for the 12,000 megawatt Sao Luiz do Tapajos hydroelectric complex, due to the unconstitutional flooding of their now recognized land.

December 4, 2014. An Extractavist family from the traditional riparian village of Mangabal on the Tapajos River. Extractavists came to the forests generations ago during Brazils Rubber Boom and continue to live a traditional way of life. Many survive on harvesting sustainable natural products such as rubber, nuts, and oils from the forest. While they historically fought with the neighbouring Munduruku indigenous people, they have come together in the fight against the dams that would flood both of their territory. 43 dams have been planned for the Tapajos River Basin in hopes of turning it into a soy corridor for barges from Mato Grosso State to ports on the Amazon River. The largest dam, the "Saõ Luiz Do Tapajos" was suspended in 2016 due to the unconstitutional flooding of recently demarcated Munduruku indigenous lands. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

December 8, 2014. A Munduruku family watches Brazilian telenovelas in the village of Sawre Muybu. Although mostly living self sufficiently off the land their villages have diesel generators, fridges and televisions. Many indigenous communities are provided with these goods by government and industry hoping to win their support for proposed development projects.

March 18, 2014. Executives from Norte Energia, the consortium building the Belo Monte Dam, stand behind National Force soldiers before negotiating with a group of fisherman who have occupied the entrance to the construction site to protest the impacts to their waters and way of life. The Belo Monte Dam Complex is considered the world's fourth largest hydropower project and has displaced over 20,000 people while impacting numerous indigenous and riverine communities in the region. It is also considered one of the least efficient hydroelectric projects in the history of Brazil, producing only 10% of its 11,233 MW capacity during the dry season between July and October - On average it will produce only 4,571 MW, throughout the year, or 39% of capacity.

December 18, 2016. A young woman is carried out of a nightclub in the city of Altamira, Para, Brazil. Semi-conscious she was placed on the back of a motorcycle and taken away. In the heart of the Amazon, on the Xingu River, Altamira has been through a number of economic booms, from the rubber boom over a hundred years ago, to the building of the Transamazon highway, the most recent being from the construction of the Belo Monte Dam. With the influx of money, and people the urban culture has fortified driving the economic need for new development projects such as the proposed Belo Sun gold mine, which would be the largest in the country.

March 4, 2016. A Munduruku girl holds her baby brother in a hammock in the village of Praia Do Mangue on the outskirts of the city of Itaituba, Para state, Brazil. The Munduruku have been fighting against government plans to build 43 dams on the Tapajos River Basin that would impact traditional lands and destroy sacred sites. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

March 10, 2016. Lucicleide Kurap of the Munduruku village of Dace Watpu has a moment with a pet parakeet after washing dishes in the Tapajos River in Para State, Brazil. The Munduruku have been fighting against government plans to build 43 dams on the Tapajos River Basin the largest one, the Sao Luiz do Tapajos, if built would flood their village. The Brazilian government has pushed a plan to develop mega-dams throughout the country since it's military dictatorship beginning in 1964 and currently receives over 70% of its elecricity from hydroelectric developments, yet in January 2018 announced a major shift away from its policy of building mega-dams in the Brazilian Amazon, a result of the staggering environmental, and social costs.

November 26, 2014. Members of the Munduruku indigenous tribe walk on a sandbar on the Tapajos River as they prepare for a protest against plans to construct a series of hydroelectric dams on their river in Para State, Brazil. The tribe members used the rocks to write 'Tapajos Livre' (Free Tapajos) in a large message in the sand in an action in coordination with Greenpeace. After years of fighting, in 2016 the Munduruku were successful in lobbying the government to officially recognize their traditional territory with a demarcation. This recognition forced IBAMA, Brazil's Environmental Agency, to suspend the environmental licensing process for the 12,000 megawatt Tapajós hydroelectric complex, due to the unconstitutional flooding of their now recognized land.