Voices of the Xingu: Community-based monitoring reveals the impacts of the permanent drought imposed to an Amazonian River by the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant

The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) relies on diverting water from the Xingu River (Brazilian Amazon) to generate energy, disrupting the natural flooding cycle and creating an extreme and extended dry period along a 130 km stretch of the Xingu River (Volta Grande do Xingu - VGX). Local communities, including ribeirinhos (riverside dwellers) and indigenous peoples anticipated irreversible impacts on their lives and the river's ecosystems well before the dam's construction. In their words, " since before the Belo Monte dam was built, we … knew that our lives, as well as our river, would suffer irreversible impacts. Prior to the dam, we experienced the harmony of the forest and the synchrony of the reproductive cycle of the shoals of countless fishes’ species. ” Residents observed the transformation firsthand, noting that now there is “ a water shortage, which leaves our river without the strength to provide us with life ". The environmental licensing process for the HPP overlooked the vital link between the river's flow, the local ecosystems, and the traditional lifestyles of indigenous and ribeirinhos communities, prompting residents to establish the Independent Territorial Environmental Monitoring Program (MATI-VGX) in collaboration with academic researchers. The community's initiative sheds light on the drastic transformations, including shifts in fishing practices and a significant decline in fishing efficiency, jeopardizing local autonomy and food security. Here we present evidence of disruptions in ecological cycles affecting aquatic and seasonally flooded ecosystems, which are intrinsically connected to the modes of life of local populations. The research underscores the need to increase water discharge to the VGX, and the indispensable role of local communities in decision making regarding impact assessment, mitigation, and monitoring. Residents voiced this by stating, " We want to show that our knowledge should never be ignored in projects in which we are most affected. ".