Brazil to start work on controversial dam in months: report

Work on a huge, controversial dam in Brazil's Amazon is to begin by September at the latest, despite furious opposition from indigenous and environmental groups, Energy Minister Marcio Zimmerman said Friday.

Photo courtesy of Andre Penner/AP

Contact the Brazilian Embassy to Stop Belo Monte Dam!

The dam would devastate an extensive area of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the survival of thousands of indigenous and traditional peoples who depend on the Xingu River for their livelihoods. Construction could begin this year.

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Pink Amazon river dolphins caught on camera in Brazil

These pictures give us a fascinating glimpse into the behaviour of the elusive bubblegum pink Amazon river dolphins. They live in the murky, sediment-covered depths of the Amazon River in Brazil, and are freshwater creatures.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Schafer/K.S. Photography

Brazilian president defends controversial dam project

A country that wants to be the fifth-biggest economy on the planet within the next decade... needs to think five years ahead, and that is why we are doing this," Lula told reporters.

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In Earth Day setback, Brazil OKs dam that will flood swath of Amazon

Damage to the environment is also a major issue. The Xingu river basin has about four times as many species of fish as the whole of Europe, but the work will kill millions of animals and threaten extinction for some species, said Hermes Medeiros, a local ecologist on the review board.

Photo courtesy of Donizete Tomé/O Eco

Indians to occupy dam site

Indigenous groups will occupy an area where the government wants to build a controversial hydroelectric dam projected to be the world's third-largest, an Indian chief said Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of Andre Penner/AP

Brazil awards contract for Belo Monte dam to Norte Energia consortium

The Brazilian energy regulator has awarded the contract to build the 11GW Belo Monte dam on a tributary of the Amazon rainforest, to Norte Energia, a consortium of nine companies, including state energy company Electrobras’s subsidiary Chesf. The project is extremely controversial, as up to 20,000 people, including 800 native Indians will be displaced, as it will flood 400km2 of rainforest.

Photo courtesy of Donizete Tomé/O Eco

Belo Monte: 12 questions without answers

Indigenous peoples were not adequately heard. Greenhouse gas emissions could be underestimated. Certain conditions set by IBAMA will only be checked years after completion of the plant.

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Is deforestation rising or falling in the Amazon?

Last week Brazil's National Space Agency INPE reported a 51 percent drop in Amazon deforestation in the six months ended February 2010 compared with the year earlier period. But the seemingly happy news for environmentalists may be premature.

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Video footage from James Cameron's trip to the Amazon

James Cameron and Avatar cast members Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore return to the Xingu river and speak out against the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil.

Photo courtesy of Atossa Soltani/Amazon Watch

Belo Monte dam one among over 70 planned for Amazon

A group called Amazon Watch said in a statement that, "This dam is one of the most destructive projects ever undertaken in the Amazon."

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Judge allows start of bids on controversial Brazil dam

A Brazilian court has overturned a ruling that could have delayed building a massive dam on an Amazon tributary.

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Breaking News - Belo Monte auction to proceed following stall

A Brasilia judge overturned a decision that could have delayed construction of the 11,200-MW Belo Monte hydro project in Brazil's Amazon region, wire services reported.

More later...

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Amazon defenders win bid to stall huge dam project

Actress Sigourney Weaver, who starred in "Avatar" and traveled with Cameron to Brazil, welcomed the dam delay. But she warned of a long fight ahead.

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'Avatar' director lauds ruling on Brazilian dam

"It's a small victory for us, but I don't expect the battle is over," Cameron told The Associated Press by telephone from the small Amazon city of Altamira, where he was lending support to project opponents.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Willens/AP