Significant impacts of activities, products, and services on biodiversity

Within the scope of Belo Monte’s environmental licensing, measures to mitigate impacts on biodiversity are implemented through the Terrestrial Ecosystem and Aquatic Ecosystem Conservation Plans. These plans include fauna and flora monitoring programs, focusing on biodiversity identification and habitat mapping, with special attention to rare, endemic and threatened species 

The campaigns carried out in 2024 showed that terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are within the ranges predicted in the Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA). Biodiversity in the Belo Monte HPP Area of Influence (AoI) is remarkable. Since the beginning of the fauna monitoring projects in 2012, over 20 campaigns were carried out and 825 different species recorded, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, medium and large mammals and bats. 

Some of the most significant records are those of emblematic species such as the bush dog (Speothos venaticus), the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), the kinkajou (Potos flavus), the yellow-throated squirrel (Guerlinguetus gilvigularis) and the white-cheeked spider monkey (Ateles marginatus). 

Monitoring activities combine cutting-edge technology with the traditional knowledge of local communities and technical support from experts at regional educational and research institutions. The data generated is essential for conserving fauna, especially endangered species and those indicative of the environmental quality of habitats. 

Monitoring and protection of chelonian species 

More than 6.4 million hatchlings, giant Amazon turtles (Podocnemis expansa), six-tubercled river turtles (P. sextuberculata) and yellow-spotted river turtles (P. unifilis) were protected until 2024 in the territories of Tabuleiro do Embaubal, Volta Grande do Xingu and the Xingu Reservoir, through the actions of the BPA. Hatchling counts totaled 511,898, 217,437, and 293,295 baby turtles in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively (GRI 304-2). 

In the Reduced Flow Stretch (TVR) of the river, studies also indicate improvements in the body condition of animals and maintenance of turtle populations since the period prior to the construction of the dam. 

Amazon River Turtles project 

The Amazon River Turtles project is a voluntary action carried out at the Tabuleiro do Embaubal Wildlife Refuge (REVIS), with support from Ideflor-Bio and CREAX. In the 2024/2025 breeding season, the project involved 125 participants, including public school students and Norte Energia employees. In total, 61,357 hatchlings were rescued from risk areas and released in places with better chances of survival, promoting awareness and environmental education within communities.  

Monitoring and protection of fish fauna  

Actions aimed at fish fauna are structured through the Ichthyofauna Conservation Program, composed of the following projects: 

• Ichthyofauna Rescue and Salvage Project; 

• Implementation and Monitoring of the Fish Transposition System; 

• Ichthyofauna Monitoring Project; 

• Sustainable Fishing Incentive Project. 

Ichthyofauna Rescue and Salvage Project  

In 2024, 122 species were rescued in Reduced Flow Stretch (TVR) monitored areas, reservoirs, the bypass channel, and urban streams, totaling 3,407.65 kg of live fish. Since 2018, Belo Monte has had anti-entrainment screens, which prevent fish from entering the plants’ turbines.  

Fish Transposition Mechanism Monitoring Project  

The Fish Transposition System, in continuous operation since 2016 and monitored by the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), recorded the presence of 110 species between 2016 and 2024, which represents 69.2% of the abundance of species identified in the region. To learn more, please click on: <https://www.norteenergiasa.com.br/uhe-belo-monte/complexo-hidreletrico/sistema-de-transposicao-de-peixes 

Ichthyofauna Monitoring Project  

Also carried out by UFPA, the project reached its 52nd campaign in 2024, with 377,791 individuals sampled, covering 436 species in 13 years. Hierarchical modeling of species communities (HMSC) revealed changes in the occurrence and abundance of several species, but no records of extinction. Ichthyoplankton studies revealed 93 reproductive taxa during the 2024 flood period. 

Sustainable Fishing Incentive Project  

The fisheries monitoring project, coordinated by UFPA, has been monitoring commercial, subsistence and aquarium fishing activities since 2012 along approximately 800 km of the Xingu River, stretching from Gurupá to São Félix do Xingu, including the Iriri River. The initiative also analyzes data on fishing and hunting in the Paquiçamba and Arara da Volta Grande do Xingu Indigenous Lands. The information gathered supports mitigation actions and points to improvements in the living conditions of fishing families. Social monitoring reveals a decline in the percentage of fishermen living below the poverty line, from 19.4% in 2017 to 11.4% in 2024, in addition to an increase in the Family Development Index, which rose from 0.55 to 0.64 in the same period.