Dams in Amazonia, an interactive map

Containing 60% of the world’s remaining tropical rainforests, the Amazon is an area of immense biodiversity. Known as the “lungs of the planet” the Amazon rainforest plays a critical role in regulating the climate not only of South America, but parts of North America as well. The region is inhabited by nearly 30 million people, including thousands of indigenous tribes and river bank communities whose lives depend directly on the waters of the Amazon River and its tributaries.

Increasingly, the Amazon Basin is being targeted for large dam projects. More than 60 large dams are being planned for the Brazilian Amazon, and neighboring countries Peru, Bolivia and Colombia are planning dams of their own. If built, these projects would dramatically affect the Amazon’s fragile web of aquatic and terrestrial life, as well as displacing tens of thousands of indigenous and river bank communities.

To check the map go to http://www.dams-info.org

Photo by KRISTIANO