Source: Cool Earth
A number of environmentalists keen on rainforest conservation have spoken out against plans to construct six hydroelectric dams in the Peruvian Amazon, intended to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of energy.
International Rivers, which aims to protect waterways and defend the rights of those who depend on them, noted that the establishment of one on the Ene River would affect some 17,000 Ashaninka tribe members, while the Ashaninka Communal Reserve and the Otishi National Park - two protected regions - would also be threatened.In addition, the Inambari Dam would see 46,000 rainforest hectares submerged and 15,000 individuals lose their livelihoods.
Speaking regarding the plans - signed last week by Peruvian president Alan Garcia and Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - Mariano Castro, lawyer with the Peruvian Society of Environmental Rights, said: "[This accord] will impose a series of negative environmental and social impacts such as displacement of indigenous people and deforestation in at least five departments of Peru."