Editorial

Abstract

This volume of Ambiente e Sociedade features nine articles that discuss alternative food networks, environmental conflicts in mining and hydroelectric projects, strategic environmental assessment, climate change adaptation and risk, reverse logistics, environmental services and recovery of degraded areas, associations in protected areas and social representation of sustainability.It also contains a special dossier, organized and coordinated by Emilio Moran full professor and researcher of University of Michigan and Nepam/Unicamp and Marcia Grisotti, professor and researcher of Federal University of Santa Catarina, that contains five articles on the social and environmental impacts of infrastructure projects in the Amazon. The dossier presents the outcomes of research coordinated by Professor Emilio Moran, addressing the relationship between population and environment in the development of large-scale infrastructure. The focus is on the impacts caused during the construction of the Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon.The construction of hydroelectric dams, and specially the forecast construction of more than 65 in the future is a key issue that Ambiente e Sociedade shares with its readers from the perspective of environmental justice.Since its inception in 1975, the construction project of the Belo Monte hydroelectric mobilizes Brazilian and international environmental movements and mainly local indigenous communities, triggering controversy, protests, conflicts and a sequence of reports and uncontested expertise. These demands resulted in a reduction of the project scope and changes in the location of the dam and reservoir.Its installed capacity of 11,233 MW, however, the fact that it operates with a very small reservoir, should produce effectively, something around 4 500 MW / year, which represents approximately 10% of national consumption. In installed capacity, it will be the third largest dam in the world, behind only China Three Gorges and the Brazilian and Paraguayan Itaipu. Belo Monte is installed in one of the most sociobiodiverse regions of Brazil, very close to the Xingu Indigenous Reserve.The questionings focus primarily on environmental and social liabilities since its beginning of construction in 2011. The original project was reduced, as well as the initial proposal of five dams, being built only one. The plant will operate with a thread of water process, which requires smaller area of flooding. But despite this decrease, it causes the deforestation of nearly 12 hectares, with impacts on biodiversity and on indigenous communities who depend on the Xingu Indigenous Reserve for survival The problems have multiplied throughout the construction, mainly issues related to the execution of works of road and health infrastructure in the cities and relocation of inappropriate families living in the affected areas. Construction took thousands of workers and migrants to the region, causing a huge impact on public services of the city of Altamira, which has an increase of 100,000 to 150,000 people, reflecte...