Brazil Faces Dilemma: Rare Macaws Vs Wind Farm

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Brazil Faces Dilemma: Rare Macaws Vs Wind Farm

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AFP-Jiji 13:41 JST, June 8, 2023 CANUDOS, Brazil (AFP-Jiji) A wind farm in northeastern Brazil sounds like a welcome climate-friendly energy solution, but it is causing controversy over another kind of environmental worry: the impact on the endangered Lears macaw. Home to more than 90% of Brazils booming wind-power industry, the northeast is known for strong, steady winds that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to harness to power a green-energy revolution. The region has drawn the interest of French renewable energy company Voltalia, which broke ground in 2021 on a 28-turbine, 100-megawatt wind farm in semi-arid Canudos county, in the state of Bahia. But the project soon came under attack when it emerged that the enormous turbines, with their 120-meter diameter blades a known threat to birds in flight were being built in a nesting region for the Lears macaw, a bright blue parrot also known as the indigo macaw, or by its scientific name Anodorhynchus leari. Named for 19th-century English poet Edward Lear, the birds have dwindled to an estimated population of no more than 2,000 in the wild, as farming and logging have vastly reduced their habitat. The wind farm is very risky, said Marlene Reis, of the Lears Macaw Gardens Project, an organization trying to save the species. It could considerably increase the risk of extinction, she told AFP. And the damage could be irreversible, especially for these iconic macaws, who only live and reproduce in this region. A federal court halted the final stage of construction on the turbines in April, revoking Voltalias permits. It cannot be considered a low environmental impact project, given the proximity to an endangered bird species, the court ruled, ordering further impact studies and consultations with local communities. Voltalia has appealed the decision. The potential environmental and social impacts have already been dealt with exhaustively, Voltalias country manager for Brazil, Nicolas Thouverez, told AFP. The impact studies required by state authorities have shown the turbines in no way endanger the conservation of the Lears macaw, he said. They demonstrated the environmental viability of the project. The company has proposed reducing risks by painting the turbines to make them more visible to birds, as well as fitting the macaws with GPS trackers and installing technology that immediately stops the blades turning when they fly over. Brazil is a world leader in green energy. It has the largest percentage of clean electricity in the G20 group of nations, at 89%. Lula, who took office in January, has vowed to expand that further still. Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira said recently that Lula wants to turn Brazils impoverished northeast into the biggest renewable energy breadbasket in the world. Silveira has announced plans to install up to 30 gigawatts of clean energy production capacity in the northeast, mainly wind and solar. The total investment could reach 120 billion reais ($24 billion). But Voltalia offers a case study of the kind of opposition projects can run into on the ground. In addition to the outcry over the Lears macaw, the company faces resistance from small-scale communal farmers and cattle ranchers, around 7,500 of whom live in the area around the wind farm. The impact will be felt across the board, said Adelson Matos, 65, a white-bearded farmer who tends to goats, sheep, cows, chickens and fruit in the nearby village of Alto Redondo. The wind farm is noisy, draws vehicle traffic at all hours, and has altered rain and wind patterns with its enormous structures, Matos complained. It breaks all harmony with the natural habitat, he told AFP. All in the name of progress, he said bitterly. JN ACCESS RANKING The Japan News / Weekly Edition Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting, readable fomat. Read more eng jp 2024 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun