A recent study conducted by the University of East Anglia has found alarming rates of vertebrate species decline, following the creation of Brazil’s Balbina Dam. Its construction fragmented vast areas of unbroken and often pristine rainforest into what is now an archipelago of 3,546 islands. The report’s co-author Carlos Peres, a Brazilian professor from the university’s School of Environmental Sciences is deeply concerned with the findings: “We’re watching extinction unfold right in front of us”. “We uncovered astounding local extinction rates”, despite much of the area being part of a biological reserve and therefore benefiting from hunting protection.

The research highlighted a considerable loss in biodiversity across what is now an enormous reservoir, with mammals, birds and tortoises particularly affected. Surveys of the wildlife were carried out over two years – across 37 islands and 3 surrounding areas of continuous forest. Additionally, satellite imaging was used to examine further the degree of forest degradation. It’s thought that only 0.7% of the archipelago is now likely to hold 80% of the target species surveyed in the study.

The majority of Brazil’s electricity is currently generated from hydropower, however, the Brazilian government have recently committed to developing more energy through solar, wind and geothermal means.

Here’s a link to the study, published in PLOS ONE.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0129818