itaipu dam environmental impact
a rapidly expanding country that is consuming it in large proportions. The efforts focused on constructing 30-meter-wide green belts to protect the river and reservoir from soil erosion, and creating a network of biodiversity corridors linking forested areas along the Paran river. the part of the Paraguayan people, worrying about the corruption of
2020. Some of these benefits could also be monetized, for example carbon sequestration could be monetized through.
The forests and natural ecosystems ensure low sediment levels in the reservoir, preventing damage to the giant turbines. Sedimentation and variable river flow, coupled with variable precipitation patterns driven by climate change, reduces the overall water supply and quality available for hydropower production. [2] It is a concrete gravity dam that has
Trees, Forests and Water: Cool Insights for a Hot World.
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production. However, this benefit did
The reduction of harmful pesticides and soil erosion control with appropriate tilling and terracing techniques, reduces the agricultural runoff and contaminants entering the Paran river, ultimately resulting in a cleaner source of water downstream.18, Given the strong local dependence on livestock and poultry production, Itaip Binacional in partnership with 26 institutions, created a biogas technology that transforms livestock waste into energy. Summary Cultivating Good Water: A Closer Look at Itaip Binacionals Sustainable Projects. This source of hydroelectric energy has helped to reduce
World", Popular Mechanics 172, No. more connected relationship between the two countries through their
Proyecciones de poblacin nacional, areas urbana y rural, por sexo y edad, Summary Cultivating Good Water: A Closer Look at Itaip Binacionals Sustainable Projects. We are therefore not just concerned with water but with the entire ecosystem process. 8 UMASS Boston. 
As the programs serve the community and the broader ecosystem, cost-sharing with other beneficiaries is an important way to scale up projects. It spans the Parana
Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and its Impacts. 2020. [6] S.B. government's signing of the Itaipu Treaty of 1973. Project: The Paraguayan Perspective", Bull.
Ecosystem Services 24, 200-212. some of the natural beauty of the region. 2020. [2] As a basis for comparison, the Hoover Dam initially generated
This Act resulted in the exploration of the Parana
However, much work has been
[5] R. Sternberg, "Hydropower's Future, the
Itaip Dam is an inspiring example of how sustainable and resilient design solutions can be implemented at scale, conserving and regenerating the natural environment, managing the effects of climate change, and at the same time, demonstrating financial viability and delivering wider benefits to the communities and the environment. As much of the land along the watershed was privately owned, Itaip Binacional engaged with 42 private landowners and farmers who agree to lease part of their lands for reforestation. One must also note that
[2] During the push towards democratization, the
2, 48 (1995). 2020. As a multi-billion dollar bi-national enterprise, Itaip Binacional could secure partnerships and mobilize resources for large-scale watershed restoration efforts that would protect and restore ecologically important areas, while supporting local and indigenous communities. Increasing Private Sector Uptake of Nature-based Solutions, Annex B. Farmers perceive that land taken out of production for reforestation efforts results in economic losses, particularly in the short-term. The Paran watershed is vast and remote, spanning 38,000 km2 over two countries, Brazil and Paraguay. development and operation of the Itaipu dam. In recognition of the important effort made by farmers that offered their land to create the corridor, it was named the Santa Maria Biodiversity Corridor after the Santa Maria farm which contributed a significant area of preserved Atlantic forest.16. of an equal split of the output energy
27 IDB et al. rainfall stored as groundwater) protecting local catchments through gradual release and helping to regulate water flow. [1] G. T. Pope, "The Seven Wonders of the Modern
These nature-based solution would also be more sustainable, resilient, and cost effective than copious amounts of dredging. Cultivating Good Water Expands results in 2007.
[6]. The amount of iron and steel used in the dams construction could build 380 Eiffel Towers.7 The 2.6 million tonnes of iron and steel and 12.3 million cubic meters of concrete used to create the dam has a carbon footprint somewhere in the region of 11 million tonnes of CO2e.i Whilst this undoubtedly makes the dams embedded CO2 levels very high, Itaip has since generated over 2.6 billion-Megawatt hours (MWh)ii of electricity.
magnitude, it is able to supply a huge amount of power and bring
This corridor linked the margins around the reservoir to two ecologically significant areas that were previously fragmented; Iguau National Park and the Ilha Grande National Park. The project is a great example of how cross-border co-operation and natural resource management can provide sustainable services using nature-based solutions. The Itaip Preserves program alone has offered direct employment for 250 and indirect employment for 500 local people. this dam. By virtue of their vast root systems, trees can help to stabilize soil, helping to control soil erosion, and can purify and filter water of contaminants.13 Once in place, nature-based solutions, like using forests for regulating water flow and quality, will continue to provide their services until they are removed. benefiting by having first rights to buy the excess energy that Paraguay
were able to save about 400 total species. The sustainable solution can be quickly increase in scale, and provides many other additional benefits, including helping the dam become more resilient to changing climatic conditions and the influence that has on the rate of water flow. impact of dam construction was on the surrounding natural wildlife. were some large consequences, both positive and negative of building
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Paraguay and allowed the development of an electricity market from which
Deforestation also increases the speed of water run-off in the Paran River and its tributaries, increasing peak flows (and sediment loads) during the rainy season, and reducing river flows during the dry season. Paraguay,
stones, gravel) that are slightly raised, allow water to filter through, and do not channel water during rainstorms.
the dam; the 4.8 mile-long structure was completed in 1991, with an
The free program helps farmers to access new markets and commercialize organic produce, thereby helping to compensate for potential economic losses associated with taking land out of production.17 Public schools in the region are the primary consumer of organic produce, in addition to local markets and supermarkets. both countries, many families were displaced from their homes to
Human activities such as forest fires, dumping materials, illegal grazing of livestock, deforestation hunting and fishing, are harmful to water quality improvements. being completed, Paraguay's main crops plummeted in value worldwide,
End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture. Restoring forests, in particular in a belt along the river, and changing approaches to conventional land management practices that impact water quality, these nature-based solutions could provide water regulation and sediment control services to support the dams longevity in a way that would be sustainable with some maintenance. capable of handling 160 tons of water per second. 15 Ceurvels, M. 2013. Dam is the most recently built dam of the three, and provides energy to
[2] In 1975, construction began on
Three Gorges Dam in China has 26 power-generating units that together
There are logistical challenges associated with accessing sites. As a result, reforestation efforts have been met with some local resistance, particularly out of concern of a large enterprise seizing land from smallholders.27. 2014. It is the largest reforestation initiative in Paraguay, and covers an extensive territory stretching from Hernandarias to Saltos del Guaira, a total linear distance of 1,524 km.22 Restoration activities are focused on 1,900 ha of degraded land, and an additional 409 hectares set aside for management and natural regeneration, covering a total area of 2,309 ha.23 Similar to Cultivating Good Water, the program creates and enhances biodiversity corridors in the strip around the reservoirs where they were previously disconnected.24. This has ensures that the initiatives actioned today continue to receive support and sustainable actions continue to be practiced by the local community. Panorama ODS: Oeste do Parana em numeros. Iguacu in 1966. Sediment could potentially be removed from the reservoirs through dredging, yet this activity is expensive, environmentally harmful, and would have to be completed at a large scale and at regular intervals. of the modern world due to its sheer immensity. industrialization. Restoration benefits also accrue over longer time-scales. This has also included tackling conventional perceptions in the region that land restoration and conservation is at odds with economic development.28 Itaip has experienced some resistance from community members in regard to changing current land management practices. 11 Hydrovision International. Further, the smallholder suffers the direct loss of land, while the benefits are diffuse and accrue to everyone. Download the step by step methodology to help cities collaboratively build resilience to local water challenges, mapped with the OurWater online governance tool, as used by cities around the world. Bhutan, and Nepal: Landlocked but Hydropower Rich", Hydro Nepal, July
Since the 1970s Itaip Binacional has pioneered a series of watershed restoration programs aimed at reducing sediment loads, reducing erosion, regulating water flow and encouraging natural filtration, while generating broader co-benefits. This was simply unsustainable. Critical infrastructure resilience for a safer and better world. 29 Saenz, L. 2017. The economic case for greening the global recovery, The Resilience Shift support for new COP Resilience Hub, Resilience Shift round-table: Christchurch: lessons for infrastructure resilience, International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, 16% of Brazils electricity mix, and 90% of Paraguays, Philip Glass to create an opera of the same name, A. Samarin (7 September 1999) in Ravindra K. Dhir, Trevor G. Jappy, https://www.itaipu.gov.br/en/energy/energy, https://www.hydropower.org/news/study-shows-hydropower%E2%80%99s-carbon-footprint, can purify and filter water of contaminants, roads, reforestation and waste management, contributing to greenhouse gas mitigation, Itaip Hydroelectric Power Project, Brazil and Paraguay, Dealing with Sediment: Effects on Dams and Hydropower, Brasilia, Brasilia: Grafs. livestock excrements) in biodigesters to drive motor generation. 1 UNEP and IDB (2020) report (forthcoming). As a result, Itaip has become the most efficient hydropower plant in South America, per cubic meter of water. 25 Itaip Binacional.
controversy about Paraguay's selling of excess energy back to Brazil on
Combined pressures from human activity, invasive species, climate change and linked extreme events such as forest fires threaten the delicate ecosystems that provide invaluable services to the Itaip Dam. In 1974, Itaip Binacional was created as a company that had the mandate of both countries to administer the plant's construction. Beyond the direct economic benefit to Itaip Binacional, the restoration initiatives provide a range of broader co-benefits (described in table 2). 2018. Deforestation and unsustainable land management practices upstream of the reservoir and along the Paran river, reduces water quality and increases sedimentation in the waterways, creating unreliable flows and poor water quality for hydropower production. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Trees and forests require years to mature and offer the full range of services, and require maintenance in the early years until the trees become self-maintaining. not come without cost, as the displacement of such a large amount of
Biomass electricity generation consists of using biogas released by decomposing organic matter (e.g. In this way, investments in ecosystem services can help manage uncertainty by creating an environment that supports the effective functioning of the asset, even in times of external threat to human systems. While communities recognize the benefits of restoring degraded agricultural lands (that serve no other purpose), there is less incentive to curb expansion into remaining native forests where lands are fertile for agricultural use. 14,000-megawatt output that the dam produces. Watershed conservation and restoration have always been a central tenet of Itaip Binacionals business model, beginning even before the dams construction, and are still integral to the companys strategic approach today. exotic grasses), pest outbreaks and extreme weather events, can further compromise watershed restoration efforts. Paraguay Biodiversidad is another initiative in Paraguay that engages with indigenous peoples, rural agricultural producers, and NGOs to restore and conserve sections of the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest Watershed. These efforts have helped to reconstitute the conventional narrative that ecosystem conservation is at odds with economic development.
