#SOSJuruena - because when a bird or plant species goes extinct it ends forever. There is no science which allows it to be recovered.

An important heritage for all Brazilians is at stake and the decision to flood 40,000 hectares of protected areas in the Amazon can happen anytime.

On June 24, 2014, the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) related to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), held an important meeting behind closed doors, without any participation of civil society. The expectation was that the body declared as "public utility" part of the Juruena National Park, which would be the first step to allow the construction of the hydroelectric plants of High Heels São Simão and Low Augusto in the states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso reducing an important area of the Juruena National Park and other protected areas in Brazil.

This petition is intended to prevent the construction of these dams that will affect local people and the survival of 42 threatened or endemic species of animals as well as waterfalls and river rapids in the Juruena river. This would bring serious damage, such as the unfeasibility of vital ecological processes for migrating fish.

 “When a bird or plant species goes extinct it ends forever. There is no science which allows it to be recovered. In the case of a park such as Juruena, they´ll be not only one or two species, but dozens of species that are found and protected by Juruena Park. Even being far from São Paulo, far from Brasília, the park embraces a collection of each and every Brazilian citizen from São Paulo, from Brasília, and if lost, it will not be recovered nor assumed by another park anywhere else”, says Jean Timmers, Public Policies Director of WWF-Brazil.

Created in 2006, Juruena National Park is the fourth largest national park in the country with nearly 2 million hectares, an area equivalent to Israel. In addition, the Park is part of the largest river system of the country (Tapajós Basin) and is a strategic barrier against deforestation. The park is also part of ARPA (Amazon Region Protected Areas), which funded part of the actions for its implementation.

"We are not against the country's development and the generation of electricity, but against the lack of clarity and transparency by which the processes are developed”, explains Jean. The Brazilian Government made ​​the announcement unilaterally, without a broad and democratic debate as regards alternatives for power generation sources, and without consulting the impacts that will affect the protected area and its surrounding communities”.

We need your support so that we can push the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) to avoid the reduction of the Juruena National Park, biological inheritance of humanity that ensures environmental connectivity between the Amazon and the Cerrado forest. 

#SOSJuruena 

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