The Juruena that shall be no more

The following photographic essay is a selection of extremely beautiful images of the rivers that are part of the Juruena basin, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Most of them were taken 8 years ago when many riverside areas were still intact. Today, most of the aggressions suffered by this region come from deforestation to make room for soy plantation in the plains of Chapadão dos Parecis, from cattle ranches and hydroelectric powerplant dams.

By the author:

"I saw the Juruena river for the very first time in 2003 and fell in love with it. It is a river, like the Araguaia, that won a place in my heart, although they are in fact two very different rivers. The Araguaia, with its stunning beaches and very special glowing light, means it has a huge number of fans who frequent the river every year in the dry season. Added to the fact that there are many towns situated on its banks all along the river, and those riverside-dwellers are passionate about it.

The Juruena is in a different class. It is (or rather, it was) a wild river. When I had the chance to overfly long stretches of it in 2003 and 2004, I was amazed at its crystal-clear blue waters slicing through exuberant, untouched rainforest. Very few roads reached its banks, and only very occasional farms had stripped the greenery from the scenery. Now, less than a decade later, the scenario has changed. Since there is still not a single town installed on its banks, and the river itself is still remote and difficult to reach, it doesn't have legions of fans or supporters to spring to its defence, as the Araguaia does. So, under cover of darkness, so to speak, a number of PCHs (small hydroelectric projects) - the prime objective of which is not "to supply energy to the poor" or similar such platitudes that we are often forced to swallow, but is purely and simply to make a quick buck - are being built all along this river. Only some time in the distant future will people contemplate these old pictures of mine and say; "heavens, how could they possibly have been so insensitive in those days as to do that with such a rare and precious gem of a river?" Much like we think today, when looking at a drawing of the harmless dodo, who couldn't even fly... The poor Juruena can't fly either, nor can it change its course to get away from the lords of concrete and chain-saws."

Copie o código e cole em sua página pessoal: