THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SETE QUEDAS WATERFALL
The Sete Quedas fall was one of the most complex and spectacular systems of cataracts in the Amazon. It was a sacred place of paramount importance to the Munduruku, Apiaká and Kayabi peoples and its rich biodiversity made it an important source of food for centuries and the place where the spirits of the ancestors resided.
Its destruction is only one among the countless examples of cultural and historical places snatched away from indigenous peoples by the fury of dams and the unregulated economic development.
Unfortunately, all the scientific publications providing more details about the destruction of Sete Quedas waterfall and its effect on people and the environment are currently on purchase (unless you have access through a university or other account). Below you will find the link to a selection of these papers.
Agostinho, A. A., Thomaz, S. M., Minte-Vera, C. V., & Winemiller, K. O. 2000. Biodiversity in the high Paraná River floodplain. In. B. Gopal, W. Junk, J. Davis (eds.). Biodiversity in wetlands: assessment, function and conservation. Backhuys, Leiden, 89-118.
Gubiani, É. A., Gomes, L. C., Agostinho, A. A., & Baumgartner, G. 2010. Variations in fish assemblages in a tributary of the upper Paraná River, Brazil: A comparison between pre and post‐closure phases of dams. River Research and Applications, 26(7), 848-865.
Gruner, S. 2021. Environmental Justice, Coloniality, and Indigenous Peoples in Latin America A Qualitative Case Study of the Munduruku’s Conceptions of Environmental Justice Struggles in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. MA thesis Aalborg University, Denmark.