Foz do Iguaçu (Paraná), May 17, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - When the Itaipu Binational Company was founded in 1974 to begin the construction of Itaipu, the world's largest hydroelectric plant, the novel scale of the project provoked alarm among ecologists and biologists all across the globe. Would it really be possible to erect a 196-meter long concrete, steel, and metal barrier without causing an impact on the environment? The decision to block the flow of water in the Paraná River to install a hydroelectric plant also had consequences for the adjacent municipalities, which ended up being inundated by the water that was held back.

In view of the realization that the new plant would inflict harm on the environment, Itaipu Binational's governing board decided to concentrate their efforts on minimizing the environmental damage. Priority was given initially to the municipalities adjoining the plant and the region that makes up the dam's reservoir. During the company's 30 years of activity, over 20 million native species saplings have been planted along the reservoir's protective perimeter, which extends for 1,350 kilometers.

Although environmental protection has been an Itaipu banner since its inception, it has gained addition momentum in the last five years. Itaipu Binational's Brazilian director of Coordination, Nelton Miguel Friedrich, assures that, after 25 years of activity aimed at the vicinity of the plant, the company decided to expand its environmental projects.

The basic concern of Itaipu's main environmental program at present is to avoid the waste of fresh water, which currently represents only 3% of the planet's total available water supply, according to company data. The "Growing Good Water" program encompasses 70 projects and sub-projects intended to make residents of the 29 muncipalities that form the Paraná River Basin more aware of the need to preserve water. "These municipalities contain over 1,560 primary springs, which form watercourses that all flow into the Itaipu reservoir. We want to pay off our environmental debt but at the same time permeate all of this with environmental education," the director underscores.

The principal programs also include incentives for organic agriculture, the construction of a biodiversity corredor to link the Iguaçu National Park to the Pantanal region in Mato Grosso, and incentives for breeding fish in holding nets. The projects seek to ally environmental preservation with social responsibility.

Last year 50 families of fishermen who live around the Itaipu lake received two 4x3 meter tanks containing 500 pacu fingerlings, together with technical orientations to handle and assure the reproduction of the fish. The idea of the project is to guarantee that with the sale of the first batch of fish, the fishermen can purchase more species to maintain their own livelihood.

Miro Vogel is a fisherman, and his family was one of the ones that received this help. He and his wife, Dionísio Vogel, live with their four children along one of the banks of the Itaipu lake in a small dwelling without electricity. When night falls, a tank of gas and a gas lamp are the only devices they have to light the house. The family received two holding nets last year and two more this year. "The tanks improved our life. We were almost ready to abandon net fishing, since some days it yielded a lot of fish and other days, just a few. There were times when we didn't even have fish to eat," Dionísia declares. The Vogels currently support themselves by selling fish produced in the tank. The pacus are sold fresh and smoked and have become a success in the vicinity of the family's residence.

Another program that struck a positive chord among tourists and Foz do Iguaçu inhabitants who visit the hydroelectric plant is the Piracema ("Upstream Migration") Channel. Itaipu Binational constructed an artificial river 10 kilometers in length connecting the Iguaçu River to the plant's lake. The project will allow various fish species to have access in the spawning season to the areas of reproduction in the rivers that form the Itaipu lake. It is already considered the world's largest artificial canal.

In director Friedrich's opinion, the canal is just one of the company's projects that have the celebration of animal and vegetable life as the "number one priority." "Whoever loves something, takes care of it. But to love something, one must learn about it, one must become familiar with it, one must appreciate it."

Translator: David Silberstein