Life for the Xingu River in Amazonia

The Xingu River is one of the largest and most important tributaries of the Amazon. From its source in Mato Grosso to its mouth in the state of Pará, the Xingu nourishes countless areas in the savannas of the Cerrado and in the Amazon rainforest over a distance of more than 2,700 kilometers.

For the Indigenous peoples and traditional communities living along the riverbanks, fishing is an important source of food. In turn, the people help ensure that the Xingu not only gives life, but also stays alive.

Between the towns of Altamira and Sao Vicente, the Xingu forms the Volta Grande do Xingu, a 100‑kilometer‑long river bend in the rainforest. There, with support from our partner organization Xingu Vivo, local people are resisting the agribusiness, mining, and hydroelectric industries that seek to exploit the fertile soils, the mineral resources found there, and the power of the river.

The Xingu Vivo movement

In 2008, hundreds of Indigenous people, fishers, river dwellers, and other traditional communities founded the Xingu Vivo movement with support from organizations in Brazil and abroad. The movement spearheaded the mobilization against the 11,000-megawatt Belo Monte dam project planned at the time.

Despite massive resistance, Belo Monte was built between 2011 and 2016 under the governments of President Lula da Silva and President Dilma Rousseff. Now the local population is suffering serious consequences:

• The highest deforestation rates in the state
• Land grabbing and land conflicts involving cattle ranchers and local politicians
• Expanding mining activities
• Threats to leaders of communities along the river
• Conflicts over water

Up to 80 percent of the Xingu River’s water is diverted through a 50‑kilometer canal to the turbines of the Belo Monte power plant. As a result, the Xingu’s great river bend is barely navigable and the fishing grounds that are vital for local people have largely dried up. This threatens food security and harms local agriculture.

The planned Belo Sun open‑pit gold mine

The Canadian mining company Belo Sun plans to dig Brazil’s largest open‑pit gold mine in the rainforest along the Xingu river bend. The project would have profound impacts on ecosystems and local communities that are already suffering the consequences of the Belo Monte hydropower plant.

What does Xingu Vivo do?

Xingu Vivo monitors corporate activities, informs communities along the Xingu about their rights, and provides political education, public outreach, and legal support. Xingu Vivo reports violations to national institutions and international bodies, and engages in political and institutional advocacy with the responsible authorities and politicians. Another area of work is securing land titles and demarcating traditional territories, as well as promoting productive, empowering projects that advance food sovereignty.

A network of forest and river guardians

One focus of Xingu Vivo is to organize a network of forest and river guardians in strategic communities throughout the river basin. They serve as local contacts, share information in the villages, and help organize actions.

Your donation for Xingu Vivo

Your donations make it possible to:

• Organize community meetings and workshops with the forest and river guardians
• Train people to defend their territories against these threats
• Provide legal support
• Enable advocacy trips to Brasília, Brazil’s capital, to hold authorities and politicians to account

The goal is to protect nature along the Xingu and ensure that Indigenous peoples and traditional communities can continue living along the river.

To support the Xingu Vivo movement, please donate here.