Madeira River
The Madeira River is a major waterway in South America, approximately 3,250 km long. The Madeira is the biggest tributary of the Amazon, accounting for about 15% of the water in the basin.
What is the Madeira River?
The Madeira is the biggest tributary of the Amazon, accounting for about 15% of the water in the basin. A map from Emanuel Bowen in 1747, held by the David Rumsey Map Collection, refers to the Madeira by the pre-colonial, indigenous name Cuyari:
What is the Madeira dam project?
Madeira River dams. A series of mega dams is being built as a central part of Brazil’s Accelerated Growth Programme, which aims to stimulate the country’s economic growth by building a huge infrastructure of roads and dams, mainly in the Amazon region.
Why is the Madeira River so turbid?
As typical of Amazonian rivers with the primary headwaters in the Andes, the Madeira River is turbid because of high sediment levels and it is whitewater, but some of its tributaries are clearwater (e.g., Aripuanã and Ji-Paraná) or blackwater (e.g., Manicoré).
How much biodiversity does the Madeira River basin have?
The river basin's biodiversity includes about 900 fish species living in its many marine habitats. The Madeira River's water flow accounts for around 15% of the total volume of water that flows into the Amazon River, which in turn flows out into the Atlantic Ocean.
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Why is the Madeira River important?
The river's connectivity is just as vital to fish, and to large-scale commercial and small-scale subsistence fisheries, from the Madeira's Bolivian headwaters, downstream into Brazil, and to where the river merges into the Amazon east of the city of Manaus.
What is special about the Madeira basin?
The Basin is larger in size than any Amazonian country except Brazil. The Madeira Basin is probably the most geographically complex tributary basin in the Amazon. The headwaters of the Madeira River arise in the southernmost Andes within the Amazon Basin, in the eastern Bolivian lowlands and on the Brazilian Shield.
Which country is the Madeira River in?
Madeira River, Portuguese Rio Madeira, major tributary of the Amazon. It is formed by the junction of the Mamoré and Beni rivers at Villa Bella, Bolivia, and flows northward forming the border between Bolivia and Brazil for approximately 60 miles (100 km).
Where does the Madeira River start and end?
Amazon RiverMadeira River / MouthThe Amazon River in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river in the world in comparison to the Nile. Wikipedia
What is the source of the Madeira River?
Mamoré RiverRio Madre De DiosMadeira River/Sources
Are there any rivers in Madeira?
The waters flow into the Madeira from many large rivers, the principal of which, (from east to west), are the Guaporé or Iténez, the Baures and Blanco, the Itonamas or San Miguel, the Mamoré, Beni, and Madre de Dios or Mayutata, all of which are reinforced by numerous secondary but powerful affluents.
Where does the Madeira River end?
Amazon RiverMadeira River / Mouth
How long is the Madeira River?
901 miMadeira River / Length
Where is the Negro River?
Negro River, Spanish Río Negro, Portuguese Rio Negro, river in Uruguay, rising in the southern highlands of Brazil just east of Bagé.
Is Amazon forest located in Africa?
The Amazon rainforest is located in South America.
Where is the River of Doubt in Brazil?
the Amazon basinThe Roosevelt–Rondon Scientific Expedition (Portuguese: Expedição Científica Rondon–Roosevelt) was a survey expedition in 1913–14 to follow the path of the Rio da Dúvida ("River of Doubt") in the Amazon basin.
What are tributaries?
A tributary is a freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream or river. The larger, or parent, river is called the mainstem. The point where a tributary meets the mainstem is called the confluence. Tributaries, also called affluents, do not flow directly into the ocean.
What is the Madeira River dam?
Madeira River dams. A series of mega dams is being built as a central part of Brazil’s Accelerated Growth Programme, which aims to stimulate the country’s economic growth by building a huge infrastructure of roads and dams, mainly in the Amazon region. The size of these projects threatens to harm or destroy vast areas of land, ...
How much does it cost to build the Santo Antônio dam?
The two large dams – the Jirau and Santo Antônio – are being constructed on the Madeira River in the western Amazon in Brazil at an estimated cost of US$15 billion. Initial construction began in 2008. The Santo Antônio dam was expected to go on-stream in 2011, and the Jirau dam in 2012, but the dams have not yet been completed.
Is the Santo Antônio dam completed?
The Santo Antônio dam was expected to go on-stream in 2011, and the Jirau dam in 2012, but the dams have not yet been completed. European companies such as France’s GDF Suez and banks such as Spain’s Banco Santander are involved in this project. The small Pirahã tribe will be affected by the Madeira river dams in the Western Amazon, Brazil.
What is the Madeira River?
The Madeira River is the Amazon's largest and most important tributary. Spanning about a quarter of the Brazilian Amazon, the Madeira Basin is a treasure trove of biodiversity, providing home to the spotted jaguar, giant otter, pink dolphin, and countless other endangered mammal species. The river teems with life – an estimated 750 fish species ...
What is the story behind the Madeira River?
The Madeira River: Life Before the Dams tells the story of the people of Brazil and Bolivia affected by the construction of the Santo Antonio and Jirau dams, part of the Madeira Hydroelectric Complex.
How many fish migrate to the Madeira River each year?
The river teems with life – an estimated 750 fish species migrate some 4,500 km each year to spawn and feed in the nutrient-rich, muddy waters of the upper Madeira. But all this is under threat. The Brazilian government is building two massive hydroelectric dams on the Madeira.
What is International Rivers?
International Rivers is working with a coalition of civil society organizations based in the region to leverage technical analyses, grassroots mobilization and legal challenges to highlight the detrimental effects of the Madeira River dams.
Background
Video produced by IRN’s Glenn Switkes. This version is in narrated in English.
Other Resources on the Web
Brazilian ecological group analyzes financing for large-scale projects in Amazon, has good news resources on its site.
5. Description
The Madeira River traces along for a distance of 2,100 miles through Brazil and Bolivia, making it one of the major rivers of South America. It is one of the Amazon River's major tributaries, and one of its biggest waterways. Its former name was the Cuyari River, though the Portuguese called it "Madeira", which means "Wood River".
4. Historical Role
The women of the Amazon were referred to by the nation of the Topinambes as having lived in the Madeira areas of the Amazon jungles. Even the Spanish conquistadors who met these women, at least as described by them in their journals, compared them to the Hellenistic Amazonian women warriors of mythology as well.
3. Modern Significance
As the biggest tributary of the Amazon River, the Madeira River contributes to the area's economy significantly. The port of Velho is a conduit to many other Brazilian cities for trade and supply. The river basin's biodiversity includes about 900 fish species living in its many marine habitats.
2. Habitat
The Andes Mountains produces river flows that are tumultuous, and these are carrying heavy sediments that turn the river water into a whitewater body as it enters the Madeira River. The Madeira carries a whitewater flow that is home to a varied fish population.
1. Threats and Disputes
Modern Brazilian society and its need for power has posed a threat to the ecosystems in many of its rivers, including the Madeira. The building of dams in its rivers has affected the fish and indigenous communities that used to thrive there before the dams were constructed.
What is the Madeira River Complex?
Madeira River Complex - an enormous mega-project including the construction of four hydroelectric dams, extensive river dredging and opening of channels - is currently underway in Brazil’s western Amazon. The Complex threatens the ecological stability of the entire Madeira River and the livelihoods of local communities. The Madeira River Complex is part of two larger initiatives: the Integrated Regional Infrastructure for South America (IIRSA) - an effort by the national governments to construct a new infrastructure network for the region - and the Accelerated Growth Programme (PAC) - the flagship ‘development’ programme of Brazil’s President Lula.
Who is the main target of the Suez dam?
French company GDF Suez is the main target of a campaign led by an international coalition of civil society organizations from Brazil, Europe and the United States. As the majority stakeholder in the dam-building consortium ESBR (Jirau dam), the coalition identifies GDF Suez as directly responsible for the serious social and environmental impacts and risks related to the dam.
What was the Brazilian dam fined for?
In February 2009, Energia Sustentável do Brasil (ESBR), the consortium responsible for building the Jirau Dam, was fined twice by the Brazilian environmental agency IBAMA for serious violations of environmental law. Both cases involved illegal deforestation. The consortium considered the violations as a ‘misunderstanding’, having appealed against the payment of both fines. The Superintendent of IBAMA decided against the consortium in both cases, maintaining the fines. The two fines, which total R$ 1,375.000 (roughly US$ 784,000), remain unpaid.
What was the environmental license for the Santo Antônio and Jirau dams?
In July 2007, after months of deliberation, IBAMA approved the EIA for the Santo Antônio and Jirau dams. The environmental license was granted on the condition that 33 demands were met in relation to the construction and functioning of the two dams. Included in the demands were proposals for the construction of channels to allow for fish migration on the lateral sides of the dams, permanent monitoring of mercury levels and accumulation of sediments behind the dam propellers, and social support programmes for local riparian communities.
How does the Santo Antônio dam affect the environment?
Based on extensive experience with existing dams across the globe, the probable effects will include the permanent displacement of families and communities, the potential extinction of migratory fish species on which local communities depend, the increased spread of malaria, increased erosion of riverbanks, the loss of access to agriculture and forest extractive products, and stronger pressure on already lacking social services due to the migration of families in search of jobs. The contingent of people looking for worker who have flooded into the region is greater than the number of jobs created by the dam construction, overstretching the city of Porto Velho, the state capital, and contributing to problems commonly associated with the overpopulation of urban centres, such as violent crime.
What is the largest tributary of the Amazon?
The Madeira is the largest tributary of the Amazon, representing 23 percent of all hydrological resources in the Amazon basin, and contributing 15 percent of the water volume and half of the sediments and nutrients that flow into the Amazon River and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is considered to be a “mega-biodiverse” home to an estimated 750 fish and 800 bird species1.
What is the Madeira River project?
The Madeira River project will further contribute to the fragmentation of Rondônia's ecosystems and to the clearing of vast areas of the region's remaining forests.
What are the impacts of the Madeira River?
The Madeira River supports the life of an estimated 750 fish species, 800 bird species, and other endangered rainforest wildlife, and is home to rubber tappers, Brazil nut gatherers, and fishermen.
How much sediment does the Madeira dam carry?
In addition, the dams are likely to cause more flooding than expected due to the huge amount of sediments carried by the Madeira river (around 500 million tons/year, equivalent to all other rivers in the Amazon basin) and cause the disruption to 33 endangered mammal species that are found in the project area.
What are the alternatives to the Madeira dams?
A key alternative to the Madeira River dams is increased energy efficiency.
What is IIRSA in Brazil?
IIRSA is a blueprint for 335 large-scale infrastructure projects being proposed by the governments of South America, and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), and Brazil's National Development Bank (BNDES).
What is the name of the dam in Rio Madeira?
About Rio Madeira dams: Jirau and Santo Antonio. Located in the state of Rondônia - Brazil, the Madeira River is the principal tributary of the Amazon River, with its basin covering about one-quarter of the Brazilian Amazon.
Who led the Madeira expedition?
In late 2009, an expedition led by FUNAI and the Brazilian NGO Kanindé, among others, confirmed the presence of four communities of isolated indigenous peoples in the area where the Madeira Complex is being constructed.
Overview
Navigation
The Madeira river rises more than 15 m (50 ft) during the rainy season, and ocean vessels may ascend it to the Falls of San Antonio, near Porto Velho, Brazil, 1,070 km (660 mi) above its mouth; but in the dry months, from June to November, it is only navigable for the same distance for craft drawing about 2 meters (7 ft) of water. The Madeira-Mamoré Railroad runs in a 365 km (227 mi) loop around the unnavigable section to Guajará-Mirim on the Mamoré River, but is not functional, …
Climate
The mean inter-annual precipitations on the great basins vary from 75 to 300 cm (2.5–9.8 ft), the entire upper Madeira basin receiving 170.5 cm (5.6 ft). The greatest extremes of rainfall are between 49 to 700 cm (1.6–23 ft). Even just below the confluence that forms it, the Madeira is one of the largest rivers of the world, with a mean inter-annual discharge of 18,000 cubic metres per second (640,000 cu ft/s), i.e., 568 km (136 cu mi) per year, approximately half the discharge …
Course
Ecology
In popular culture
The river is the fifth title of the 1993/1999 Philip Glass album Aguas da Amazonia.
Dams
In July 2007, plans have been approved by the Brazilian Government to construct two hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River, the Santo Antônio Dam near Porto Velho and the Jirau Dam about 100 km upstream. Both the Jirau and Santo Antonio dams are run-of-the-river projects that do not impound a large reservoir. Both dams also feature some environmental re-mediation efforts (such as fish ladders). As a consequence, it has been suggested that there has not been strong enviro…
External links
• Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). "Madeira, a river of South America" . The New Student's Reference Work . Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co.
• The Amazon and Madeira Rivers: Sketches and Descriptions from the Note-Book of an Explorer from 1875