Preservation and conservation programs

Programs Related to Archeological, Prehistoric and Historic heritage
These programs aim to rescue, register and conserve the historical and prehistoric heritage of the region. The setting up of the worksite and formation of the reservoir are being preceded by a broad archeological prospecting and rescue operation in which vestiges of the people who lived there before the Portuguese arrived in Brazil are being found and analyzed. After the final studies they will be sent to the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) which will decide their future.

Program to Preserve the Paleontological Heritage
This program is helping to recover and preserve the paleontological heritage based on the study of fossils found in the region of the hydroelectric plant.

Fauna Conservation Program
This program aims to support the strategies for maintaining the conservation of the regional fauna. It is split into a number of sub-programs according to the fauna group under study: insects, reptiles, land mammals, bats, aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals and birds. It also involves the monitoring of specific environment for birds and the control of incidents of rabies transmitted by bats.

In March 2009, the monitoring began being carried out in the region of the future reservoir of the HEP. The aim is to assess the impact of the flooding of the reservoir on the fauna in the region. The work is being coordinated by UNIR and will help plan and carry out the conservation actions. Learn more by clicking

Flora Conservation Program
This program aims to reduce the impact on the loss of genetic vegetation material by taking advantage of the propagators (any part of vegetation which can multiply or reproduce itself) to reproduce species to reintroduce them into the forest recovery areas. It is split into three sub-programs: Flora Rescue, Monitoring the Vegetation Success of the Reservoir Banks and Replanting the Permanent Preservation Areas of the Reservoir.

The program began in the second semester of 2008 as has been carried out by six biologists, under the coordination of the University of Rondônia (Unir).

Ichthyofauna Conservation Program
This program is monitoring the alteration caused to the aquatic fauna and fish activity in the River Madeira during the construction and operation of the Santo Antônio HEP. In situations where the aquatic fauna is threatened, the fish will be rescued. This program is divided in seven sub-programs: Ecology and Biology, Taxonomic Inventory, Ichthyoplancton, Genetics of Populations, Monitoring Fish Activity, Monitoring the Transposition System and Rescue of the Ichthyofauna.

The Monitoring of Fish Activity began in November 2008 and is being carried out under the technical coordination of specialists from the Federal University of Rondônia (Unir). The team will measure and weight different fish, as well as interview fishermen to learn more about  the species. The work is being done in combination with the communities and, for this reason, was the subject of a leaflet distributed in the region.

The rescue program began in October 2008 - 45,000 fish were rescued for the construction of the cofferdam provisional barriers which keep the river bed dry where the project will be built. The operations are coordinated by UNIR and involve professional fishermen.

The Environmental Conservation and Use of the Reservoir Surroundings Plan
This establishes guidelines and proposals to discipline conservation, recovery, the use and occupation of the surrounding area of the reservoir.