ABSTRACT
Dam construction in South America reached a milestone in 1982 with closure of the trinational Itaipu Dam on the Parana River, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Brazil has continued to lead the continent in dam building, especially in the Amazonas area where rainfall is heavy (Figure 8.1). In addition to dam building, there are complex
plans for a Hidrovia Canal System to link Mar de la Plata with the interior of Brazil. Unfortunately most of these projects have been conceived without regard for
environmental consequences, thus risking the repetition of many of the mistakes already made in the USA and Africa. This chapter begins with a summary of the first years of operation of a shallow reservoir filling a tropical rain forest in Surinam, and the impact on downstream fish populations.
