Brazil and the Belo Monte Dam: “The Amazon Is Ours”

The fourth-largest hydroelectric plant in the world, the Belo Monte dam, on the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon in northern Brazil, requires the flooding of rainforest and agricultural areas, as well as the resettlement of thousands of residents, and has been the source of substantial controversy. In press reports, the authors find a reliance on official sources and a focus on the conflict between the local residents and the government and consortium. This case study reveals the ways in which local politics are interpreted and transformed into the national by regional and national media, and how indigenous communities’ perspectives and views are regarded in economically booming Brazil, even as they are linked to international environmental networks and have popular support at home. It also reveals how media strategies from non-state actors shape coverage.