At How Caple: A new habitat....

This was once a potato field. I photographed the same field last year. It had flooded under the relentless rain of the last summer. I thought there was a possibility that the water table had lowered, when I drove drown to How Caple and that the flooding would be receding. We haven't had rain for a week now.

To my amazement, Not only that the flood site had grown, but the habitat and the soil had changed. The once sticky clay soil was now, silted. Its was slippy too with algae. The once potato mounds were now green shiny ridges. The native wide life had taken over. Swans had settled and began courting and breeding. They swam proudly as if this was something they had been waiting for.

I chatted briefly to a lady on the riverbank. She had seen people fishing from the potato field. We also chatted about an article I had read about the go ahead for the 'Belo Monte Dam' in the Amazonian rainforest. We talked about changing habitats here, but also about the scale of the 'Belo Monte Dam'. It would be the third largest in the world and its impact just as big . It would flood a large area of land, dry up certain parts of the Xingu river, cause huge devastation to the rainforest and reduce fish stocks upon which Indians in the area, including Kayapó, Arara, Juruna, Araweté, Xikrin, Asurini and Parakanã Indians, depend for their survival.

The livelihoods of thousands of tribal people who depend on the forest and river for food and water would be destroyed. (source: survival international) I am astounded that with all the human rights campaigning throughout the world that this is going ahead. I hope it can be changed. x