It is good news that the English AQA examination board is focusing on Belo Monte in the Geography 4B GCSE unit.

On this website we have a section specifically for schools (More Information>For Schools) which includes general information about the Amazon, highlighting the position of and threats to indigenous people. Under More Information>Threats there is original material about hydroelectric dams, focusing heavily on Belo Monte: Hydroelectric Dams. Don’t stop at the end of the section, there is relevant material under the next heading – Mineral Extraction – and there are some links related to Belo Monte at the bottom of the page.

There is a film about Belo Monte (with English subtitles) and other video resources on our Videos page and on our YouTube Channel

Please let us know if you find this interesting. If there is more information you would like to know or if you have questions, either go on our Facebook page and post your enquiry there, or send us an email. You will be in direct contact with people who have long personal experience of the Xingu River and a profound understanding of the issues involved. You should of course also explore the views of other people who hold different views!

There is plenty of additional information on the Heart of Brazil Expedition blog. The following posts are relevant to your studies about Belo Monte:

Belo Monte Environmental Impact Assessment
Hydroelectric Dams: The Indians Unite
Hydroelectricity in the Heart of Brazil
Altamira to Porto De Moz; Hydroelectric Potential

The No Belo Monte Dam blog also has plenty of information about the scheme

Indigenous People’s Cultural Support Trust, the registered charity behind Tribes Alive, put out this press release at the time of the huge demonstration in Altamira in 2008. It includes useful historic, scientific, legal and social background, but remember that it was written four years ago!

Finally, you can see galleries of our photos from the Xingu in our photos page. Although you can’t download them from the galleries, if you have a specific request we will grant you a restricted license and send you a download link.

Belo Monte is a very complex issue, It can be covered  in a quite superficial way, but if you mine the resources presented or linked to here you will gain a profound understanding. Good luck!