The Belo Monte hydropower plant, located in the Brazilian Amazon, is one of the largest in the world. It was designed to channel water from the Xingu River in a way that would avoid the need for large reservoirs, which could flood surrounding areas.
After years of legal battles, authorities approved the project, located in the southwestern part of the state of Pará, on one condition: it would not threaten ecosystems and communities of Indigenous people along stretches of the river.
