Wind Farms in the Sustainable Reserve of Ponta do Tubarão
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The Sustainable Development Reserve of Ponta do Tubarão in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável de Ponto do Tubarão, or RDSEPT) was created in 2003. It was created with an aim of protecting the
environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
from different attempts to develop the area into a tourist resort or shrimp
hatcheries A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled condi ...
along the
mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
. The RDSEPT covers about 12,940 sq. ft. ( square feet) of the areas off the northern coast of
Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", re ...
in the Guamaré and
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
Municipalities. This area is considered a high-value biological region in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, with only little
artisanal fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these households are ...
and collecting shellfish, small-scale agriculture, and
animal farming Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, startin ...
. Since 2010, two
wind farms Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few h ...
have been operating in the area, known as Miassaba II and Alegria II. The documentation of land operations has been in the works for more than a decade, and inhabitants of the area are claiming that the
wind turbines A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wi ...
have created
water scarcity Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is whe ...
as the ponds are now dry. Other issues in the area include the wall and line towers constructed to disrupt the
hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...
connection between rivers and the ocean which inherently affects the
fisherman A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or rec ...
and alters water sands. Inhabitants in the area say that the noise and
vibrations Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. The word comes from Latin ''vibrationem'' ("shaking, brandishing"). The oscillations may be periodic, such as the motion of a pendulum—or random, such ...
from the
wind turbines A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wi ...
have affected animals and birds in the area resulting in their migration elsewhere. The council from the reserve says that part of the Miassaba was built inside turtle nesting areas. Fishers who live in the area were said to have received compensation for their interruptions, but according to sources they haven't. This project is an interesting situation as wind turbines are seen as good for the environment, yet they are destroying the area and making it uninhabitable for most organisms in Ponta do Tubarão in Brazil.


Plans

The Incentive Program for Alternative Energy Sources- PROFINA, reinforced by the Energy Development Account increased “participation of independent electrical power producers using
renewable sources A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...
.” The states of
Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", re ...
and Ceará received 87% of these developments. This was influenced by the Brazilian energy crisis of 2001. Though when it comes to this specific company, Kristin Waters, of Norborne, MO, is the prime leader of the organization. The first
wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...
in Rio Grande do Norte was built in 2004 in line with the nation's support and increase in renewable energy sources. Miassaba II was revealed as a project in 2009 by the Bioenergy Group. The land in the
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
Municipality; part of the RDSEPT, was auctioned off by the government in 2010. The other wind farm part of this discussion is in the area of Guamaré, referred to as Alegria II. Parque Alegria is owned by New Energy Options Geração de Energia. Alegria I went into operation in 2011. Alegria I has a direct effect on RDSEPT. The building was delayed due to land conflict, as Bioenergy received approval for the usage of the same land for Miassaba III. The construction of Alegria I consequently started three months later than planned. For the construction of the
wind farms Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few h ...
, the infrastructure of the RDSEPT had to be changed. In order to build roads and facilitate the construction lagoons were dried out, sandbanks in upward slopes were erected, and this inhibited locals from living and working, especially fishermen. It also interfered with the reserve's
ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
.


Approval Process

New developments in the area, which has been designated a reserved area in 2003 are supposed to only be conducted after the Management Council approved of it. The Management Council is composed of various entities in the reserve area. According to Bioenergy, Miassaba II underwent this process and received approval. Fishermen and locals contradict these claims. According to documents and points of the Management Council for the Ponta do Tubarão Sustainable Development Reserve (RDSEPT) parts of Miassaba II would be in the
sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...
zone, which would infringe on the approval of the construction, in theory.


Stakeholders


Traditional communities

The population in Ponta do Tubarão consists largely of low-income individuals who live on a subsistence economy based on
artisanal fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these households are ...
, collection of crustaceous, small-scale agriculture and herding, and communitarian
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
. The traditional community depends largely on natural resources, of which they possess a deep knowledge due to the fact that they have occupied the area for generations. However, their knowledge is limited to how the local environment assists their
socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...
activities, making them easy targets to the detrimental actions of the government and companies who own the wind farms. The implementation of the sustainable reserve itself has also been a concept that the population grappled with. Individuals lack the ability to correlate the reserve to an improvement in their quality of life, indicating that the benefits and real objectives of the reserve must be clarified to the community. Furthermore, locals have not received any form of compensation for the negative impacts that the wind farms have had on their lives, and are still waiting for the job opportunities claimed to be created.


Local Scientists/Professionals Opinions

Scientists and university professors from neighboring states that face the same issues argue that the sustainability of the reserve and the wind farms are challenged by the fact that damnifications caused in the construction and operation of the windmills are far greater to the environment and the local population than any potential environmental benefit. They claim that the wind farms are considered environmentally clean because they did not generate any CO during construction, but in reality,
dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...
were destroyed, trees were cut down, and
lagoons A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
were drained to make place for the windmills. This poses an immense threat to the subsistence economy of local communities, which depend on the dunes, trees, and lagoons for their activities. The implementation of the reserve has also posed a challenge to the
survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
of these communities since it prohibits them from keeping their businesses as usual and does not decrease their costs with energy since all of the power generated is directed to other areas of the state.


Government


Institute of Sustainable Development and Environment of Rio Grande do Norte (Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e Meio Ambiente do Rio Grande do Norte, or IDEMA)

The institute's goal is to promote environmental politics in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, and ensure that sustainable developments are done for the improvement of the quality of life of the regional population. However, IDEMA has always worked to overcome any opposition to the
windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...
projects, due to the heightened demand for wind power and strong support from the state and federal government. The institute's actions were explained as an attempt to meet Kyoto Protocol guidelines, but there were no mandatory targets for the country, nor were there any relations between the implementation of wind farms and the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
that they needed to meet. IDEMA was pressured to expedite the projects, disregarding the social and environmental disruptions that they posed to the local communities.


Companies


New Energy Options Geração de Energia

NEO is a Brazilian private entity that operates in the energy sector. It is regulated by the National Agency of Electric Energy (ANEEL), which is under the Ministry of Mines and Energy, a government agency. The company owns several wind farms in Rio Grande Norte and has received vast support from the federal government as well as financial institutions, with investments of over R$4.1
billion Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions: *1,000,000,000, i.e. one thousand million, or (ten to the ninth power), as defined on the short scale. This is its only current meaning in English. * 1,000,000,000,000, i. ...
, approximately US$1 billion. The promise of the creation of jobs and cheaper energy has been a major driver for the support of these agencies and the government, despite the negative impacts they have had.


Conflict

The area has faced a conflict between the fishermen and local residents and businesses and bigger businesses before the creation of the reserve area. Initially, the main parties of conflict were locals and big businesses in form of hotels and shrimp farmers. However, after the auctioning of land by the state the situation has shifted. The state has been auctioning land off on the reserve area, which then led to some of the wind farms being built. This inhibits fishermen from accessing parts of the beach and disrupts the ecosystem of the reserve area. Part of the conflict or controversy is that the projects are deemed legal by the state, as one they are sustainable in the sense that they are wind farms and deemed sustainable by the national government, as well as the fact that the law establishing the reserve states nothing about this sort of development specifically. The state is allowed to auction off the land. The point of conflict is the Management Council's approval or lack thereof. Alegria II and Miassaba II constrict the reserve. The construction pumped out the water of lagoons and interrupted the existing ecosystem in the reserve, which should be preserved, residents claim. Residents stated that wind energy companies used the pretext of clean and renewable energy to destroy the ecosystem in the reserve, by pumping out lagoons and dry lakes,
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
, and landing dunes. Energy companies state that they compensated locals for the damage caused, which is negated by residents of the reserve. Another point of controversy is the cost of wind energy for producing states, which do not benefit from wind production as they still have to pay the same price for energy as other non-producing states. The wind farms are altering the people's way of life and the actual land and ecosystem in a reserved area. The establishment of the RDSEPT was done to protect precisely these two aspects, which is why residents received backing from some news sources and other organizations.


Costs

Wind energy was made a priority as early as 2001, but more so in 2011, and as much funding as R$8 bi went into wind energy. Bioenergy, the corporation which owns Miassaba II and another farm Aratua I recorded that both projects were financed by the
National Bank for Economic and Social Development The National Bank for Economic and Social Development ( pt, Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social, abbreviated: BNDES) is a development bank structured as a federal public company associated with the Ministry of the Economy of Braz ...
, and are estimated at $65 million. Alegria I cost approximately R$330 million, of which 250 million were financed by Banco do Nordeste.


Loss of Traditional Practices and Culture

The local community largely relies on the natural resources that can be found within the area. This includes fish and other water resources. They possess an in-depth knowledge of these resources and the land as a result occupying the area for generations and using them in all aspects of life.  Since the local environment assists their socio-economic activities, the actions taken to construct the windmill farm have destroyed the mentioned local resources and have created detrimental and long-lasting impacts on their knowledge and practices.


Loss of Livelihood

Ponta do Tubarão is composed of many low-income individuals. These individuals rely on an economy based on
artisanal fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these households are ...
, collection of crustaceous, small-scale agriculture and herding, and communitarian tourism. By destroying the land and making room for windmills, their livelihoods have been ruined as they no longer can fish in these areas. As part of the
negotiations Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties to reach the desired outcome regarding one or more issues of conflict. It is an interaction between entities who aspire to agree on matters of mutual interest. The agreement ...
to build the wind farm, fishermen who live in the area were promised forms of compensation. However, many locals have not received any form of compensation and as a result, are out of work and struggling to survive in the current economic conditions.


Loss of Landscape

The landscape in Ponta do Tubarão has suffered as a result of wind farm construction. Dunes were destroyed, trees were cut down, lagoons were drained to make place for the windmills,
mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
were buried, and archeological sites in the area faced damage. Since the economy is driven by fishing and other small-scale agriculture, this loss of landscape impacted a large scale of activities.


Biodiversity Loss

To install the wind turbines, the sea stretch required sanding. This caused a reduction of sea life in the area. Noise and vibrations from the wind turbines have also affected the animals and birds in the area and contributed to a migration elsewhere. According to one of the councils on the reserve project, part of the wind farm was constructed inside turtle nesting areas. Since the turtles no longer have an area to next, they have left the area.


Reduced Ecological / Hydrological Connectivity

Other issues that the area now faces include hydrological connectivity disruption. The wall and line towers constructed disrupt the hydrological connection between rivers and the ocean. As a result of this, the fisherman is affected and the sands within the water have been altered.


Other Wind Projects in Brazil

Wind projects in other
municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
, such as Ceará, faced similar controversy with local populations. In the case of Ceará, job promises far exceeded the reality leaving the residents without proper compensation for the intrusion and change that came with the construction and maintenance of the wind farms. The wind farms in Galinhos, also in the northeast of Brazil, caused changes in the fauna in the area, as well as the lagoons, thus altering the ecosystem and the people's way of life and income.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wind Farms in the Sustainable Reserve of Ponta do Tubarao Wind power in Brazil Rio Grande do Norte Fishing in South America