the new jari - Philip M. Fearnside - Inpa

Jari officials say the size of the depositcould supply the mining operation aJ the1980 extraction rate for 250 years,although the extraction rate is expectedto be increased in 1982 according to thecompany 17 • The small disturbance ofthe current operation could therefore beexpected to increase tremendously as extractionproceeds through the comingtwo centuries. The problem of reclaimingthese much larger areas will thereforeeventually have to be faced.Environmental RisksSilvicultureThe size at which replacementof natural forest with plantationswould provoke significant widerenvironmental effects is unknown, butprobably large in comparison with Jariitself. Reduced rainfall is the macroecologioaleffect most closely tied to deforestationin general (Salati et al., 1978;Fearnside, 1979). Increased severity ofthe dry season is a greater reason forpreoccupation about deforestation thanare decreases in annual rainfall totals.J ari's silvicultural plantations could beexpected to have less impact than theAmazon region's fast-growing areas ofcattle pasture, but would have more thanland uses which maintain intact rainforest canopy cover. Transpiration islargely a function of leaf area, implyingthat the transpiration potential of theplantations is less than that of rain forest.Evapotranspiration, mostly transpiration,has been found to account for approximatelyhalf of the water vapor generatingrainfall between Bell!m and Manaus (VillaNova et al., 1976; Salati et al., 1978).Large-scale modification in the evapotranspirationpotential could therefore beexpected to cause similar changes in rainfallfor the region. Precipitation recordsfor rain gauges maintained by Jari atMonte Dourado since 1968, and at otherlocations in the silvicultural area since1970, 1971, 1974, and 1975, do notreveal any significant trends in total rainfall,or in such dry season severity indicatorsas number of days of rain in eachof the dry season months, minimumnumber of days of rain in any month,and minimum rainfall in any month. Thetime sequence is, however, too short toallow conclusions.Risk of any eventualclimatic effect is minimized by the largeareas which must be converted beforeany measureable change is provoked.Jari's area is small in comparison withthe 3.5 million ha of cattle pastures estimatedto exist in Brazil's Legal Amazonby 1978 (Serrao et al., 1979) and the336rapid incr·eases in cleared areas since thattime (Fearnside, 1982). Beyond Jariitself, probable limitations on the spreadof large silvicultural operations in Amazoniawould include how much of theAmazon is suitable for this kind ofplantation, and how much plantationarea would be needed ·to supply projectedmarket demands (not to imply that allmarket demand should be supplied orthat all suitable areas should be used).It is well to remember that macroecologicaleffects are generally cumulative innature, being the combined result ofmany smaller strains on the system, noneof which is sufficient in itself to provokethe change.Pulp MillWater pollution frompulp mill is treated by filtering solidsludge, followed by holding the effluentfor 16 days in a series of 1 m deepconsequent increase in the risk of pollutioneffects. Although the 2000 m 11 /second average discharge of the JariRiver (Lang, 1979: 63) would appearto dwarf the effluent inputs, the headof the Brazilian Navy station at the sitesays at least one fish die-off has occurreddownstream of the mill. The location ofthe mill near the mouth of the AmazonRiver is fortunate in limiting potentialdamage were water pollution to becomea severe problem (and is also one of themany features of the Jari site not duplicablewere the project to be copiedelsewhere in Amazonia).Jari maintains a pollutionmonitoring laboratory at Monduga,which submits reports of daily measurementsof biological oxygen demand(BOD), disolved oxygen (DO) and otherindicators to SEMA every week. SEMAalso occasionally sends its own personnelto collect samples. The Jari River isclassified by SEMA as "class 2"; applicablewater quality standards for thisMost of J ari's other operations, such as timber extraction for solidwood, kaolin mining, and irrigated rice, involve thedestruction of natural habitats.ponds where bacteria act to degradeorganic materials. The 159 ha of pondsinclude capacity for emergency drainageof digestors, not included in originalplans. The relatively inexpensive ponds,constructed with simple earth dikes, allowmuch cheaper pollution treatment thanwould be possible in temperate zoneswhere covered concrete tanks are neededto maintain water at the required 300Ctemperature. In late 1980, Brazil'sSpecial Secretariat of the Environment(SEMA) took the additional precautionof requiring a further enlargement of thepond area, since the ponds were nearlyfull. The enlarged ponds are underconstruction (P. Nogueira Neto, personalcommunication, Feb. 1981).Effluent, a brown liquidwith a distinctive odor (Table II), is releasedinto the Jari River at the riverbottom (about 18 m deep). An 80 emtide at the mill site in Monduga causeswater to flow upstream each day as thetide comes in, restricting effluent releasetimes to the hours when water is movingat its maximum rate downstream. The 1.1ms/second average discharge is thereforeconcentrated into much larger effluentpulses when released into the river, withcategory call for a BOD/ 5 days at 20°Cof 5 mg/ 1 or less, and DO of at least5 mg/1 in any sample (Brazil, Ministeriodo Interior, SEMA, 1976: 21).Other OperationsMost of Jari's otheroperations, such as timber extraction forsolid wood, kaolin mining, and irrigatedrice, involve the destruction of naturalhabitats. Some, such as rice, involve theuse of chemicals which can affect ecosystemsbeyond those altered directly inimplanting the production system.Jari's buyers are seekinggovernment approval for several projectsattempted by Ludwig but blocked byregulatory impasses. These include constructinga hydroelectric dam and importing a second pulp mill ( Veja, 13 de janeiode 1982). Other projects contemplatedby Ludwig, such as expanding theindustial sector to produce paper on thesite, might eventually also be realized ifthe various projects already in operationprove profitable.Environmental risks ofthe various projects depend very muchNOV- DEC 1982, VOL. 7 NQ 6 IIVERDffiDR