Cotingo River
{{Infobox river
| name = Cotingo River
| native_name ={{native name|pt|Rio Cotingo}}
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| image = Rio Cotingo 2.JPG
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| image_caption = Cotingo River, São Marcos indigenous reserve
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| pushpin_map = Brazil
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| source1_location = Roraima state
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| mouth_location = Surumu River, Pacaraima, Roraima
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|3.911686|-60.501107|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = Brazil
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The Cotingo River ({{langx|pt|Rio Cotingo}}) is a river of Roraima state in northern Brazil, a tributary of the Surumu River.
It flows through the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous territory. For many years there has been discussion over building a major hydroelectric power project on the river.
River basin
The Cotingo River has its headwaters at the foot of Mount Roraima in the Guayana Highlands region.
The upper part of the Cotingo River basin is contained in the {{convert|116,748|ha}} Monte Roraima National Park, a protected area created in 1989 that is fully contained in the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous territory.{{sfn|Unidade de Conservação ... MMA}}
The river runs for about {{convert|210|km}} to its confluence with the Surumu River, of which is the main tributary.
It contains continuous stretches of rapids and waterfalls.{{sfn|Unidade de Conservação ... MMA}} The savanna region of the river basin has an equatorial climate with tropical monsoon rainfall.
=Conservation=
It is home to the Sun parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis), Rio Branco antbird (Cercomacra carbonaria), Finsch's euphonia (Euphonia finschi), Bearded tachuri (Polystictus pectoralis) and Hoary-throated spinetail (Synallaxis kollari).{{sfn|Savanas do Rio Cotingo IBA – Global Species}}
The river basin has high potential for mining, agriculture, ranching, and ecotourism, and as a result there is tension between the strong Indian population and the ranchers and settlers.{{sfn|Furley|2002|p=202}}
=Hydroelectric project=
Plans have been made for a hydro-electric project on the river.{{sfn|Furley|2002|p=202}} The first studies of the hydroelectric project were made in the 1970s. The proposed hydroelectric project would involve building five dams along the length of the river.
In 2006 the federal senate approved a legislative decree aimed to authorise the work, which would be undertaken in an indigenous area and would affect the Ingarikó, Makuxi, Patamona, Taurepang and Wapixana people.{{sfn|Cotingo Perfil da usina – Barragens na Amazonia}}
Nothing had been done by 2011 and the priority in Roraima state had turned to construction of the Bem Querer dam on the Branco River.{{sfn|Luis Cláudio de Jesus Silva|Carlos Vicente Joaquim|2011|p=154}}
The planned dam would have potential capacity of 136 MW and would flood an area of {{convert|37|km2}}. It would cost US$140 million.{{sfn|Cotingo Perfil da usina – Barragens na Amazonia}} The first community to be flooded would be Tamanduá in the Serra region.{{sfn|Luciano Nascimento|2013}}
Wind power and solar power would be sufficient to meet the Raposa Serra do Sol's energy needs, but the project would be able to deliver power to the whole state.
The indigenous people were concerned about the environmental impact and also the influx of non-indigenous people that would be expected.{{sfn|Luciano Nascimento|2013}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Sources
{{refbegin}}
- {{citation|ref={{harvid|Cotingo Perfil da usina – Barragens na Amazonia}}|language=Portuguese
|title=Cotingo Perfil da usina|work=Barragens na Amazonia
|url=http://dams-info.org/pt/dams/view/cotingo/|accessdate=2016-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113003640/http://dams-info.org/pt/dams/view/cotingo/|archive-date=2020-01-13}}
- {{citation
|last=Furley|first=Peter A.|title=The Forest Frontier: Settlement and Change in Brazilian Roraima
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qc8rBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA202|accessdate=2016-06-08|date=2002-09-11|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-95043-0}}
- {{citation |title=Comunidades temem construção de hidrelétrica em Raposa Serra do Sol|date=18 April 2013
|author=Luciano Nascimento|journal=Agência Brasil|language=Portuguese
|url=http://memoria.ebc.com.br/agenciabrasil/noticia/2013-04-18/comunidades-temem-construcao-de-hidreletrica-em-raposa-serra-do-sol|accessdate=2016-06-08}}
- {{citation|title=Hidrelétrica no rio Cotingo: quatro décadas na pseudo-agenda política de Roraima
|author1=Luis Cláudio de Jesus Silva |author2=Carlos Vicente Joaquim|journal=Revista de Administração de Roraima
|ISSN=2237-8057|volume=1 |issue=1|year=2011|language=Portuguese
|url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4962257|accessdate=2015-06-08}}
- {{citation|ref={{harvid|Savanas do Rio Cotingo IBA – Global Species}}
|title=Savanas do Rio Cotingo IBA|work=Global Species
|url=http://www.globalspecies.org/birdareas/display/22257|accessdate=2016-06-08}}
- {{citation|ref={{harvid|Unidade de Conservação ... MMA}}|language=Portuguese
|title=Unidade de Conservação: Parque Nacional do Monte Roraima|publisher=MMA: Ministério do Meio Ambiente
|url=http://sistemas.mma.gov.br/cnuc/index.php?ido=relatorioparametrizado.exibeRelatorio&relatorioPadrao=true&idUc=174|accessdate=2016-06-07}}
{{refend}}
- [https://www.gifex.com/imapa/americas/md_Roraima_brazil.pdf Brazilian Ministry of Transport]