Exploration and Practice of Biodiversity Conservation by China Three Gorges International Limited in Brazil

Maybe you know the names of these hydropower projects, but you are never aware of a team composed of young engineers, technicians, researchers and experts hidden in every CTG’s hydropower project who devote all of their time and energy to conserve the biodiversity to achieve sustainable hydropower. On Global Hydropower Day, let us unveil the magic Sustainability & ESG Team from CTG Brasil.

I. Deborah Rodrigues Barbosa: Botanist

Brazil is the country with the richest biodiversity in the world, and home to 22% of the planet's species. Its vast Amazon rainforest plays an irreplaceable role in regulating the global climate, maintaining carbon and water cycles and protecting biodiversity.

As a young botanist, my daily work is to deal with seeds, seedlings, plants and forests, and I love to listen to the sound of seeds germinating, the sound of plants growing, and I love to travel through the forest to explore their demands. My main responsibility is focused on forest and vegetation conservation, and I continue to invest in afforestation efforts.

We promoted a Tree Planting Initiatives "Forest Development and Promotion Plan", and annually offered some trees free of charge to residents, municipal authorities, and NGOs around the hydropower stations it operates, encouraging them to participate in afforestation.

In 2023, CTG Brasil distributed 96,635 saplings of native species for free to the people, municipal authorities, and NGOs in the Paranapanema River basin, urging them to voluntarily reforest their areas. In 2023, we added 14 hectares of new afforestation areas, spread across several local nature reserves and parks in Brazil; cumulatively, the replanted area reached 14,681 hectares. Additionally, a total of 15 hectares have been dedicated to forest conservation areas.

II. Guardians of Wildlife Protection

We are working in the Ilha Wildlife Conservation Centre operating by CTG Brasil, which is located southwest of the Ilha Hydroelectric Plant, established in 1979, and covering approximately 17.76 hectares, this centre is the largest and most species-rich wildlife zoo in the northwest region of São Paulo State. It's an integral part of the ecological protection for the area near the Ilha Hydroelectric Plant, providing habitat for wildlife that have lost their habitats or have been captured and traded.

We engaged professional third-party organisations to handle the daily operations and animal protection work at the centre, among which there is no shortage of endangered species such as pumas, hyacinth macaws, toucans, gray brocket deer, and anteaters, and conducts monthly animal adoption, protection, and medical rescue activities. Currently, the centre is home to 410 individuals from 55 species, including 195 birds, 86 mammals, and 129 reptiles. Moreover, CTG Brasil continuously develops new animal habitats, improves environment, and cares for animals, actively engaging in the rewilding and release of animals into the wild. In 2022, after relentless efforts from various parties, two tapirs living in the conservation centre were successfully released back into nature at the Guapi Assu Ecological Reserve in Rio de Janeiro, marking the first time the Ilha Wildlife Conservation Centre reintroduced animals to the wild through technical cooperation.

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We are proud as the Guardians of the "kingdom of flora and fauna."

III. Researchers of Aquatic Biodiversity

Aquatic macrophytes are crucial to ecosystems, protecting riverbanks and providing food and shelter for aquatic life. However, the rapid and excessive reproduction can impact biodiversity and interfere with human activities like navigation, fishing, and hydroelectric power generation. As researchers of aquatic biodiversity, we continuously monitor the reservoir areas of various hydropower projects during its regular operations. Monitoring includes water quality, macrophytes, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and golden mussels to assess the impact of utilisation and occupation on aquatic plants. We collaborate with the local technological research institute, Lactec, to develop a health system for aquatic plants and establish an aquatic plant database, providing a basis for decisions regarding aquatic environmental management.

Additionally, we build in-house fish hatcheries to replenish local fish species and combat the invasion of foreign species in the Paranapanema River which is a tributary of the Paraná River basin, stretches about 600 kilometres with a watershed area of 100,000 square kilometres and is rich in fish resources. The fish hatchery has produced and released 3.6 million fingerlings of local species, such as snooks, tinfoil barbs, flashlight fish, and Mexican tetras, effectively replenishing the reservoir's fish resources. Since 2016, we have released approximately 25 million fingerlings in the region, actively integrating the construction and operation of power stations with local ecological and environmental protection.

IV. Bio-technologist unlocking Technological Innovation

It is essential to integrate new scientific research findings and technological approaches, using science as a foundation and innovation as a driving force, to effectively address practical issues and promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Since 2017, we have undertaken initiatives like managing golden mussel populations and breeding endangered fish species in collaboration with local research institutions such as the Brazilian Biotechnology Centre. Golden mussels are an invasive species from Asia, which can cause environmental impacts.

The rampant propagation of golden mussels, which can reproduce at densities up to 15,000/m2, significantly impacts water quality, ecological balance, and hydropower projects across Brazil and other countries and regions of Latin America. According to the statistics announced by Brazilian government, since 2010, about 40% of Brazilian hydroelectric plants have been affected by golden mussel invasions, costing the hydropower industry heavily to address this problem annually. In response to this issue, we partnered with the Bio Bureau and the Centro de Tecnologia da Indústria Química e Têxtil do Senai, Centre for Technology in the Chemical and Textile Industry (Senai CETIQT) (Brazilian Chemical and Textile Technology Centre) to launch a research and development project on golden mussel treatment in 2017.

The Programme involves using "gene drive" technology to render the descendants of wild golden mussels incapable of reproduction or attachment, thereby controlling their population growth and fundamentally solving the problem of biological pollution in Brazilian basins, thus maintaining local ecological balance, reducing management costs, and enhancing hydropower productivity.

This project received the Prêmio Brasil Bioeconomia 2019 (Brazilian 2019 Bioeconomy Award), the Benchmarking em práticas de sustentabilidade (Benchmarking Brazil Award) at the 17th Brazilian Sustainable Development Best Practices Competition, Innovation New Nature Economy Exploration Award of 2022 GoldenBee CSR China Honor Roll, and was included in the "China's Progress Report on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," highlighting commitment to biodiversity conservation and enhancing its international reputation.

We integrate scientific guidance with technological innovation closely, not only the issues in biodiversity conservation be effectively addressed, but ecological protection concepts and technologies can also continuously advance.

The practices of CTG Brasil’s Sustainability & ESG Team provide a vivid case study for the global energy sector. It proves that biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, in hydropower sector, is a wonderful symphony commonly played by all stakeholders, including investor, operator, local government, research unit and communities etc. We look forward to supercharging our momentum with all our stakeholders in October 11, the Global Hydropower Day.

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