Rare specie of frog, prevents installation of hydropower in RS - Brazil

Rare specie of frog, prevents installation of hydropower in RS/Brazil

Because of a frog, that only exists in Rio Grande do Sul, state of south of Brasil, the works of the hydroelectric plant Arvorezinha, Taquari Valley, are stopped. Threatened of extinction, the sapo-of-bellied-red, as it is known, is 3.5 cm and inhabits the banks of the river Forqueta.

According to Professor of Zoology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Márcio Borges Martins, told the newspaper Zero Hora, the species is "very sensitive" and may be extinct by "any change in the water, the forest, the environment."

The coordinator research which proved that the amphibious exists only in soil gaucho, Martins now trying to determine population size of rare amphibians in the region, and how it is possible to preserve the animals.

While environmentalists do not discover what can be done by sapo-of-bellied-red, the Energy Cooperative Rural Development Fontoura Xavier (Cerfox) can not continue to work in Hydroelectric Power Perau, one kilometer from the habitat of amphibians.

With an investment of $ 9 million, is expected to generate 1.8 megawatts, enough to power a thousand homes. The president of Cerfox, Jandir Tell Zanotelli, told of ZH that the issue is "urgent" and that to accelerate the environmental license, the cooperative has project area for sapo rare. Furthermore, intention to partner with the university to monitor the species. A site license is being evaluated by the State Foundation of Environmental Protection (Fepam).

Source: Terra