Cachoeira Dourada biodiversity recovery is designed to minimise the impact of this run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant on its natural surroundings, e.g. scarcity of vegetation along the river. Spearheaded by Endesa, in conjunction with Vidaverde Agroambiental Ltda. and Erida Ingeniero Forestal Ali, the reforestation work began in 2004.
Cachoeira Dourada has an area of 522km2 through which the Paranaíba River runs. The lake on the river is 65km long and was formed by the dam of the Cachoeira Dourada plant. This area divides up the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás. Surrounding the lake and the plant is the Bosque Atlántico state park, created in April 2006 with the help of Endesa Generación Brasil.
The reforestation project has several objectives:
- To restore the vegetation cover on part of the reservoir banks.
- To recover eroded areas near the site.
- To store and enrich the remnants of the semi-deciduous forest and the grassland with high value species.
- To reduce the volume of sediments in the reservoir.
- To rebuild the phenomena typical of riverside areas, e.g. nutrient cycle and biological interactions.
- To restore the land's physical, chemical and biological states and the vegetation cover.
- To promote the reestablishment of vegetation on the reservoir banks.
- To implement the Environmental Education Programme in conjunction with owners to preserve the river vegetation on the reservoir banks and the area's bodies of water.
Thanks to this project, the vegetation throughout the area has improved, as has its animal life and the biodiversity in general. Endesa Cachoeira intends to continue working on stage two of the reforestation and then on maintaining the plants and their entire biodiversity. Workshops will be designed for plant employees and Cachoeira Dourada staff to foster environmental awareness about the value of the area.