Aspectos socioambientais e socioterritoriais das comunidades atingidas por hidrelétricas no estado do Amapá

This article describes and analyzes socio-environmental impacts caused by hydroelectric power plant installations in the Brazilian Amazon region, more specifically in the territory of the state of Amapá. It focuses on plants built in the watersheds of the Araguari River (Coaracy Nunes, Ferreira Gomes and Cachoeira Caldeirão) and the Jari River (Santo Antônio do Jari). It deals with the influence of reservoir areas and with impacts caused to riverside communities, which have lost their communal territories, directly affecting their quality of life. These four hydroelectric plants are examined as a part of a much more encompassing energy policy adopted for the Amazon as a whole. Methodologically, the text is based on bibliographic research and websites (published by private management companies), in addition to field research, by means of non-participant observation. The main results indicate that reservoirs cause environmental impacts (forest submersion, habitat fragmentation, changes in rivers’ hydrological regimes) and cause irreversible socio-environmental damage (blocking access to natural resources and even causing the relocation of communities, as occurred with residents who lived around the Santo Antônio do Jari plant.Amapá, riverside communities, reservoirs, territory, energy policy.