Along the Amazonian coastline in Brazil’s northeastern state of Maranhão, plans are underway for a port project that will cover part of an important Ramsar wetland that connects to a vast area of mangroves. A Mongabay estimate found that, based on a company map of the port and 2020 data of the ecosystem, it could impact 341.59 hectares (844 acres) of mangroves.
The 1,180-hectare (2,916-acre) Alcântara Port Terminal will be constructed within the Reentrâncias Maranhenses environmental protection area (APA), a Ramsar site. The protected area is connected to four other important wetland sites nearby, which together form one of the largest continuous area of mangroves in the world. It is home to the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and other vulnerable species such as the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) and Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara).
The company behind the project, Grão-Pará Multimodal, and Brazil’s Ministry of Environment did not respond to Mongabay’s requests for comment by the time of this publication. Brazil’s minister of integration and regional development, Waldez Góes, said in a press release the project is “well-structured in terms of social, environmental, green infrastructure and renewable energy commitments.” Environmental impact assessments, however, are not yet complete.
The port would be connected to the Maranhão Railway (EF-317) and the government expects it to boost the region’s economy and help transport iron ore extracted from the state of Pará’s Carajás mine to China and European countries, as well as food and other commodities.
Luiz Jorge Diaz, an assistant professor and technical advisor at the State University of Maranhão (UEMA), told Mongabay over WhatsApp voice messages that his biggest concern is the stress the port will cause to the aquatic life. The port and the presence of many ships, he said, could disrupt food chains and cause changes in the region’s nutrient cycling because of the release of ballast water (water held in tanks and ships to maintain stability). This can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes, plants and animals that may compete for resources, prey on local species, or bring diseases, Jorge said.
“This creates a huge imbalance in the food chain and a huge imbalance in the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.”
Jorge also added that the area where the port is located may also be affected by tidal currents that transport various types of sediments, oils and greases from the ships through the water.
According to an internal evaluation carried out by Carlos Martinez, a researcher from the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), for the rights NGO Justiça nos Trilhos, several freshwater lagoons found within the island will be destroyed to construct the port, as well as hawksbill and green sea (Chelonia mydas) turtle nesting grounds. Populations of migratory birds, such as the emblematic scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber), which is very sensitive to environmental disturbances, will be affected, showed the evaluation seen by Mongabay.
“Even if the terminal were built just a few kilometers from the [migratory bird] colony, the drastic increase in movement and activities of humans, machinery and large vessels would cause such significant disturbance that it is extremely unlikely that the colony would even survive the construction of the terminal,” said Martinez. The construction of the port terminal “would therefore be potentially lethal.”