Cumulative impact assessment for planning infrastructure projects in the Xingu basin: recommendations for the project assessment

• Grant number: 25/17327-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Siqueira Gay
• Grantee: Luana Martin Scardua
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/15143-6 - Proposals for cumulative impact assessment in the Xingu: recommendations for project planning and permitting, AP.PP

Abstract

Highways and local roads in tropical regions are known to be important drivers of deforestation, whose effects on the conservation of socio-biodiversity are widely discussed in the literature. However, current decisions regarding environmental impact assessments of projects do not systematically and comprehensively consider the impacts resulting from land-use and land-cover changes in the surroundings of these developments, known as cumulative impacts. This research will focus on the surroundings of the Xingu River basin, a sensitive region of high conservation importance due to its significant mosaic of Indigenous lands and protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon. Over the past decades, several projects have been developed in the region, and numerous proposals for new enterprises have been systematically presented. The aim of this research is to propose recommendations for the consideration of cumulative impacts resulting from land-use and land-cover changes within the scope of project environmental assessments. As an outcome, the study intends to propose a framework derived from the analysis of the main documents on the licensing of works in the region, in addition to interviews with project partners. A technical note will be prepared jointly with the partner institution, Instituto Socioambiental, and associated institutions, including the Ministério do Transporte, Funai, Ibama, and Rede Xingu+. Furthermore, publication and presentation at the USP Scientific Initiation Symposium are planned, along with collaboration on a scientific article and with other ongoing research projects.