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Brazil Dams Working Group Awarded UF Internal Seed Funding ,

The UF Brazil Dams Working Group - headed by Water Institute affiliate faculty members Marianne Schmink (Center for Latin American Studies), Simone Athayde (Center for Latin American Studies) and Stephanie Bohlman (School of Forest Resources and Conservation) was awarded a UF Internal Seed Grant to develop a bi-national research project on the multiple social and environmental effects of dams in the Brazilian Amazon. The goal of the project is to develop a theoretical and methodological framework for integrative research of dams in the Amazon, identifying critical actors and existing knowledge and integrating assessments of land-use and land-cover change with data from socio-economic and political dynamics. The team plans to collect data for 3 dam sites in Brazil, develop a data portal related to impacts of dams and land use change dynamics, develop research proposals, and consolidate collaborators into a research team and community of practice. Collaborators include two Brazilian Universities (Federal University of Rondonia and Federal University of Tocantins) and the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. Kathleen McKee, Water Institute Research Coordinator, assisted in recruiting Water Institute affiliates to join the team and assisted Dr. Tony Oliver Smith and Dr. Athayade in organizing an international Brazil Dams Symposium in Gainesville last year. Please contact Dr. Athayde if you are interested in participating with the Brazil Dams Working Group.