The UN Global Compact
One of our crowning achievements was joining the UN Global Compact
and formally committing to its 10 principles. We support this
movement of companies engaged in pursuing actions and policies
across the globe that are designed to build a better world through
social responsibility and sustainability, contributing to the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This represents a joint effort
among countries, companies, institutions, and civil society to
guarantee human rights, bring an end to poverty, ensure access to
quality education, abolish inequality, fight for justice, achieve
gender equality, empower women and girls, and halt climate change.
Monitoring Flying and Gliding Animals
Preserving species is key to ensuring a balanced ecosystem. We
monitor groups of birds and bats that either inhabit or pass
through our wind farms. We analyze and quantify how they and
their communities are impacted by documenting season-by-season
richness, abundance, dominance, and evenness. We identify
behaviors, plot the shelters and locations with the greatest
activity, and map the risks for each species group.
In 2019, we registered 216 bird species and 75 bat species. For
the first time, we spotted two migratory species from the
Northern Hemisphere: Wilson's plover (Charadrius wilsonia),
classified as vulnerable and facing a high risk of endangerment;
and the spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius).
Monitoring Wildlife
We have been monitoring fauna since 2014. The database we built
allows us to analyze environmental changes to the many species'
habitats. This project identifies the patterns of animal use of and
movement across the landscape as well as the true presence of wild
cats in the area surrounding the Riachão wind farm in Rio Grande do
Norte.
We have also mapped areas where they take shelter, reproduce, draw
water, and forage in addition to potential prey. We compare metrics
on species' richness, abundance, and diversity in the wind farm area
taken from different data sampling areas. We have observed 190
vertebrates, including 24 reptiles and amphibians, 137 different
birds, 16 unique land mammals, and 13 bat species. Two of the land
mammals observed are internationally endangered species:
the Leopardus emiliae and the jaguarundi (Herpailurus
yagouaroundi). We also spotted a subspecies of the rusty-margined Guan,
specifically Penelope superciliaris alagoensis.
Monitoring Land Animals and Birds
The areas surrounding our energy farms are home to communities of
land vertebrates, specifically mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and
birds. Our monitoring program assesses animal patterns and behavior.
It gives us sufficient data to design strategies and actions to
control, manage, and mitigate impacts by implementing specific
conservation techniques for affected species through adaptive
management.
One thousand eighty species were tracked over the course of the
project, and 28 of those are endangered species that had not been
tracked before.
Monitoring Erosion Focal Points
The soil, by its very nature, is constantly changing through a
dynamic process known as erosion. Where erosion is extensive, arable
and habitable lands are negatively affected. Since 2017, we have
been monitoring erosion focal points by boat along the navigable
waterways that encircle the Santa Clara hydroelectric plant in Minas
Gerais. The boat stops at specific points so the team can survey the
ground, identify priorities for land restoration planning and
recovery.
We have identified 27 erosion focal points that we currently
monitor, 22 of which have already been restored through ongoing,
periodic maintenance.
Restoring and Monitoring Degraded Landscapes
Natural phenomena and human activity can change the original
characteristics of our environment. These landscapes must be
restored to allow the soil to be used once again for what nature had
originally intended and to guarantee a more balanced and stable
environment. Restoration projects for degraded landscapes involve
forest restoration in the degraded area to ensure permanent
preservation.
We first diagnose and quantify the areas that require reservation
around the reservoir, then proceed to restore vegetation by planting
native tree seedlings. Planting, periodic inspection, and
maintenance are all part of the project.
In the Caldeirão farm in Piauí, just in the last four years, we have
planted 6,978 native trees, including: aroeira (Myracrodruon
urundeuva), angico branco (Anadenanthera colubrina), sabiá (Mimosa
caesalpiniifolia), trumpet tree (Tabebuia impetiginosa), barriguda
(Cavanillesia arbórea), mulungú (Erythrina velutina), baraúna
(Schinopsis brasiliensis), pitomba (Talisia esculenta), and jatobá /
stinking toe (Hymenea courbaril) in four different areas across a
total of 92,400 m².
By planting native species, we stop the process of erosion,
stabilize access slopes, and implement demobilization for site
reclamation. We give back a healthier landscape by replanting native
vegetation and we allow for nature to reclaim the original use of
the land.
We monitor and carry out periodic maintenance in a natural
regeneration area that measures approximately 6,530,000 m². In
addition, we have planted over 310,000 seedlings of approximately 42
different native plant species.
Social Achievements