Cayenne, French Guiana – A team of scientists onboard the Greenpeace ship Esperanza have captured for the first time images of reef structures in two different areas off the coast of French Guiana, at 95 to 120 metres deep and less than 150 kilometres from the city of Cayenne.
The team of scientists involved in the research are confident to say that these reef structures are part of the Amazon Reef. This unique biome could be threatened by a spill in case French company Total starts drilling for oil in Brazilian waters.
“We found reef structures in both areas studied. We were able to take pictures of a few corals and fish species. Future analysis will tell us more about the presence of the Amazon River plume, sediments and microorganisms present in the water of French Guiana,” said Gizele Duarte Garcia, professor at Rio de Janeiro Federal University.
“This is breaking news. With the strong currents present in the region, an oil spill from Total’s project in Brazil could reach and damage the reef found in French waters. If the French government truly intends to be an international leader of environmental protection, it must take on the principle of precaution and protect French waters from possible threats to an ecosystem that has barely been studied,” said François Chartier, a campaigner at Greenpeace France.
“We are seeing now that there’s still a lot to discover, not only in Brazil but also in French Guiana where the reef was also unexpected. This revelation makes it even more important to protect this biome against oil exploration. Brazil and France should join their forces to protect this unique ecosystem,” said Helena Spiritus, campaigner at Greenpeace Brazil.
“Finding visual proof of these formations is an important achievement. It is exciting for all the scientists involved to think of the possibilities of developing new research. More studies are needed. Nature still has lots of surprises in store for us,” added Gizele Duarte Garcia.
Total has applied for a license to drill for oil near the Amazon Reef but has failed so far to get an approval from IBAMA. The Brazilian environmental agency stated the company’s environmental impact assessment lacked of primary information about the area to be affected, resulting in uncertainties of the threats a spill would pose to the biodiversity of the region and to neighbouring countries.
The Greenpeace Esperanza ship has sailed for the past 6 weeks in Brazilian and French waters to document the Amazon Reef and found Amazon Reef formations in the area where Total plans to drill for oil, off the Brazilian coast. A few days later, the Brazilian federal prosecutor of Amapá state recommended Brazil’s environmental agency to deny the license to the French company. Greenpeace is calling on the oil giant to cancel its project. A spill in the region could be devastating to a biome scientists have barely studied and to coastline communities that depend on a healthy ocean for their way of life.
ENDS
Photos and videos:
https://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJX5QZ39
Contacts:
Angélina Pineau, Greenpeace France (in Cayenne) : 00 33 6 42 64 83 76, [email protected]
Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]