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Brazil's Belo Monte dam: a history of celebrity opposition
The construction of the Belo Monte dam in Brazil may finally be about to begin but celebrity opponents as well as legal challenges have helped prevent the bulldozers and workmen moving in before now.
Sting, the rock star, James Cameron, the film director, and Sigourney Weaver, the actress, have all been vocal opponents of the project, which was first put forward in the 1970s.
In 1989, Sting played a key part in a campaign that persuaded international lenders not to finance the project.
He toured many countries alongside Raoni Metyktire, a leader of the Kayapo tribe, and the duo made headlines across the world for their opposition to the dam on the Xingu river.
Brazil's government proposed a new scheme, which they said was more environmentally friendly than the old plans, under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's rule.
But in May last year Sting spoke out again against the latest proposal while in Venezuela for a concert.
"All of the reasons I fought against it 20 years ago are still there," he said. "It will destroy an entire river system and destroy the lives and culture of the people who live there and have lived there for thousands of years."
By this time Sting was far from alone, with Mr Cameron having visited the Xingu river the previous month along with stars of his record-breaking film Avatar, including Mrs Weaver.
Mr Cameron said that "a real-life Avatar confrontation is in progress."
The film tells the story of the Na'vi tribe who seek to protect their planet against a mining corporation from Earth attempting to pillage it's natural resources.
Mr Cameron then wrote a letter to President Lula telling him that "80 leaders representing 13 different indigenous communities" had expressed concerns to him about the dam.
"They deeply fear the impact this dam will have on their lives, and are certain that it will end their way of life," he wrote.
"They are prepared to do whatever they can to fight the dam, including lay down their lives if necessary."
President Lula continued to hold fast to his belief in the project, however, and it now seems that the government of his successor Dilma Rousseff will finally see the dam built, in a defeat for Mr Cameron, Sting and Chief Raoni alike.