SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil's government should hear native Indians before deciding on the construction of a controversial $17.3 billion hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, rock star and environmental activist Sting said on Sunday.

The Police lead singer Sting performs in Belgrade in this June 24, 2008 file photo.
REUTERS/Ivan Milutinovic

Sting, who founded the Rainforest Foundation in 1989 after meeting a group of Brazilian Indians in the Amazon, called for more dialogue on the Belo Monte dam, an 11,000-megawatt project on the Xingu River in country's north. He was due to perform at a pro-environment concert in Sao Paulo later on Sunday.

The Belo Monte project has drawn harsh criticism because of its high cost and potential for environmental damage to the Amazon basin, even as the government gave it top priority to meet an expected surge in energy demand in the coming years.

"I'm sure there are sound economic reasons why this dam makes sense, just as on the opposite side there are sound environmental reasons why it's not a good idea," Sting said at a joint news conference with Chief Raoni Txucarramae of the Kayapo people in northern Brazil.

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