South America

Morning fog over the brazilian rainforest in Brazil

Brazil upgrades park to protect South America’s tallest tree

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South America’s tallest tree, a 400-year-old red angelim in the northern tip of the Brazilian Amazon, is the star of a newly created conservation area called the Giant Trees of the Amazon State Park. The area was officially sectioned off from the larger Paru State Forest for stronger protection. Now, the 1.38-million-acre Giant Trees of the Amazon State Park has been upgraded to the “full protection” category. This means that activities like logging, permitted under the “sustainable use” category when it was previously part of Paru State Park, can no longer be proposed in its bounds.

Aerial view of river and mangroves

Brazil rooting out last of gold miners on Yanomami lands

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In a rush for gold, illicit miners had contaminated rivers with mercury and other toxic chemicals and with human waste, resulting in a wave of disease among the Yanomami that led to food shortages and malnutrition. In February of 2023, Brazil launched a campaign to “completely eradicate illegal mining” from the territory, which spans an area roughly the size of Portugal. More than a year later, officials say they have destroyed 42 airstrips, 18 aircraft, and 45 barges used by miners, and have seized 24,000 gallons of diesel fuel. They are now close to expelling the last of the miners, Reuters reports.

The beach with vegetation in foreground

In a first, the Brazilian city of Linhares grants legal rights to waves

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The city of Linhares, Brazil, has granted legal rights to the waves at the mouth of the Doce River, the first instance in which a government has conferred rights upon part of the ocean. The city is aiming to better protect its coastal waters in the wake of the 2015 collapse of the Fundão dam. The dam held back more than 10 billion gallons of waste at an iron mine upstream, and when it failed, a wave of sludge poured into the Doce River.

Good news for Indigenous rights and climate

Record number of Indigenous land titles granted in Peru via innovative process

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In a defining moment for the rights of Indigenous peoples in Peru, 37 land titles were secured in the Amazon in record time, from June 2023 to May 2024. This is not only a remarkable land rights victory for the region, but it also marks a significant step towards addressing climate change, reclaiming Indigenous peoples’ sovereignty and rights, and defending territories against external threats. Land titles have proven to be the most effective way to protect Indigenous peoples’ land from deforestation, with titled land experiencing a 66% decrease in deforestation.

Aerial view of large solar farm

World’s biggest battery storage project gets underway in Chile

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Financial close has been reached for the first two phases of the world’s largest battery storage project, the Oasis de Atacama in Chile, with 1.24GWh now financed and an eventual 4.1GWh once all five phases are completed. Grenergy expects the completed project will generate electricity equivalent for the needs of 145,000 homes and reduce CO2 emissions by over 146,000 tons.

Amazon

Peru establishes new Indigenous reserve in the Amazon for peoples in isolation

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Indigenous organizations in Peru’s Amazon have achieved a milestone in a campaign that has lasted for almost two decades. Indigenous peoples living in isolation and initial contact (PIACI) will be protected within the recently declared Sierra del Divisor Occidental Indigenous Reserve, a territory they’ve long inhabited — and place where they have historically faced pressures that threaten their existence. The Indigenous reserve spans over 1.2 million acres in the Peruvian departments of Ucayali and Loreto.

Colombia flag

Deforestation in Colombia falls to lowest level in 23 years

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The amount of forest loss fell from 1,235 sq km in 2022 to 792 sq km in 2023 – a 36% decrease, official figures revealed. Most of the environmental gains were in the Amazon rainforest, where the Colombian government is focusing much of its conservation efforts. The two main successes have been reaching agreements where farmers are paid to protect the land and negotiations with armed groups who are the de facto authority in deforestation hotspots.

Ecuador river is granted the right to not be polluted in historic court case

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An Ecuadorian court has ruled that pollution has violated the rights of the Machángara River, which runs through the capital of Quito. In some parts of Latin America and North America, inhabitants have constitutional rights to a clean environment, but Ecuador is one of the few countries that recognize the right of natural features not to be degraded or polluted.

Silhouette of cannabis leaf

Brazil’s Supreme Court decriminalizes possession of marijuana for personal use

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The Supreme Court’s ruling has long been sought by activists and legal scholars in a country where the prison population has become the third largest in the world. Critics of current legislation say users caught with even small amounts of drugs are regularly convicted on trafficking charges and locked up in overcrowded jails, where they are forced to join prison gangs.

Peru fog oasis

Peru grants conservation status to 16,000-acre desert oasis site

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Peru has granted formal conservation status to Lomas y Tillandsiales de Amara y Ullujaya, a unique fog oasis ecosystem on the arid Peruvian coastline. The state-owned land, which spans 15,936 acres in the Ica region of Southwest Peru and hosts hundreds of rare and threatened native species, will be protected for future research and exploration for at least three decades.

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