Brazil moves to oust illegal miners from Indigenous lands in the Amazon
The invasion of miners has contributed to the spread of malaria among the Yanomami, with devastating consequences
South America
Ecuador establishes new reserve protecting over 3 million acres of forest
The Tarímiat Pujutaí Nuṉka Reserve of Andean and Amazonian forests in the Morona Santiago province of eastern Ecuador, where numerous Shuar and Achuar communities have for years been fending off numerous drivers of deforestation.
Brazil’s President Lula issues six decrees revoking or altering predecessor’s anti-environment-and-Indigenous measures
One of the decrees annuls mining in Indigenous lands and protected areas, another resumes plans to combat deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, and a third reinstates the Amazon Fund.
Fish return off coast of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul after state’s trawling ban
Trawl nets literally sweep the ocean floor, turning a complex ecosystem into a desert.
Indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador wins decades-long battle to protect land
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the 13,583-acre ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest in the country’s south.
Colombia launches $245-million initiative to create and maintain protected areas
Heritage Colombia is a $245-million initiative to support the creation, expansion and improvement of 32 million hectares (nearly 80 million acres) of protected land and marine areas in the country over the next decade.
Brazil’s High Court first to declare Paris Agreement a human rights treaty
As a result of the ruling, if Brazil’s Congress passes a law that conflicts with the Paris Agreement, the Paris Agreement should take precedence.
Colombia launches largest ocean reef restoration project in the Americas
The project aims to grow one million fragments of coral and restore 200 hectares of reefs by 2023.
Colombia elects first Black woman vice president, Francia Marquez
Marquez is a celebrated environmental activist whose opposition to gold mining in her home municipality of Suarez saw her receive the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2018.
Indigenous group and locals in Colombia sign agreement to protect sustainable livelihoods and culture
A coexistence agreement signed between the Nukak and local campesinos is bringing the Indigenous community closer to returning to their territory.