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.
South America
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.
Ecuador becomes first Latin American country committed to Fisheries Transparency Initiative standards
Ecuador now must grant public access to information related to the management of the country’s marine resources to journalists, civil society groups and others.
Ecuador’s Pastaza province and Indigenous groups collaborate on $52 million sustainable development plan
The plan relies on curtailing dependence on oil and mining projects for economic development and implementing ancestral agroforestry systems and conservation projects.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. pledges to plant 6 million trees across the U.S., Brazil, India, and Indonesia
Through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, West Elm, and others will plant one tree for every piece of indoor wood furniture sold.
World’s biggest tropical crop bank opens in Colombia
The Future Seeds facility will not only safeguard tropical crop biodiversity, but also serve as a living laboratory for some of the world’s most advanced agricultural technologies.