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.
South America
This archive covers progress stories and milestones from across South America, spanning countries from Brazil and Colombia to Argentina and Peru. Expect reporting on conservation wins, public health advances, economic shifts, and community-led efforts shaping life across the continent.
Giant anteaters lead biodiversity resurgence in Argentina’s Iberá
In 2007, the first pair of giant anteaters was reintroduced Iberá reserve, a region from which it had gone extinct decades earlier. Today, more than 200 anteaters live free in the reserve.
Ecuador’s top court rules for stronger land rights for Indigenous communities
The ruling will immediately affect oil and mining projects across the country, as they must now seek the consent of Indigenous communities who might be affected by their activities.
European supermarkets discontinue selling Brazilian beef to protect the Amazon
Sainsbury’s in the U.K., Lidl in the Netherlands, and the Dutch retailer Alhold Delhaize were among the companies saying they would move away from stocking Brazilian beef.
Chile to become the 31st country to recognize same-sex marriage
The new law removes restrictions on same-sex couples around parentage, adoption rights, and assisted reproduction.
Landmark ruling blocks mining in Ecuadorian forest, citing rights of nature
Ecuador’s constitutional court has blocked plans to mine copper and gold in Los Cedros, a protected cloud forest, ruling that the plans violate the rights of nature.
Assisted dying is rapidly becoming legal and accepted – currently in 11 countries and 10 U.S. states
Since 2015, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, the Netherlands, Colombia, Germany, Austria, Portugal, five Australian states, ten American states, and D.C. have legalized assisted dying.
Ecuador will expand the marine reserve encircling the Galápagos Islands
The current Galápagos Marine Reserve covers 133,000 square kilometers. The extension protects an additional 60,000 km2, protecting an important migration route for hammerhead sharks and leatherback turtles.
Bhutan, Suriname, and Panama are now “carbon-negative,” absorbing more emissions than they produce
What they have in common is strong protection of their carbon-absorbing forests alongside increasingly tough measures to hold down climate-changing emissions.
Four Latin American countries join forces to form huge marine reserve
Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica announced the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, a fishing-free corridor that will cover more than 200,000 square miles.