By New Zealand Herald The death of about 3000 dolphins on a stretch of Peruvian coast in recent months is being blamed on a controversial oil exploration technique. However other experts are not convinced, and believe a virus or pathogen may be responsible for one of the largest dolphin die-offs recorded. So far this year, … Continue reading Oil exploration technique probable cause for 3,000+ dolphin deaths off coast of Peru→
By Agence France-Presse Chile’s Supreme Court Wednesday removed the last legal obstacle to building a giant $2.9 billion hydroelectric complex in the Patagonian wilderness, rejecting a bid by environmentalists to block it. The highly controversial project, which environmentalists say will wreck a unique and pristine habitat in the southern tip of South America, sparked violent … Continue reading Chile’s Supreme Court approves massive dam that would flood 15,000 acres of wildlife habitat→
By Amnesty International The acquittal by Brazil’s Supreme Court of a man accused of raping three 12-year-old girls on the basis that they were allegedly “sex-workers” is an outrageous affront to the most basic human rights and it has no place in Brazil today, said Amnesty International. The decision confirmed earlier rulings by state-level courts … Continue reading Brazil’s Supreme Court accepts “sex work” defense for man who raped three 12-year-old girls→
By Irene Caselli / Christian Science Monitor Six years after working to elect Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa, the country’s indigenous population is now taking to the streets against the very government they helped bring to office. Hundreds of people from Ecuador’s Andean and Amazonian indigenous groups marched into Quito today, after a 14-day trek across … Continue reading Indigenous people converge on Ecuador’s capital to protest government mining projects→
By Philip Fearnside / National Institute for Research in the Amazon Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River is now under construction despite its many controversies. The Brazilian government has launched an unprecedented drive to dam the Amazon’s tributaries, and Belo Monte is the spearhead for its efforts. Brazil’s 2011-2020 energy-expansion plan calls for … Continue reading Brazil planning to build 30 massive dams in Amazon by 2020→
By Elias Cabrera / Inter Press Service & Corpwatch A thick fog flows over the eastern range of the Colombian Andes. Here and there, the constant wind lifts the clouds to reveal lagoons, cloud forests, and páramo, an Andean alpine ecosystem known as a “mountaintop sponge” for its massive water-holding capacity. Descending lower into the … Continue reading Communities in Colombia organizing defense against foreign oil corporation→
By Amazon Defense Coalition Facing increased financial risk in Latin America, Chevron has launched a corporate espionage campaign designed to intimidate and track the whereabouts of the lead lawyers who recently won an $18 billion judgment for environmental damage against the oil giant in Ecuador’s courts, said the Amazon Defense Coalition. The purpose of the … Continue reading Chevron spying on Ecuadorian lawyers who defeated them in $18 billion judgement→
By Survival International Peru’s largest protected area is on the verge of being invaded by a road, which threatens to destroy the lives of thousands of indigenous people. The proposed project would cut through two indigenous reserves and a national park, exposing thousands of Indians to the risks of drug trafficking, illegal logging and unwanted … Continue reading Peru considers building road through protected area, threatening thousands of indigenous people→
By Katy Ashe / Mongabay On the back of a partially functioning motorcycle I fly down miles of winding footpath at high-speed through the dense Amazon rainforest, the driver never able to see more than several feet ahead. Myriads of bizarre creatures lie camouflaged amongst the dense vines and lush foliage; flocks of parrots fly … Continue reading Katy Ashe: What gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon looks like on the ground→
By Environment News Service Several hundred members of the largest Ecuadorian indigenous organization today began marching to the capital, Quito, to protest new mining in their territory. They expect to arrive in Quito on March 22. The indigenous march started from Yantzaza in Zamora Chinchipe province southern Ecuador, where a Canadian company has been authorized … Continue reading Indigenous in Ecuador march against copper mining in Amazon→