Latin America and the Caribbean

Written by: Sibélia Zanon Establishing economic value for the service of preserving native vegetation and creating a new source of income for rural producers. These are the objectives of Conserv, a private initiative launched in October by the Brazil-based Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) in...

Written by: Jim Daley Fires raging across the Amazon in recent weeks have gripped the world’s attention and renewed concerns over deforestation in this iconic ecosystem. The widespread use of fire to deliberately clear the rain forest not only endangers its rich biodiversity but also...

Written by: Kimberly White The Amazonian Siekopai Nation are fighting to reclaim their ancestral lands in an ongoing legal battle with the Ecuadorian government.  Throughout the years, the Ecuadorian government has failed to recognize the Siekopai's rights to their ancestral home and deliver a land title,...

Written by: Elizabeth Alberts Belize, a tiny Central American nation nestled beside the Caribbean Sea, is making giant strides in its ocean conservation efforts. In the short space of a month, the government made two big decisions to help protect its oceans: it expanded an...

Courtesy of Landscape News Written by: Augusta Dwyer A new study published in Nature Communications has quantified for the first time exactly how much deforestation decreases rainfall in the Amazon rainforest – and has put a price on it.  According to the analysis carried out by scientists at the Centre...

Written by: Karla Mendes Brazilian authorities announced the seizure of almost 29 tons of shark fins in June, exposing the extent of what they described as illegal fishing in the country. It was apparently the world’s largest confiscation in history: The largest previous seizure reportedly...

Written by: Kimberly White  Mexico City has been recognized for its work to combat the climate crisis. WWF has announced that Mexico City is the Global Winner of its 2020 One Planet City Challenge (OPCC). Created in 2011, the OPCC aims to mobilize cities to take...

Written by: Kimberly White  Colombia has joined the call for a global phase-out of fossil fuels.  During climate negotiations in Dubai, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that the oil-dependent nation had joined an alliance of nations advocating for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to avoid the...

Written by: Kimberly White  Global Wildlife Conservation and the Wildlife Conservation Society are working to save Mesoamerica’s five largest forests. The wildlife groups teamed up with four Central American countries, the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), Indigenous peoples, and local communities to...

Written by: Matthew Harris If you have turned on a TV or read the news during the past few months, you have probably heard of the widespread fires that wrought havoc on the Amazon rainforest this year. Fires occur in the rainforest every year, but...