BNamericas | The Brazilian government has suspended the auction of the 6.1GW São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric plant earmarked for December. The announcement comes a day after environmental lobby group Amazon Watch accused Brazil of "flouting" international law by failing to properly consult local communities about the project.
All: 2014
Message to World Leaders: Keep the Oil in the Ground
Indigenous & grassroots delegation from the Amazon rainforest bring solutions to global climate summit
Amazonian indigenous peoples and grassroots social movements are leading the call to develop real solutions to climate change, including the imperative to leave two-thirds of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground, starting with the Amazon. A delegation of indigenous and grassroots leaders from Ecuador are traveling to New York City to...
Brazil's Announcement to Auction New Amazon Mega-dam Provokes Outrage
Plans to build new dam on the Tapajós River flout legal requirements for consultations with threatened communities
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – In a precipitous move last Friday, Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy set December 15th as the date to auction the construction of the massive São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric dam, the first in a series of large dams slated for construction on the Tapajós River, one of the Amazon's largest tributaries.
Amazon Deforestation "Halted" after Key Arrests
The Public Prosecutor in Pará state, which accounts for a large area of Amazon rainforest, tells the Anadolu Agency that deforestation has been reduced to zero in areas where an operation targeting key business figures behind illegal logging netted critical arrests
World Bulletin | The Public Prosecutor in Pará state, which accounts for a large area of Amazon rainforest, tells the Anadolu Agency that deforestation has been reduced to zero in areas where an operation targeting key business figures behind illegal logging netted critical arrests.
Assassinations in the Amazon: How Will Peru Respond?
Indigenous leaders killed near Brazil border following logging and land title battle
The Guardian | "Martyrs", "true guardians of the Amazon", "defenders of the rainforest..." These are just some of the terms used to describe four Peruvian indigenous leaders who were assassinated earlier this month, but "Dead Friends of the Earth", a term used by NGO Global Witness for people killed defending their land or the environment, might be another.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Destruction of Brazilian Amazon Spikes by Almost a Third
New data reveal that annual rate of deforestation is up for first time in five years
Al Jazeera | The rate of destruction blighting the world's largest rain forest spiked by nearly a third last year, according to new data released by the Brazilian government.
Amazon Watch Announces Leadership Transition
Founder Atossa Soltani to become President of the Board in January 2015
Oakland, CA – Today, the Board of Directors of Amazon Watch announced that Founder and Executive Director Atossa Soltani will become President of the Board of the international environmental and human rights organization effective January 1, 2015. Soltani has served as Executive Director since 1996.
Defend Mother Earth: March to Demand Action on Climate!
On Sunday, September 21st march in New York City or in your community to demand action for climate justice, for Mother Earth, for our shared future. To change this dangerous trajectory we're on – to bend the course of history – we need everyone on board.
With Deep Gratitude
The last eighteen years have been an incredible journey. Together we have helped protect millions of acres of pristine rainforest and have stood with indigenous peoples as they fought for and strengthened their rights. With our partners, we have won globally significant victories for rainforests and corporate accountability.
Peruvian Antilogging Activist Edwin Chota Killed
Opponent of illegal logging was slain with three other native community leaders in remote region
Associated Press | The activist had received frequent death threats from illegal loggers, who he had tried for years to expel from the lands for which his community was seeking title. "He threatened to upset the status quo," said David Salisbury, a professor at the University of Richmond. "The illegal loggers are on record for wanting Edwin dead."
Solutions or Bust
Indigenous Amazonian communities in Peru intend to block new oil bids failing immediate government action to solve problems of four decades of exploitation and contamination
Alianza Arkana Blog | Last week, indigenous women sent a clear message to visiting government officials: If there is no real movement toward solutions to the appalling contamination in their territories, then there will be no more bidding on the oil under their territories.
Finally! A Candid Exposé of Chevron's Dirty Tricks
An article in Rolling Stone reminds readers that, "it's the farmers and the Indians, not the lawyers, who continue to struggle daily with the 50-year legacy of oil production in the region."
Sludge Match: Inside Chevron's $9 Billion Legal Battle with Ecuadorian Villagers
For more than two decades, energy giant Chevron and Ecuadorian activists have been embroiled in a contentious lawsuit about who is responsible for contaminating a vast swath of the Amazon
Rolling Stone | "What gets lost in the twists and turns of this lawsuit is the only thing that matters," says Mitch Anderson of ClearWater, a NGO that works to provide clean water to the affected communities. "The people of the Amazon continue to grow crops out of contaminated soil and bathe in contaminated rivers."
Large Dams Just Aren't Worth the Cost
New York Times | One reason this dynamic has been overlooked is that earlier studies evaluated dams' economic performance by considering whether international lenders like the World Bank recovered their loans – and in most cases, they did. But the economic impact on host countries was often debilitating.
Belo Monte's Delay Challenges Accountability in the Amazon
"Used to blaming all of the problems and postponements of project developers on [the environmental agency] IBAMA and [indigenous agency] FUNAI, developers tend to hide their own technical incompetence behind alleged delays in environmental licensing."
Hydroelectric Power Damaging World Rivers, Study Shows
Forbes | "State of the World's Rivers", an online interactive by International Rivers, illustrates just how dams have impacted rivers from the Mississippi to the Amazon, the Danube to the Yangtze.
To Fight Climate Change We Need to Protect the People Who Live in the Rainforest
Motherboard | A new study by the World Resources Institute and Rights and Resources Initiative has concluded that f you put the woods in the care of people who know them the most intimately – the local communities and indigenous peoples who inhabit them – the woods will be safe.
Brazil's Indigenous Tribes: The Low Cost Solution to Climate Change?
Traditional communities living in harmony with nature need greater support from governments, says report
RTCC | Indigenous communities in Brazil may be the solution for preserving the Amazon rainforests and avoiding climate change, according to a new report.
Ethics Tribunal: Ecuador Violated Rights
Tribunal marked one-year anniversary of decision to drill Yasuní
Quito, Ecuador – On Friday the Rights of Nature Ethics Tribunal ruled that in the Ecuadorian government's ongoing push to drill Yasuní-ITT, one of the most biodiverse and culturally sensitive areas on the planet, the state violated several articles of its own constitution.
A Brave Call from the "Dalai Lama of the Amazon"
Take action to defend Davi Yanomami! Send a letter to the Brazilian government demanding urgent police protection.
Amazon Tribe Fights Brazil Dam Project
BBC News | Over the last few months some 13,000 Munduruku have been protesting against government plans to build a series of hydroelectric dams that will flood part of their land on the upper reaches of the Tapajos river.
Minister Tapia: Thank You for Investigating Petroamazonas – Now Stop Them from Destroying the Rest of Ecuador's Amazon
Your petitions worked! Last week Minister Tapia announced plans to open an investigation into Petroamazonas' spill. Let's thank the minister and insist that she prohibit Petroamazonas from expanding its operations further into the Amazon.
Brazil: Gunmen Threaten to Assassinate Leading Amazon Shaman
Davi Kopenawa, shaman and internationally renowned spokesman for the Yanomami tribe in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, has demanded urgent police protection following a series of death threats by armed thugs reportedly hired by goldminers operating illegally on Yanomami land.
Open Letter to Petroamazonas from Yasunidos
Report on the Cuyabeno oil spill
Alarmed and distressed by the information that diverse organizations and Amazonian populations shared with Yasunidos regarding the magnitude of the oil spill on July 3rd in the province of Sucumbíos, a commission traveled the length of Aguarico River, verified the extent of the spill's path, and received first-hand testimonies from affected...
Expelled from Ecuador: One Solar Visionary's Story
On July 17, Oliver Utne, a U.S. citizen residing in Ecuador with a valid visa, was abruptly questioned, detained, and forced to leave the country after being targeted by Ecuadorian immigration officials. Utne had been living in the country for several years and coordinating an innovative solar canoe project with the Achuar indigenous people.
Supporting Community-Led Environmental Monitoring in the Wake of an Oil Spill
ClearWater | A Petroamazonas pipeline ruptured, spewing thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Aguarico River. When would the company stop the spill? How poisoned is our water? When will it be safe to bathe, wash clothes, and fish in our river? Will the company clean up the spill? These were the questions on the minds of many of the Cofán, Siona and...
A Lifetime of Injustice: 30 Years in the History of the Belo Monte Dam
Over three decades of controversy captured through an interactive timeline
Altamira, Brazil – Today's groundbreaking, comprehensive publication chronicles the complex history of the world's most controversial hydropower project, the Belo Monte Dam.
Human Rights Organizations File Amicus Brief Opposing Chevron RICO Decision
Ruling poses serious threat to free speech and democracy
Oakland, CA – Chevron and U.S. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan have acted to trample the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens who dare to speak out against human rights abuses, environmental destruction and corporate misdeeds, according to human rights and environmental organizations Amnesty International, Amazon Watch, Friends of the Earth and the...
A Lifetime of Injustice: The History of the Belo Monte Dam
International Rivers | The Xingu River Alive Forever Movement, which represents communities affected by the Belo Monte Dam, with support from International Rivers and Amazon Watch, has compiled the most comprehensive history of the destructive dam from its inception to today, in a new, interactive web timeline.
