Few studies exist that document how high-elevation Andean ecosystems recover naturally after the cessation of human activities and this can limit the implementation of cost-effective restoration actions. We assessed Andean forest (Polylepis stands) and páramo grassland recovery along an elevation gradient (3,600–4,350 m.a.s.l.) in the Yanacocha Reserve (Ecuador) where natural …
Government spies may have illegally targeted political and environmental opponents to president Rafael Correa’s plan to extract oil in Yasuni national park Ecuadorian spies may have broken the law by obtaining personal information on MPs, environmentalists, indigenous groups, human rights activists, academics and political opponents of president Rafael Correa who …
Prosecutor recommends that Brazilian courts reject $9.5 billion Ecuadorian contamination judgment Seeking to avoid payment of a disputed $9.5 billion pollution judgment in Ecuador, Chevron won a round in Brazil. Last week, a senior Brazilian legal official recommended that his nation's courts refuse to enforce the Ecuadorian judgment. The recommendation …
QUITO – Ecuador set a new Guinness reforestation record, with thousands of people pitching in to plant more than 640,000 trees in a single day, President Rafael Correa said. “This news brings great joy, confirming the environmental commitment” of the administration, Correa said during his weekly recap of accomplishments on …
QUITO – The government of Ecuador will deploy 35,000 volunteers to plant more than 350,000 trees at 150 sites across the country on May 16 in an attempt to set a Guinness record for tree-planting. Environment Minister Lorena Tapia provided details about the “Siembraton” (Plant-a-thon) at a news conference that …
A third financier, Woodsford Litigation Funding, has disavowed its investment in an American attorney's long-running Ecuador lawsuit A British-based litigation-finance firm has pulled out of a controversial oil pollution case against Chevron, again raising questions about a new market in which outside investors seek to share in lawsuit recoveries. Litigation …
Chevron Corp urged a U.S. appeals court on Monday to uphold a ruling finding that an American lawyer used corrupt means to secure a $9.5 billion pollution judgment in Ecuador.A lawyer for Chevron told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that Steven Donziger, a U.S. lawyer …
Although China's huge investments in Latin American resources have generated environmental and social problems, Chinese companies operating in the continent have sometimes surpassed global peers in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Boston University's Global Economic Governance Initiative (GEGI) says in a report. "Our case studies show that Chinese firms …
Three new species of dragon-like lizards have been discovered in the Andes of Peru and Ecuador. The woodlizards were found after scientists took DNA samples. The researchers conducted several expeditions to several localities along the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. There, they collected several specimens of woodlizards and then analyzed …
Scientists have discovered an incredible, shape-shifting frog species in the western Andean cloud forest of Ecuador, and it just may be the first ever amphibian that can rapidly change its skin texture, a new study says. With climate change forcing plant and animal species to adapt, shape-shifters are taking a …
NOVO PROGRESSO, Brazil — This Sept 15, 2009 file photo shows damage done to the Amazon rainforest in a deforested area near Novo Progresso in Brazil’s northern state of Para. (PHOTO: AP) PARIS, France (AFP) — Gold mining has gobbled up some 1,680 square kilometres (650 square miles) of tropical …
It is now widely known that the natural resources and livelihoods of rural poor people are under increasing pressure. Growing demand for natural resources as well as ongoing and projected climatic changes indicate the necessity for developing and discussing adaptation strategies. This context has contributed to locating the topic of …
Air temperatures in the tropical Andes have risen at an accelerated rate relative to the global average over recent decades. However, the effects of climate change on Andean lakes, which are vital to sustaining regional biodiversity and serve as an important water resource to local populations, remain largely unknown. Here, …
Oil and gas access roads in western Amazon could open up ‘Pandora’s box’ of environmental impacts Oil and gas roads are encroaching deeper into the western Amazon, one of the world’s last wildernesses and biodiversity hotspots, according to a new study. Roads across Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and western Brazil …
The western Amazon is one of the world's last high-biodiversity wilderness areas, characterized by extraordinary species richness and large tracts of roadless humid tropical forest. It is also home to an active hydrocarbon (oil and gas) sector, characterized by operations in extremely remote areas that require new access routes. Here, …
Recently published prevalence estimates of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in five Latin American countries—Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—could suggest a new direction for United States foreign policy in the region. (Editorial)
Bridging the gap between the predictions of coarse-scale climate models and the fine-scale climatic reality of species is a key issue of climate change biology research. While it is now well known that most organisms do not experience the climatic conditions recorded at weather stations, there is little information on …
(Reuters) - Ecuadorean authorities said on Wednesday that four people have died since a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital the day before, up from an initial count of two, as dozens of aftershocks rattled the city. "We have four victims to lament," Mauricio Rodas, the mayor of Quito, …
Parables help us make sense of a mysterious world. Slow and steady, the tortoise teaches the hare a lesson in overconfidence. David has a surprise for towering Goliath. Lawyers and environmental activists fighting Chevron (CVX) in a closely watched oil pollution case in Ecuador invoke an inherently appealing theme of …
FOLLOWING the United Nations Organisation’s landmark resolution against impunity and environmental rights offenses, chief executive officers (CEOs) of defaulting transnational companies (TNCs) will now be liable to prosecution and punishments that include life imprisonment. The June 26, 2014 resolution also provides access to justice for the victims of human rights …
Ecuador’s government was moving to install a power plant to exploit oil fields under the iconic Yasuni national park at the same time as pursuing a high-profile international scheme not to exploit the oil, according to government documents seen by the Guardian. Plans to install the plant further undermine claims …
