Forests sustain and protect us in a myriad of ways. They absorb carbon dioxide and provide us with oxygen, they harbour more than three quarters of terrestrial biodiversity, and they support the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. But the world has lost 420 million hectares of forest since 1990. …
Although Canadian mining company Manhattan Minerals Corporation continues the Tambogrande project in an effort to discover more gold, local residents say that the project could ruin the region's key agriculture industry, which employs some 26,000 people and produces an average of us $105 million a year. The company is working …
The Indian Biodiversity Bill has been cleared by the Parliamentary Standing Committee and is now before the house for approval. Not before time. Given that it has been over nine years since we signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd) and that the bill has been drafted and redrafted it …
Residents of the Cajamarca province of Peru recently blocked a major highway to protest against water supplies contamination by toxic mercury from Latin America's largest gold mine, Yanacocha. The residents demanded that the mining activity be stopped till a probe is conducted into the leakage. "Our protest is against environmental …
The recent discovery of gold deposits in northwestern Peru threatens to cause irreparable environmental damage. Many companies have proposed to mine the mineral found in the agrarian valley of the Tambo Grande district and its surrounding dry tropical forests. But these proposals have caused concerns among the local residents and …
A remote area in northeastern Peru has the highest mammal diversity in the world, reveal recent studies. Michael Valqui, a student at the University of Florida, during his study found 86 mammal species in the region that is surrounded by three large rivers
At least 50 people were killed and about 500 injured when an earthquake rocked southern Peru on June 23, 2001. Measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, the maximum impact of the quake was felt in the city of Arequipa. Electricity supply and telecommunications lines got disrupted all over the country …
A pristine rainforest in Peru has been recently declared a national park. The Parque Nacional Cordillera Azul, covering an area of 13,532 square kilometres, comprises one of the last remaining areas of uninhabited rainforest in the world. "The local people of the area are very happy. They had been requesting …
The Peruvian government has decided to allow the residents of Tambogrande town to take the final decision about allowing a Canadian company to mine in their area. Manhattan Minerals Corporation, the company, has been granted permission to mine large copper deposit of the town. But residents fear that the mining …
A group of asthma patients from Peru have sued the Southern Peru Copper Corporation. The patients allege that the company's activities have led to the large-scale pollution around the city of Ilo. They allege that "deadly pollution' resulting from the company's activities has caused loss of life, health and property. …
A stream originating in Nevado Mismi, a mountain in southern Peru, is said to be the exact source of the Amazon river, the National Geographic Society reported. Global Positioning System (gps) equipment was used by a five-nation expedition to take measurements. The countries that participated in the expedition included the …
A truck carrying mercury, spilled its toxic load near a remote Andean village poisoning 47 people, including 7 children. Mercury is the by-product of gold mining and is coveted by villagers for its medicinal value and special appearance. The villagers collected large quantities of the metal from the spill and …
More than 40 Peruvians are feared dead after an avalanche of mud and rocks, possibly triggered by seismic activity, buried a village in northern Andes on November 8, civil defence officials said. Villagers in Sicsi, which has several natural hot water springs, said moments before the avalanche they heard an …
three decades of pesticide use in the Peruvian highlands has unsettled the balance of the Andean ecosystem. The rise in the number of cases of poisoning among farmers, declining soil fertility and reports of pests becoming resistant to agrochemicals has made the "technological revolution' in Peru far from successful. There …
according to a new report released by BirdLife International, a global wildlife group, one in eight of the world's bird species faces extinction in the next millennium because of damage to the environment. BirdLife International, representing 2.2 million people in 105 countries, said that 1,200 bird species could become extinct …
Despite their long history and their prominence in the local diet, potato yields of small Andean farmers are generally low. This is largely due to pest and disease-related losses. Intensified potato production, less reliance on local species and varieties, and the indiscriminate use of pesticides has resulted in a high …
the Galapagos archipelago off the coast of Peru supports a unique ecosystem with a large variety of plants and animals. The archipelago has witnessed abnormal weather conditions this season (summer in the Southern Hemisphere) that have been attributed to the phenomenon known as El Ni
for years engineers and agriculturists have been trying to modify traditional tools for farmers to increase agricultural production. Now, an improved tool, the Herrandina plough, has been developed at Cusco in the Andes in southern Peru which is far superior than the traditional wooden plough ( Leisa , Vol 13, …
the Peruvian Army has embarked on a new defence mission: guarding the vicuna, a woolly animal that is an ancient symbol of Peruvian identity. The scientific name of this distant cousin of the llama is vicugna vicugna . It has been celebrated richly in Peruvian literature and memorialised on the …
