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. …
A World Bank panel rejected a lawsuit filed against Peru which charged the nation with failing to clean up pollution tied to a smelter, the government said on Monday, but the company bringing the suit pledged to refile it immediately. New York-based Renco Group Inc sued Peru for $800 million …
Illegal gold mining is rampant in many areas of southern Peru, driven by rising gold prices. Now, for the first time, researchers have detected gold mining-related deforestation in northern Peru. The deforestation occurred along the Santiago River in the buffer zone of a protected area, and near intact forest. Most …
The head of Peru state-owned energy company Petroperu has resigned following the third oil spill this year due to pipeline ruptures, Energy and Mines Minister Rosa Maria Ortiz said on Thursday on local broadcaster RPP. The latest rupture detected in the four-decades-old pipeline that Petroperu operates was detected in the …
Four scientists who specialized in sweet potatoes were named the winners of this year's World Food Prize on Tuesday for their work to make foods more nutritious. Maria Andrade of Cape Verde, Robert Mwanga of Uganda and American Jan Low, who all are from the Lima, Peru-based International Potato Center, …
This book by IFPRI brings together the most intriguing stories from the past five decades to show what works in nutrition, what does not, and the factors that contribute to success. It includes nutrition success stories on the ground in places ranging from Bangladesh, Brazil, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, and Vietnam …
The World Travel and Tourism Council predicts that travel and tourism’s “total contribution” to Peru’s GDP will exceed 11% by 2026, but how well, in the long-term, is Peru protecting its best tourist assets? Among foreign tourists easily the most popular destination in the country’s lowland Amazon region is the …
Two lions rescued from circuses in Colombia and brought to a South African refuge in April have died, the organization that arranged the rescue and airlift operation said on its website. Animal Defenders International (ADI) said the lions died from a botulism toxin to which most lions are resistant. Other …
Civil society organizations and Peru government institutions say United Cacao is operating illegally, but the company denies it A delegation from Colombia, Indonesia, Liberia and Peru on a tour of Europe this month. Two members presented a letter and report to the London Stock Exchange urging that a cacao company …
The Peruvian government has announced a 60-day emergency in the southeastern jungle Madre de Dios region. The move – which will affect 11 districts in the state – comes after blood samples from the local population showed alarmingly high levels of mercury in their bodies due to widespread illegal gold …
An analysis of bacterial community structure and antibiotic resistance gene content of interconnected human faecal and environmental samples from two low-income communities in Latin America was carried out using a combination of functional metagenomics, 16S sequencing and shotgun sequencing; resistomes across habitats are generally structured along ecological gradients, but key …
Three people in a motorised canoe on the mighty River Santiago in Peru’s northern Amazon some weeks ago saw something deeply alarming. It was one dredge and between 15 and 20 men mining for gold up one left-bank tributary. Two of the people in the canoe were consultants for Lima-based …
A palm oil industry body on Monday ordered a member company with a 5,000 hectare (12,355 acre) concession in Peru to stop developing new plantations until it can prove it has not cleared any primary forest. The dispute comes amid growing concerns from environmentalist and indigenous communities about the rapid …
(WINSTON-SALEM, NC, April 25, 2016) - Wake Forest University has received nearly $10 million in support to establish The Amazon Center for Environmental Research and Sustainability (ACERS). The new center, established through the University's Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (CEES), aims to develop transformative solutions to promote sustainable use …
LIMA – The first domestic case involving sexual transmission of the Zika virus has been identified in Peru, Health Minister Anibal Velasquez said. A 32-year-old woman who lives in Lima contracted the virus when she had sexual intercourse with her 39-year-old husband, who was infected during a trip to Maturin, …
Beautiful, healthy environments are more than just eye candy -- in fact according to a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund, healthy environments boost local economies. Unfortunately, it seems that many United Nations World Heritage Sites are under severe threat, with the locals being threatened along with them. The …
This food policy report is a response to growing concerns about the impacts of climate change on Latin American economies, agriculture, and people. It assesses both local and global effects of changing agricultural yields on the economy, subnational regions, and different household types, including male- and female-headed households in Brazil, …
MEXICO CITY – More than 85,000 people, including actor Eugenio Derbez and Cafe Tacvba singer Ruben Albarran, have signed a petition to ban bullfighting in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California, a measure that the state legislature is scheduled to take up on April 7. “The Congress of Baja …
The heaviest rains and hottest temperatures in two decades have battered Peru over the past week as weather linked to El Nino caused flooding and landslides that blocked the country's central highway and forced scores from their homes. At least five people have died in weather related accidents since Monday, …
The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in Morona, a district in the Amazonian region of Loreto, due to environmental damage caused by an oil spill from the country's main pipe line. The oil has already entered various rivers in the Amazon region, affecting the lives of a number …
Ruptures in Peru’s main oil pipeline have spilled 3,000 barrels of crude into the Amazon region, polluting two rivers that native villages rely on for water. National environmental regulator OEFA said the oil from the broken pipeline has poured into the Chiriaco and Morona rivers in northwestern Peru. Edwin Montenegro, …
