THREATENED TERRITORIES
- The Legal Amazon contains more than 104 million cattle
Cattle ranching emissions of methane and other greenhouses gases have hit new records in recent years and are now the second greatest source of climate-destabilising emissions in Brazil. (InfoAmazonia) - The trail of destruction on the highways and Congress’ support
A bill approved at the end of 2023 gets rid of the licensing stages for paving the BR-319 highway between the cities of Manaus and Porto Velho. A report in Observatório do Clima shows the link between highways and increased land grabbing, illegal logging, fire and violence. - JBS charged with damaging an extractivist reserve
The world’s biggest beef company is being sued due to suspicions that it purchased cattle raised in the Amazon region’s most deforested conservation unit. The lawsuit seeks millions in compensation. (Agência Pública) - Mining company wants protesters arrested
The Canadian company Belo Sun has asked courts to imprison 40 members of environmental organizations who have set up a camp in protest against the company’s plan to set up Brazil’s largest open-pit gold mine. (Repórter Brasil)
A protest by residents of the Ressaca Settlement Project, in the northern part of the state of Pará, an area in dispute with the mining company Belo Sun. Photo: Reproduction
PEOPLES OF THE FOREST
- Digital game teaches indigenous traditions
An initiative by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos is being used to teach reading, writing and multicultural literacy alongside traditional stories and a history of the political struggle of the Maraguá people. (Agência Fapesp) - Ancient Amazonian civilization was similar to Mayan culture
Inhabitants of the Ecuadorian forest built roads, canals and fortifications in the Amazon region around 2,500 years ago. The complex structures are comparable to those in Mexico, according to the research. (Folha de S.Paulo) - Indigenous women film-makers form network
Created in 2022, the Katahirine group, made up of 60 professionals from almost all the Brazilian biomes, organizes monthly meetings to show films and exchange experiences. (Mongabay)
PRESERVATION
- The woman who created more than 20 protected areas
Former president of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Maria Tereza Jorge Pádua, 80, remembers the obstacles to setting up protected areas during the military dictatorship. (((o))eco) - Illustrated guide to the Amazon region’s snakes
Based on research dating back to the 1990s, a new book details 176 species of snakes, with maps of their geographical distribution and information on habitat and diet. (Jornal da USP)
Fact-checker: Plínio Lopes
Proofreader (Portuguese): Valquíria Della Pozza
Spanish translation: Meritxell Almarza
English translation: Mark Murray
Photo Editor: Lela Beltrão
Layout and finishing: Érica Saboya
Editors: Malu Delgado (news and content), Viviane Zandonadi (editorial workflow and copy editing), and Talita Bedinelli (coordination)
Director: Eliane Brum
Proofreader (Portuguese): Valquíria Della Pozza
Spanish translation: Meritxell Almarza
English translation: Mark Murray
Photo Editor: Lela Beltrão
Layout and finishing: Érica Saboya
Editors: Malu Delgado (news and content), Viviane Zandonadi (editorial workflow and copy editing), and Talita Bedinelli (coordination)
Director: Eliane Brum
