Drought in the Amazon: A tragedy announced

The severe drought affecting the Amazon is producing a human and environmental tragedy in the region, with the marginalised suffering the most  

Gondwana ‘wellspring’ of mammalian evolution, not Laurasia: Research

Mammals evolved 50 million years earlier than thought in the southern supercontinent and migrated north from there

Venezuela’s isolated indigenous groups under siege from miners, disease and guerrillas

The Hoti, Yanomami and Piaroa, isolated indigenous groups in Venezuela, are under threat on several fronts

800 women still die in childbirth every day globally: Unicef report

The lowest coverage levels tend to be in the poorest countries where maternal mortality levels are highest, it says

Come together, non-profit tells international community, as Bolsonaro takes charge

Amazon Watch adds voice to Brazil’s national indigenous movement that is mounting resistance to the far-right politician

Eight avian species declared “extinct” in new study

The species, most of which are South American, are the first avian extinctions of the 21st century

'Three of us were killed last year, but we continue to protect our forests'

Guardians of the Amazon, a tribe in the forests sent this message to the Brazilian government to help them protect an uncontacted tribe and their …

Human actions make Amazon rainforest more vulnerable to fire

Rainforests don't normally burn, but in 2015 Brazilian rainforests experienced 19,739 cases of fire

Brazil to use nuclear technology to fight spread of Zika

A cobalt-60 gamma cell irradiator is expected to be transferred to the country to produce sterile mosquitoes

Hydroelectric dams reduce tropical forest biodiversity, says study

Studies have shown that dams displace indigenous communities, affect the flow of rivers and increase greenhouse gas emissions 

Romance and thrills in the Amazonian jungle

INTO THE HEART Kenneth Good with David Chanoff Publisher: Penguin Books, England Price: L 6.99

Children of the earth, worshippers of nature

Rigoberta Menchu, a Guatemalan human rights activist and peasant leader, was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Menchu was witness to the …

After Bengaluru, now Bogota? High in the Andes, Colombia’s capital begins water rationing

City facing the cumulative impacts of El Nino climate phenomenon, says Colombian environment minister

Vaping likely has dangers that could take years for scientists to even know about

Many people don’t even know what these vaping devices contain

Venezuela imposes 2-day working week for government employees

The reduced workweek will extend throughout May

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Pod of rare orcas found dead on Chile beach

Type D orcas are native to the Southern Hemisphere. Scientists are unsure of the reasons behind the beaching

Brazilian scientists warn that the Pantanal is at risk of collapse

Once a model for sustainable land use, scientists alert world to “the tragedy of the commons” afflicting one of Earth’s most …

Don’t assume Pantanal’s jaguars are safe. Here is why

Down To Earth speaks with jaguar expert and conservation scientist Fernando Tortato about the road ahead for jaguars in their stronghold of the …

COVID-19 could complete the conquest of the Americas that started 500 years ago

By destroying Amazonia’s last uncontacted peoples, it will do what smallpox and others did in centuries past

Ecuador annuls austerity decree, restores fuel subsidy

Decree 833 will be replaced with a new one that contains mechanisms to focus resources on who needs it most, said President Lenín Moreno

After Amazon fires, Brazil now faces oil spill crisis

Mysterious oil slicks have spread across 2,000 kilometres of the country’s northern coast since September, contaminating beaches and …