“People need to think about river basins or freshwater systems like a heart, a living system,” says Bernardo Caldas, from WWF-Brasil. Caldas is the co-lead author of a new study investigating how freshwater systems in the Amazon Basin are interconnected. It’s the first study of its kind to combine two layers of analysis of 6,000 […]
Tag: Amazon
Amazon frog highlights appropriation of Indigenous knowledge for commercial gain
The Amazonian giant leaf frog, or kambô (Phyllomedusa bicolor) has bulging eyes and bright green skin, and despite its name, is actually quite small. It’s perhaps best known for its skin secretion, a mucous substance with medicinal properties that several Amazonian Indigenous groups have used for centuries — and which is also attracting the attention […]
Dams drove an Asian dolphin extinct. They could do the same in the Amazon
For decades it was the only freshwater dolphin species in the world not considered threatened by human activity. The tucuxi of the Amazon held out even as similar species in South America and Asia were dammed in, poisoned, or killed as bycatch; one is considered to have gone extinct. Now, the tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis) has […]
Fires in the Pantanal: ‘We are facing a scenario now that is catastrophic’
A canopy of thick smoke blanketed a vast patch of Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands, stretching as far as the eye could see. Underneath, flames were engulfing the yellowed grasslands of the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park, parched by weeks of drought. Fed by gusty winds, the fire had already been burning for days and showed no signs […]
‘Out of control’: Unprecedented fires ravage Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands
PORTO JOFRE, Brazil – Only fragile wisps of freshly-sprouted grass dotted the charred plot of farmland in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. Standing amid the ash and burnt vegetation, Eledilson Nunes de Souza lifted his hand, marking a line halfway up his chest. “Usually, at this time of year, it’s all flooded here – the water is […]
Panthera: At least 500 jaguars lost their lives or habitat in Amazon fires
The fires ravaging the Amazon forest in Brazil and Bolivia this year have burned key habitats of at least 500 adult, resident jaguars as of Sept. 17, rendering them dead or homeless, say experts at Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization. “The number of homeless or dead jaguars has undoubtedly increased since Panthera’s estimate […]
500 Million Bees Found Dead in Brazil
Beekeepers in Brazil have reported the loss of 500 million bees from hives in 3 months. Bees have been dropping dead and evidence links pesticides to the cause. Regulations across Brazil have been reformed, leading to forest fires and now, increased pesticide use. Reporting from Mongabay said 290 pesticides have been cleared for use in […]
New monkey species found in Amazon forest area that’s fast disappearing
From an area of southern Amazonia, where forests are rapidly being cut for gold mining, agriculture, cattle pastures, and construction of dams, researchers have described a species of marmoset that’s new to science. “The spread of deforestation is pretty visible,” said Rodrigo Costa Araújo of the National Institute of Amazonian Research, Brazil. Araújo and his […]