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The Ashaninka’s cultural revival is reshaping the Amazon region
The Ashaninka tribe, once displaced by deforestation and cattle farming, has restored its territory and is now leading efforts to expand its land management strategies across 12 Indigenous territories in the Amazon.
Fabiano Maisonnave and Jorge Saenz report for the Associated Press.
In short:
- The Ashaninka people are using their successful reforestation and self-sufficiency model to help 12 Indigenous territories across 1.6 million acres of Amazon rainforest.
- Supported by $6.8 million from the Amazon Fund, their efforts focus on food production, cultural preservation and forest surveillance.
- The project emphasizes working with neighboring Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to create regional cooperation for forest protection.
Key quote:
“The culprits for this live far from us. But if we start pointing fingers, we’ll waste a lot of energy and solve nothing. Instead, we’re focusing on adaptation.”
— Francisco Piyãko, OPIRJ leader
Why this matters:
As deforestation drives climate change, the Ashaninka are showing the world that preserving biodiversity isn’t just possible—it’s essential. This effort isn't only about the trees; it's about cultural survival, feeding their people and using their deep connection to the land to ensure its future. Read more: The planet’s largest ecosystems could collapse faster than we thought.
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Credit: Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Slaughterhouses ordered to pay for deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon
A Brazilian judge has ordered two beef slaughterhouses and three ranchers to pay $764,000 for contributing to deforestation in a protected Amazon rainforest area.
In short:
- Two slaughterhouses, Distriboi and Frigon, were found guilty of buying cattle from illegally deforested land in Rondonia’s Jaci-Parana reserve.
- The $764,000 penalty includes $453,000 for reforesting 232 hectares of land that was converted to pasture.
- This case is one of several lawsuits seeking damages from companies involved in the illegal cattle trade in the Amazon.
Key quote:
“When a slaughterhouse, whether by negligence or intent, buys and resells products from invaded and illegally deforested reserves, it is clear that it is directly benefiting from these illegal activities.”
— Judge Inês Moreira da Costa
Why this matters:
The Amazon is vital for global climate regulation, and deforestation driven by cattle farming threatens its survival. Legal action against companies involved in illegal deforestation is crucial for protecting this essential ecosystem.
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Credit: Delmas Lehman/Big Stock Photo
Are Mennonite colonies in the Amazon worsening deforestation?
Mennonite communities establishing new colonies in the Peruvian Amazon are contributing to deforestation as they clear land for farming, prompting investigations by authorities.
In short:
- Mennonite colonies have expanded in the Amazon, clearing forested areas for agriculture and settlement.
- Peruvian authorities are investigating the colonies for illegal deforestation, though the Mennonites deny wrongdoing.
- Environmentalists worry these settlements exacerbate the already critical deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Key quote:
"Every colony clears the forest a little bit, but it’s very little... The forest is big."
— Peter Dyck, farmer from Belize and leader of the Providencia colony
Why this matters:
The deforestation caused by Mennonite colonies adds to the Amazon's environmental degradation, which threatens global climate stability. Addressing these practices is crucial to preserving the Amazon's role in absorbing carbon emissions.
Related EHN coverage:
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Credit: Rich Carey/Big Stock Photo
Methane emissions from warming ecosystems pose a major climate threat
Methane released from thawing permafrost and tropical wetlands is accelerating climate breakdown, making the reduction of human-caused emissions crucial.
In short:
- Methane emissions from natural sources like tropical wetlands and Arctic permafrost are increasing as global temperatures rise.
- Efforts to curb human-caused methane emissions could reduce global warming by 0.5°C, but this may not be enough as natural emissions increase.
- Restoration projects like Finland’s Linnunsuo reserve show potential in reducing methane emissions by rehabilitating damaged ecosystems.
Key quote:
"We are seeing a collision of two phenomena; one natural, which is El Niño, and the other a phenomenon produced by humans, which is the change in the Earth’s temperature."
— Ayan Fleischmann, hydrologist
Why this matters:
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and its increasing release from natural and human sources could severely accelerate climate change, making immediate action necessary.
Related EHN coverage:
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Credit: Jose Antonio Alba/Pixabay
Drought crisis in the Amazon sparks urgent responses
The Amazon region is experiencing severe drought conditions earlier than expected, threatening water supplies and increasing fire risks across several countries.
In short:
- The Amazon Basin, holding a fifth of the world's fresh water, is seeing critically low river levels, prompting emergency measures across Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.
- Brazil's federal water agency declared water shortages in the Madeira and Purus basins, affecting a region nearly as large as Mexico.
- Fires are on the rise, with 25,000 incidents recorded, the most in nearly 20 years, exacerbating the threat to local communities and agriculture.
Key quote:
“It’s been two years in a row of extreme events.”
— Julie Messias, Acre's secretary of environment
Why this matters:
Early drought conditions in the Amazon impact the region’s ecosystem and economy, threatening water supply and food security. This situation could lead to increased forest fires, affecting global climate patterns and biodiversity.
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Credit: Brigitte Werner/Pixabay
Carbon credit schemes profit from protected Amazon lands
A Washington Post investigation reveals that many carbon credit projects in the Brazilian Amazon illegally use protected public lands and fail to share profits with local communities.
Terrence McCoy, Júlia Ledur and Marina Dias report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- Many carbon credit ventures in the Amazon overlap with publicly protected lands, generating millions in profits illegally.
- Companies buying these credits include Netflix, Delta and Air France, with projects covering an area six times the size of Maryland.
- Brazilian authorities are starting to investigate, uncovering fraud and improper land claims.
Key quote:
“The system is very gameable. And the victim is the planet and all of humanity who suffers because we’re not reducing emissions, but get to pretend we are.”
— Joseph Romm, climate researcher at the University of Pennsylvania
Why this matters:
The misuse of protected lands for carbon credits undermines efforts to combat climate change and defrauds local communities. This corruption in carbon credit markets could hinder global efforts to reduce carbon emissions effectively.
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Amazon rainforest inhabitants share plan to save their home
Inhabitants of the Amazon have created a comprehensive plan to prevent climate and ecological collapse, focusing on ending fossil fuel subsidies and securing Indigenous land rights.
In short:
- The Pan-Amazon Social Forum (FOSPA) gathered Indigenous and local communities to discuss strategies to protect the Amazon rainforest.
- Participants criticized international climate talks and emphasized the need for direct action and local knowledge.
- The proposed plan includes ending fossil fuel subsidies, securing land rights and prioritizing biodiversity hotspots for conservation.
Key quote:
“We are being suffocated by large enterprises.”
— Vanuza Abacatal, leader of a Quilombola community in Para, Brazil.
Why this matters:
The Amazon rainforest plays a critical role in regulating the global climate, and study after study have shown that Indigenous communities with secure land tenure have the best conservation outcomes, even compared to national parks. However, the rainforest faces unprecedented threats from deforestation, illegal mining and oil extraction. Indigenous leaders argue that continuing to support fossil fuel industries through government subsidies only exacerbates these threats, accelerating the pace of ecological destruction and climate change.
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