Half a century of oil exploration has left the world’s largest rainforest scarred by deforestation, water contamination and air pollution. Indigenous lands have been infringed and economic disparities exacerbated. Now a new wave of drilling threatens to perpetuate this destructive legacy.
Category: Bolivia
How did we investigate oil data in the Amazon?
Por Renata Hirota April 1, 2025 This story is part of the special series EVERY LAST DROP Since July 2024, the cross-border project Every Last Drop has investigated and mapped available data on oil and gas exploration across the Amazon, focusing on the biome’s reach into Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, and Peru. The analysis used […]
In the footsteps of turtle and egg smugglers in Bolivia’s Amazon Forest
By Eduardo Franco Berton When the veil of darkness falls on the forest, men armed with .22 caliber Marlin rifles come with it, and they are determined to pursue their prey. Once a bullet hits its target, the injured animal falls into the water and has to swim to the shore, where it bleeds to […]
Welcome to the Amazon Underworld
The Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, is also a source and transit point for illegally extracted jungle resources and narcotics. As criminal economies expand, violence and deforestation worsen
Trees in the western and southern Amazon are less likely to survive long periods of drought
Study published in the journal ‘Nature’ sought to understand how different parts of the forest respond to drought. The research was led by a Brazilian scientist in partnership with 80 other authors and surveyed the conditions of 540 trees of 129 different species scattered across Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.
From Bolivia to the Tapajós: mercury trafficking for wildcat mining operations on Munduruku Indigenous Territories
InfoAmazonia visited location where illegal mercury is sold along the border between Bolivia and Brazil, for illegal use by wildcat gold mining operations in Amazonia. After the Minamata Convention, Bolivia became the world’s largest mercury importer and it is estimated that half of the metal is sold as contraband to neighboring countries including Brazil, which has eliminated its legal mercury imports.
Activists slam Bolsonaro rule change seen as ending demarcation of Indigenous lands
Sem participação dos povos indígenas, governo estabelece novo estatuto para Funai. Entidades indigenistas denunciam que mudanças na estrutura impactam funcionamento do órgão e afetarão demarcação de terras indígenas.
New study: Amazon authorities can’t get a grip on mercury trade
A new report dives into the underworld of the mercury trade, as experienced across the Amazon region; in Bolivia, Guyana and Suriname.