The Heller family members are defendants in more than 26 cases related to environmental crimes in Novo Progresso and Altamira, Pará, and Itaúba, Mato Grosso. Only two cases were settled – by automatic discharge. The oldest fines date back to 1999.
Category: Brazil
Women Babassu Nutcrackers Demand Compliance with Legislation Protecting this Traditional Activity
Native to Brazil, babassu nuts grow mainly in the Cerrado savannas and the Amazon rainforest. For centuries, groups of women have cracked these nuts to survive, preserving this tradition in several Brazilian States. Although their activities are protected by the Babassu Access Act (Lei do Babaçu Livre), these women nevertheless continue to face legal and physical challenges in some States.
Eating chelonian meat is an integral part of Amazonian culture, but predatory hunting is a greater threat
Chelonians, which include turtles, terrapins and tortoises, have been part of the local population’s diet since colonizers arrived on the Amazon River. That meat has become common on people’s tables, especially in riverside and traditional communities. However, deficient law enforcement in remote areas and poaching threaten species and Amazon biodiversity.
Hydrocarbon licenses and protected areas: Perenco’s global system of abuses
The global investigation “Perenco System” carried out by InfoAmazonia and its international partners reveals the systemic aspect of France’s second largest oil and gas operator abusive extractive practices through the world: Perenco.
Company sells Indigenous land in Amazonas as NFTs without community’s knowledge
Areas of the Baixo Seruini Indigenous Land, inhabited by the Apurinã people in the southern Amazonas, were sold by the company Nemus in a project that promises to preserve the forest and generate carbon credits. The Prosecutor’s Office recommended the suspension of the project in December 2022; however, InfoAmazonia identified that negotiations are still ongoing on the internet.
A Whiff of Smoke in the Air. Just a Taste of a Sad Future for the Amazon
On Thursday, October 27, there was a scent of smoke in the air. On the 28th, a bluish haze thickened, and by late afternoon it had turned gray and heavy. The reddish sunset left no doubt: We were enveloped in pure wildfire smoke. Our eyes began to sting, our noses ran. Our clothes and hair […]
Shell affiliate accused of violating Indigenous rights in carbon credit contracts
Indigenous people claim that Carbonext allegedly pressured communities to sign documents with blank sheets. The company denies the accusations and, shortly after allegations of rights violations and non-compliance with international conventions in suspicious contracts on indigenous lands in the Amazon, withdrew from the business.
Colombian companies defy laws, push Amazon carbon projects in Indigenous lands
Without proper consultation, leaders were persuaded to accept a carbon project on indigenous lands in the Amazon, with the promise that the money would fund a university in the villages; Funai (National Indian Foundation) was unaware of pre-contracts and states that negotiations may be annulled.
Management of the pirarucu: when science and communities join forces to generate income in the Amazon
Contrary to forecasts made in the 1990s, over 40 areas are guaranteeing the protection of the species without driving the pirarucu to extinction. In addition, sales of the fish provide income to fishermen, who now join a production chain that brings no harm to the Amazonian ecosystem.
Drug gangs threaten communities in Amazon ‘cocaine corridor’
Indigenous, African-descended and other traditional communities are caught in escalating violence from drug trafficking in Amazon “cocaine corridor.”