EcoAméricas

11/18/2025

A luxury development outside Buenos Aires is now the stage for an unexpected dispute—between humans and the capybaras that once lived undisturbed in the Paraná River wetlands.

Nordelta was built in the early 2000s by reshaping 1,750 hectares of floodplain into neighborhoods, lagoons, and parks. But as the community expanded to 45,000 residents, so did the population of capybaras, now estimated at nearly 1,000.

Homeowners say the giant rodents are damaging property and creating safety concerns. Conservationists counter that Nordelta destroyed native habitat and that the capybaras are simply reclaiming what was theirs. The debate has escalated into court, where judges are weighing sterilization programs, relocation proposals, and arguments that wetland wildlife should have legal rights.

Behind the headlines lies a deeper issue: Argentina’s lack of wetland-protection laws and the rapid urbanization transforming sensitive flood zones. Scientists warn that without land-use planning and environmental-impact studies, conflicts like this will only intensify.

Continue reading online at: https://bit.ly/49r9wXq

11/18/2025

A luxury development outside Buenos Aires is now the stage for an unexpected dispute—between humans and the capybaras that once lived undisturbed in the Paraná River wetlands.

Nordelta was built in the early 2000s by reshaping 1,750 hectares of floodplain into neighborhoods, lagoons, and parks. But as the community expanded to 45,000 residents, so did the population of capybaras, now estimated at nearly 1,000.

Homeowners say the giant rodents are damaging property and creating safety concerns. Conservationists counter that Nordelta destroyed native habitat and that the capybaras are simply reclaiming what was theirs. The debate has escalated into court, where judges are weighing sterilization programs, relocation proposals, and arguments that wetland wildlife should have legal rights.

Behind the headlines lies a deeper issue: Argentina’s lack of wetland-protection laws and the rapid urbanization transforming sensitive flood zones. Scientists warn that without land-use planning and environmental-impact studies, conflicts like this will only intensify.

Continue reading online at:

In the early 2000s, a 1,750-hectare (4,300-acre) swath of low-lying land in the Paraná River flood zone just outside Buenos Aires began to be transformed into a sprawling residential development dotted with green spaces and artificial ponds. Called Nordelta, the development was built on millions of...

11/03/2025

With coral reefs increasingly threatened by climate change and pollution, Costa Rica is taking bold action. 🇨🇷

A new community-based coral restoration initiative—funded entirely by Costa Rica—has already planted 2,150 corals around Tortuga Island in the Gulf of Nicoya since August 2024.

Led by the National Learning Institute (INA), State Distance University (UNED), and Bay Island Cruises, the project trains local divers and uses innovative “floating coral gardens” to revive damaged reefs. Early results are promising: corals that typically grow 2 cm per year are growing up to 12 cm in just nine months!

Restored reefs are bringing back vibrant marine life—from clownfish to parrotfish—and supporting sustainable tourism and local economies.



Continue reading at:https://bit.ly/3Xg0ViJ

11/03/2025

With coral reefs increasingly threatened by climate change and pollution, Costa Rica is taking bold action. 🇨🇷

A new community-based coral restoration initiative—funded entirely by Costa Rica—has already planted 2,150 corals around Tortuga Island in the Gulf of Nicoya since August 2024.

Led by the National Learning Institute (INA), State Distance University (UNED), and Bay Island Cruises, the project trains local divers and uses innovative “floating coral gardens” to revive damaged reefs. Early results are promising: corals that typically grow 2 cm per year are growing up to 12 cm in just nine months!

Restored reefs are bringing back vibrant marine life—from clownfish to parrotfish—and supporting sustainable tourism and local economies.



Continue reading at:

With coral reefs increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution and more, Costa Rica is engaged in a new community-based coral-propagation initiative aimed at bolstering coastal marine life and, in the process, sustainable tourism and economic growth. Since getting underway in August 2024, the...

10/31/2025

In September, authorities in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais rescued over 800 wild animals, including species threatened with extinction, and arrested 47 suspected smugglers during Operation Saint Francis.

The yearlong investigation uncovered criminal rings also tied to drug trafficking. Most rescued animals—parrots, macaws, monkeys, and boa constrictors—are now in rehabilitation centers before being returned to their natural habitats.

This article is available now at: https://bit.ly/4hCtWPb

10/31/2025

In September, authorities in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais rescued over 800 wild animals, including species threatened with extinction, and arrested 47 suspected smugglers during Operation Saint Francis.

The yearlong investigation uncovered criminal rings also tied to drug trafficking. Most rescued animals—parrots, macaws, monkeys, and boa constrictors—are now in rehabilitation centers before being returned to their natural habitats.

This article is available now at: https://bit.ly/4hCtWPb

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Authorities in September cracked down on animal-traffickers in three southeastern Brazilian states, rescuing over 800 wild animals—some of them members of species threatened with extinction—and arresting 47 suspected smugglers. Described by state authorities as Brazil’s largest-ever enforcemen...

09/23/2025

In 2008, Ecuador made history as the first country to recognize the rights of nature in its constitution. But on Aug. 14, President Daniel Noboa’s government shocked environmentalists by merging the Ministry of Environment with the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Now called the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the move is framed as an efficiency reform. Critics, however, warn it represents a historic setback, arguing that environmental oversight will now sit under the same ministry tasked with expanding oil and mining. They say this undermines the independence of environmental licensing and puts communities and ecosystems—especially in the Amazon—at greater risk from extractive projects.

WWF Ecuador’s Tarsicio Granizo stated: “There is a clear conflict of interest because environmental impact studies must be conducted independently… It seems the goal is to clear the way for extractive activities.”

With $47 billion in new oil investments and $7 billion in mining projects planned, many fear Ecuador’s rights-of-nature legacy is being compromised.

This article was published in this month’s issue of EcoAméricas, available now: http://bit.ly/4nK9rBQ

09/23/2025

In 2008, Ecuador made history as the first country to recognize the rights of nature in its constitution. But on Aug. 14, President Daniel Noboa’s government shocked environmentalists by merging the Ministry of Environment with the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Now called the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the move is framed as an efficiency reform—but critics warn it’s a historic setback:

* Environmental oversight will now sit under the same ministry tasked with expanding oil and mining.
* Independence of environmental licensing is at risk.
* Communities and ecosystems—especially in the Amazon—may face greater pressure from extractive projects.

WWF Ecuador’s Tarsicio Granizo says: “There is a clear conflict of interest because environmental impact studies must be conducted independently… It seems the goal is to clear the way for extractive activities.”

With $47B in new oil investments and $7B in mining projects planned, many fear Ecuador’s rights-of-nature legacy is being compromised.

This article was published in this month’s issue of EcoAméricas, available now: http://bit.ly/4nK9rBQ

In 2008, Ecuador became the world’s first country to recognize the rights of nature in its constitution, establishing environmental protection as a top national priority. On Aug. 14, the government of President Daniel Noboa sent what critics call the opposite message when it announced the country....

09/23/2025

In July, Brazil’s right-wing Congress passed sweeping reforms to weaken environmental licensing—what green advocates call a “devastation bill.” On Aug. 8, President Lula signed the law but vetoed 63 of its 400 provisions.

Critics say Lula’s partial vetoes don’t go nearly far enough. Key concerns include:�

⚠️ A new Special Environmental License (LAE) fast-tracks “strategic” projects, with a strict 1-year deadline for approval—too short for serious Amazon impact studies.�
⚠️ Self-licensing is now allowed for “small-impact” projects, raising fears of unchecked deforestation.�
⚠️ Attempts to weaken protections for the Atlantic Forest, Indigenous and traditional communities, and protected lands.

Environmentalists warn these changes threaten Brazil’s climate goals and credibility ahead of COP30 in Belém.

As Ane Alencar of IPAM put it: “The LAC provision is the most grotesque one in the law… it gives developers a sense of impunity.”

Continue reading online at: http://bit.ly/47Y4b9d

After Brazil’s right-wing Congress in July approved what green advocates call a “devastation bill,” the stage was set in August for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to veto the environmental-permitting legislation’s most damaging provisions. Signing the bill on Aug. 8, Lula did indeed ma...

09/18/2025

Scientists are raising alarm about the survival of the migratory gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Once a conservation success story, the species is now struggling with:

⚠️ Record die-offs – 158 whales washed ashore in the first four months of 2025 alone.
⚠️ Starving whales seen in unusual places, including San Francisco Bay.
⚠️ A historic collapse in calf births – only 85 mother-calf pairs counted this year, the lowest ever.
⚠️ Shrinking Arctic food sources tied to climate change.

Experts warn that large-scale ecosystem change in the whales’ Arctic feeding grounds may be pushing them toward crisis. “I’m really wondering if they’ll make it out,” says Steven Swartz, co-director of Gray Whale Research in Mexico.

Gray whales not only play a key role in ocean ecosystems but also support ecotourism and coastal economies from Mexico to the U.S. and Canada. Their decline would be devastating on many levels.

Continue reading online at: http://bit.ly/4ndvFMS

09/18/2025

Scientists are raising alarm about the survival of the migratory gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Once a conservation success story, the species is now struggling with:

⚠️ Record die-offs – 58 whales washed ashore in the first four months of 2025 alone.�
⚠️ Starving whales seen in unusual places, including San Francisco Bay.�
⚠️ A historic collapse in calf births – only 85 mother-calf pairs counted this year, the lowest ever.
⚠️ Shrinking Arctic food sources tied to climate change.

Experts warn that large-scale ecosystem change in the whales’ Arctic feeding grounds may be pushing them toward crisis. “I’m really wondering if they’ll make it out,” says Steven Swartz, co-director of Gray Whale Research in Mexico.

Gray whales not only play a key role in ocean ecosystems but also support ecotourism and coastal economies from Mexico to the U.S. and Canada. Their decline would be devastating on many levels.

Continue reading online at: http://bit.ly/4ndvFMS

Concerns about the survival of the migratory gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) are growing. Sightings of malnourished or “skinny” animals, accounts of whales scrounging for food in strange places, a record number of documented mortalities, and a historic drop in calf births have triggered alarm...

08/27/2025

Two groundbreaking legal opinions, one from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) and another from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), have declared that a healthy climate is a basic human right.

Though not legally binding, these opinions give environmental defenders, policymakers, and negotiators new tools to push for:

- Stronger climate action

- Protection for vulnerable communities

- Recognition of the rights of nature

- Reparations for climate-related harm



The IACtHR opinion (June 3) applies across the Americas and the Caribbean, while the ICJ opinion (June 23) applies globally to U.N. member nations. Both reinforce the need for urgent mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development with a human rights lens.

For many observers, the significance of the IACtHR opinion lies not only in its content but in the unprecedented amount of input sought by the court, which included public hearings in Barbados and Manaus, Brazil. The Caribbean and the Amazon are among the regions in the court’s jurisdiction that are most vulnerable to climate change.

The result is an advisory opinion that “confirms that the courts are on the right side of history,” says Luisa Gómez, senior attorney at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Environmental Law. She adds that the opinion “not only can, but should have long-lasting effects … and we can use this advisory opinion as a real toolkit to demand better climate justice.”

This article, written by Barbara Fraser, was published in the most recent issue of EcoAméricas, available in print and online at: https://bit.ly/3HOVovE