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Throughout a year in which Latin America held elections in six countries and prepared for biodiversity COP16 in Colombia, the region experienced extreme weather, criminal activity that threatened ecosystems, and communities and wildlife habitats. The fight against development that infringes on the world’s rights continues. At the same time, community efforts toward conservation, environmental justice, and the implementation of nature-based solutions continued. Below we have selected some important articles that we reported on last year. These are not only good opportunities to refresh our memories of what happened, but also to set our expectations for issues that will continue into 2025.
Political changes across the region
in el salvadorNayib Bukele’s re-election has raised environmental concerns as his agenda prioritizes development, security and attracting foreign investment over the country’s natural assets. In 2017, El Salvador was the first country in the world to ban mining, but since then there have been concerns that Mr. Bouclet would reverse the ban. become reality.
in PanamaPresidential election winner José Raul Mulino has said he has no plans to reopen the Cobre Panama mine, but his plans also focus on job development and infrastructure rather than environmental issues. Last year, the government’s relocation of the community on Gardi Sugdab Island was the first of its kind in the country and highlighted Panama’s concrete fight against the effects of climate change.
MexicoThe election of the first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, brings hopes that the country’s environmental issues will receive more government attention. Mr. Sheinbaum is a former mayor of Mexico City and an environmental scientist by trade. She is a co-author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. report Who won 2007 Nobel Peace PrizeBut her campaign has downplayed strict environmental policies, with some critics saying: said. AMLO’s controversial support for Tren Maya and oil giant Pemex to succeed her raises red flags about her commitment to conservation and energy transition.
Venezuela election campaignPresident Nicolás Maduro’s victory remains hotly debated, and even though the country is in such a deep crisis that many observers fear there is little room to address environmental issues. There were hardly any. phoneedited it ecocide. Mining is Torn Through the Amazon rainforest. An abandoned oil industry polluted the coast. Protected areas are being plundered for timber and exotic species. Funding for scientific research has all but dried up. Funding for park rangers has also decreased.
A year of wildfires and drought
Wildfires have burned millions of hectares of forest across South America so far this year. From Bolivia to Brazil, Peru to Argentina, this continent is worst fire season Decades have passed, with deforestation and drought adding fuel to the flames.
Bolivia was the worst-hit country, with more than 7 million hectares (17 million acres) of forest and natural vegetation burnt by the end of September. This makes 2024 Bolivia’s worst fire year on record. In 2024, Bolivia experienced three times more fires than usual, devastating biodiversity and indigenous territories.
Brazil, which accounts for 60% of the Amazon, also faced intense fire activity. In Brazil’s Pantanal, 1.3 million By October, 3.2 million acres had burned, making it one of the most destructive fire seasons in recent history.
Peru also declared a state of emergency in six regions as fires spread across the country. By late September, the fires had killed 20 people, injured more than 160, and destroyed more than 12,300 hectares (30,400 acres) of natural vegetation. Drought in the Amazon has isolated several indigenous communities. Meanwhile, Colombia reported 44,000 hectares (109,000 acres) destroyed by fires in September alone. in MexicoThe heat wave has also had a severe impact, with the country expected to record at least 125 heat-related deaths and 2,308 cases of heat stroke, in addition to power outages, wildfires and mass deaths, by August 2024. has been done. Howler monkey threatened.
In early 2024, Venezuela experienced record fires. The number of fires in January and February was the highest in 20 years, and wildfires continued into early May, destroying national parks and affecting the capital, Caracas. By that point, experts estimate that up to 2 million hectares (4.94 million acres) of land may have already been burned.
Mining, energy and infrastructure projects expand
In Bolivia, lithium extraction It has created new problems for communities adjacent to the industry. In Salar de Uyuni, a lithium factory opened in 2023 uses untested equipment and may have inadequate management of freshwater use, making it difficult for the Bolivian government to take responsibility for the industry’s rapid growth. This has raised concerns among residents about whether they can be managed properly.
in Nicaraguadespite US sanctions, harmful mining continues unabated. Between 2021 and 2023, the amount of land concessioned for mining in Nicaragua doubled from 923,681 hectares (2,282,465 acres) to 1.8 million hectares (4,447,896 acres), according to the report. It has increased more than that. Ministry of Energy and Mines. Mining rights currently cover approximately 15% of the country’s total area.
In Colombia, $420.4 million Arakura Mine Project Residents in northern Colombia are worried that uncontrolled pollution could cost them food and drinking water and force them to migrate to other parts of the country. In Guyana, A series of road projects underway The move, more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the capital Georgetown to the southern city of Lethem, is thought to improve access to Guyana’s more rural areas and boost international trade, particularly with Brazil. But the project also crosses sensitive wetlands and indigenous communities, raising concerns about how the government will manage future development there.
Earlier this year, Mongabay reporter Maxwell Ludwin and videographer Caitlin Cooper I set out on a journey aboard the Tren Maya.will travel between Cancun and Palenque on a mission to uncover critical issues related to rail projects, including impacts on local communities and ecosystems.
Crime violates the ecosystem
In Ecuador, investigation Over the past seven years, the Los Lobos criminal group has penetrated deep into illegal gold mining and taken over the mineral supply chain in every state in the country, according to Mongabay and Codigo Vidrio’s findings. The group has invaded protected areas and spread fear among local and indigenous communities.
The 2.2 million hectare (5.3 million acre) Maya Biosphere Reserve in northern Guatemala. wave of land invasions In 2024, in areas that have not historically faced the threat of colonization. As new trails open and the fires spread, authorities have expressed concern not only about deforestation but also about the possibility of losing control of the area entirely.
Chinese-owned Buritica gold mine in Colombia Lost control over 60% of operations The tunnels have been penetrated by unofficial miners associated with Colombia’s largest criminal armed group, the Gaitanista Colombian Armed Forces (EGC), also known as the Gulf Clan. Armed groups are becoming more and more powerful in this country. 1 report The Central Military Command (EMC), one of the largest active FARC dissident groups in Colombia, has found itself in control of large parts of the Amazon rainforest in the departments of Guaviare, Meta and Caquetá.
Cocaine in the Peruvian Amazon gained more ground. According to official MAAP data, the surface area of coca production in Peru is increasing, especially along the Andes in the central Peruvian Amazon, Ucayali and Huánuco regions, leading to further intimidation and killings of indigenous leaders. At the same time, experts warn that organizations linked to the drug trade are diversifying into operations such as mining, logging and land grabbing, reshaping the map of Latin American criminal networks.
Green finance also continues to stir controversy. At the beginning of 2024, Mongabay survey Several companies registered in Latin American countries that claim to have UN recognition are convincing indigenous communities to cede economic rights to their forests for decades to come. revealed. Indigenous communities in Peru, Bolivia and Panama were promised jobs and local development projects in exchange for putting more than 9.5 million hectares (23.5 million acres) of forest on the market. United Nations agencies cited by the companies deny any involvement.
Conservation activities continue despite obstacles
Latin America may be battling many chronic problems, but there are still many stories of conservation successes and new solutions to old problems. In Beni, Bolivia, A new approach to ranching has successfully brought about more sustainable practices and supported the regeneration of native grasses in local savannahs. In Peru, conservationists unite to help save endangered animals Lima giant gecko (Phyllodactylus Sentosus), which lives in the ruins of Lima. Iquitoslocal communities are fighting to protect turtle species from illegal trade and local culinary traditions.
Research shows that community-led conservation efforts are more effective in Ecuador. Suppression of paramoros Meanwhile, in Guyana, local indigenous communities have established reserves for rare animals. Siskin (Spinus cucullata) protects finches from illegal trade and habitat loss.
Banner image: Fog rises from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler of Mongabay.
