Among the top articles from our Spanish language service, Mongabay Latam, for the week of May 23 – June 3 is one about researchers who were surprised to find more than 100 possible new species in Bolivia’s Madidi National Park. In other news, given the possibility of an oil concession on their territory, the Waorani are mapping their rich bio-cultural diversity in order to defend their legacy in Ecuador. And in Colombia, private management of natural reserves is protecting the Orinoco plains.
The image above shows a whiptail lizard of the Kentropx genus that could be a new species discovered in Madidi National Park in Bolivia.
Also, an image from the vast Mongabay archive of a group of Asian small clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) that inhabit South and Southeast Asia was the most popular on Latam’s social networks. This is the smallest species of otter with a maximum length of 100 centimeters and 5.4 kilos in weight.
Scientific expedition registers dozens of new species in the Madidi National Park
After 15 trips to Madidi National Park, researchers are impressed by the secrets of one of the most biodiverse natural protected areas on the planet: they found more than 100 possible new species.
Waoranis develop maps to save the rainforest in Ecuador
Waoranis located in block 22 are mapping their rich cultural and biological diversity as a defense mechanism against a new round of oil auctions announced by the government for the end of the year. They have covered an area of 180,000 hectares and identified 1,832 routes between rivers, valleys, wildlife trails and paths.
Colombia: Civil society reserves provide breathing space for the Orinoco
If the hectares of all the national reserves managed by civil society groups in the country were added together, 65% would correspond to those in the Oricono plains, proof of great progress in the protection of plains territory. Civil society reserves are a good example of conservation and sustainable activities in the territories.
The strategy of the bottle nosed dolphin to survive in Chile’s sea
For 13 years, researchers analyzed the behavior, social dynamics and genetic variation of the population of bottle nosed dolphins off the Punta de Choros and Chañaral Islands in Chile. Their study reveals that foreign dolphins are arriving in the area and participating in the reproduction of this species.
Ecuador: Is deforestation from the Pacific Refinery affecting local climate?
According to residents and climate change specialists, two oil projects in northeastern Ecuador might have caused a local climate imbalance. “It used to get all cloudy, but now almost nothing,” observed a resident. The deforestation of 1,200 hectares for the plant is blamed for the change.
Four cases of deforestation for palm, sugar, cacao and sugar cane in Peru and Bolivia
The cultivation of palm oil and cacao were recommended as alternatives to coca leaf in Peru. However, these farms have also become causes of forest destruction in the Amazon. According to the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project, four key cases of deforestation by large scale plantations in the Andean Amazon have developed since 2007. Three of them are in Peru and one in Bolivia.
Read more about these stories in Spanish here.
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