Below are summaries of the most popular stories by our Spanish language service, Mongabay Latam, from the week of June 11 – 17. Among the top articles: Port projects in northern Colombia threaten the mangrove habitats of American crocodiles. In other news, the Waorani people of Ecuador use camera traps to record an astonishing diversity of species in their territory.
New maritime cargo ports threaten Cispatá Bay in Colombia
Five hydrocarbon ports operate in the Gulf of Morrosquillo in northern Colombia. Two more are planned – one for cargo; the other for bulk and coal – in Cispatá Bay, one of the country’s best conserved mangrove ecosystems. Around the bay, more than 8600 hectares of twisted mangroves offer refuge to fish, mollusks, shrimp and a crocodile at risk of extinction: Crocodylus acutus, the American crocodile, known locally as the ‘needle crocodile.’
Ecuador: Waoranis of Pastaza record the incredible animals that live in their forests
Waorani people who live near oil block 22 in the Ecuadoran Amazon installed camera traps to record the incredible biodiversity of their forests. They hope to show the government why it is worth conserving their territory from the advance of petrochemical activity.
Guatemala: Q’eqchi indigenous leader loses her nephew and now fears for her life
“Being a defender of the land is synonymous with being condemned to death.” Q’eqchi activist Maria Magdalena Cuc Choc, who leads protests against mining activity in El Estor province, has been stalked by strangers for months and fears for her life. At the end of January, her nephew was tortured and assassinated.
New wildlife trafficking routes and technique in Peru
Peruvian authorities have identified at least 15 new wildlife trafficking routes within the country. In 2017 alone, more than 10 thousand animals, alive and dead, have been confiscated in Peru. In one case 84 birds were packed in salt – a new technique.
Deforestation doubles in Colombian Amazon
Deforestation of the Colombian Amazon nearly doubled, from 77,000 in 2016 to 144,000 in 2017. Land grabbing in zones traditionally associated with the armed conflict was one of the principal causes.
New record: the startling distance a whale shark migrated
For two and a half years, researchers followed the movements of Anne, a whale shark who swam from the coast of Central America to the Mariana Trench in the north Pacific.
Read these stories in Spanish here.
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