Articles by Kimberley Brown

Kim is a freelance writer and video journalist based in Quito, Ecuador. She has been living in Latin America and covering regional society and politics - with the occasional environmental story - for the past four years. To see more of her work, follow her on Twitter @KimberleyJBrown

The vice president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE), Zoila Castillo confronts a policeman demanding that she be let into the government palace of Carondelet to personally deliver to the president the order they prepared on March 12, 2018. Photo by Jonatan Rosas.

Indigenous Amazonian women demand end to extraction

by Kimberley Brown 22 March 2018

QUITO, Ecuador - Nearly 100 indigenous women of the Ecuadorian Amazon spent five days protesting outside the country’s Presidential Palace last week. They were demanding a meeting with President Lenin…

Zapara indigenous women march in Puyo, Ecuador on March 8, 2018. Photo by Kimberley Brown/Mongabay.

Indigenous women march in Ecuador, vow to ‘defend our territory’

by Kimberley Brown 9 March 2018

PUYO, Ecuador – About 350 Indigenous women from across the Ecuadorian Amazon gathered here yesterday to celebrate International Women’s Day, and, they say, to fight back against a system that…

Mining concessions in Ecuador stalled over compliance with indigenous rights

by Kimberley Brown 13 December 2017

QUITO, Ecuador – Indigenous communities in Ecuador celebrated this week after President Lenin Moreno announced Monday that the government would come down harder on oil and mining companies that don’t…

Could fungi provide an alternative to palm oil?

by Kimberley Brown 19 October 2017

Fungi – a kingdom grouping that includes mushrooms, mold and yeast – have long been heralded for their beneficial properties. They’ve been used to soak up oil spills, boost your…

Alvarado picking a flower called Chiriwayusa in Quichua, which he will use for a medicinal steam bath. Photo by Kimberley Brown for Mongabay.

What would you do if you had “nature’s pharmacy” in your backyard?

by Kimberley Brown 17 May 2017

TENA, Ecuador - Benjamin Mamallacta Alvarado and his wife Dalia Tapuy Calapucha were both recently sick, but instead of going to a pharmacy to pick up medication, they went into their…

Flooded sugar cane fields near Colombia's third largest city, Cali, in the department of Valle Del Cauca, during an intense rainy season. Photo by Neil Palmer (CIAT)

Colombia’s cane industry efficient but potentially damaging

by Kimberley Brown 27 March 2017

CALI, Colombia – Colombia’s Pacific coast state of Valle del Cauca, home to at least 80 percent of the country’s booming sugar cane industry, continues to rebound after excessive and…

Participants at a press conference in Quito last Thursday included Shuar community members Tuntiak Katan, far right, and Elvia Dagua, second from right. Photo by Kimberley Brown for Mongabay

Indigenous leaders denounce Ecuadorian government over mining conflicts

by Kimberley Brown 13 March 2017

Indigenous leaders and activists gathered in Quito, Ecuador, last Thursday, March 9, to denounce the Ecuadorian government for its complicity in allowing international mining companies to take over indigenous territory. The…