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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
		<atom:link href="https://news.mongabay.com/feed/?location=peru&#038;post_type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/peru/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 23:06:26 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Peru environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/peru/</link>
	<width>32</width>
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				<item>
					<title>In Peru and Brazil, extractivism threatens Indigenous people in isolation: Report</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-peru-and-brazil-extractivism-threatens-indigenous-people-in-isolation-report/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-peru-and-brazil-extractivism-threatens-indigenous-people-in-isolation-report/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jun 2026 21:58:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimee Gabay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extractives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Destruction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Groups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Reserves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous territories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oil Drilling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protected Areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Threats To The Amazon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tropical Deforestation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/04/18170846/6-Yavari-Tapiche-Territorial-Corridor-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320678</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Mining, Corridors, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, extractives, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Oil Drilling, and Tropical Deforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the Yavarí-Tapiche Territorial Corridor, one of the largest contiguous, intact forests in the Amazon and home to the world’s highest concentrations of PIACI, are under threat by extractive and large-scale industrial activities, which pose an existential threat to its inhabitants and the ecosystems they depend [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the Yavarí-Tapiche Territorial Corridor, one of the largest contiguous, intact forests in the Amazon and home to the world’s highest concentrations of PIACI, are under threat by extractive and large-scale industrial activities, which pose an existential threat to its inhabitants and the ecosystems they depend on. This is according to a new report co-authored by Earth Insight, the Regional Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the East (ORPIO), the Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) and the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP). The report finds that oil and gas blocks overlap with 10% of the 16-million-hectare (39.5-million-acre) corridor, including almost 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres) of intact tropical moist forest, 907,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) of Key Biodiversity Areas and 713,000 hectares (1.8 million acres) of protected areas. “Pressure from hydrocarbons is increasing on the Peruvian side of the Yavarí Tapiche corridor,” Edith Espejo, senior program manager at Earth Insight and author of the report, told Mongabay over WhatsApp messages. “Our report serves as a warning for the irreversible harm that could take place if these oil blocks move into this corridor. Mining concessions within and on the peripheries of the corridor also pose a threat of encroachment and contamination of waterways.” A critical corridor for ecosystems and Indigenous communities The Yavarí-Tapiche Corridor covers Brazil’s western border states of Amazonas and Acre and Peru’s Loreto and Ucayali departments in the Amazon&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-peru-and-brazil-extractivism-threatens-indigenous-people-in-isolation-report/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/in-peru-and-brazil-extractivism-threatens-indigenous-people-in-isolation-report/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Genetic study reveals extinction risk for unique mangrove-adapted pampas cat</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/genetic-study-reveals-extinction-risk-for-unique-mangrove-adapted-pampas-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/genetic-study-reveals-extinction-risk-for-unique-mangrove-adapted-pampas-cat/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jun 2026 16:09:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/05134141/1-desert-pampas-cat-Leopardus-garleppi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320650</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Corridors, Deserts, Dry Forests, Environment, Extinction, Genetics, Habitat, Infectious Wildlife Disease, Mammals, Mangroves, Research, Science, Small Cats, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Corridors, and Zoonotic Diseases]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[More than a decade ago, conservationists began working to preserve a unique population of desert pampas cats that has adapted to the mangroves of Peru’s northern coast. This small, isolated population roams the San Pedro de Vice dry mangroves, a Ramsar Site and South America’s southernmost mangrove ecosystem. “This is a very unique population, because [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[More than a decade ago, conservationists began working to preserve a unique population of desert pampas cats that has adapted to the mangroves of Peru’s northern coast. This small, isolated population roams the San Pedro de Vice dry mangroves, a Ramsar Site and South America’s southernmost mangrove ecosystem. “This is a very unique population, because as far as we know, [it] is the only Pampas cat population that lives in a mangrove [habitat],” Alvaro Garcia, co-coordinator of the Pampas Cat Working Group and the Peruvian Desert Cat Project, told Mongabay in an email. The desert pampas cat (Leopardus garleppi), distinctive for its broad face, ranges along a relatively thin band snaking southward from Colombia through Peru and Bolivia, to northern Chile and Argentina. The species is acclimated to dry conditions, so inhabits deserts, grasslands and dry forests, and isn’t found living in mangroves anywhere else aside from this region of Peru. Dry mangrove forests, also called scrub or dwarf mangrove forests, grow in highly saline soils in upper intertidal zones, so lack regular daily flushing by ocean tides. At first, it was thought the dry mangrove-acclimated cats were faring well: “[I]n the mangrove [habitat], we put cameras out for a week, and we got tons of photos,” whereas in other parts of the felid’s range, conservationists barely capture one desert pampas cat image per month, said Cindy Hurtado, co-coordinator of the Pampas Cat Working Group and the Peruvian Desert Cat Project. Based on the photos, the research team assumed the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/genetic-study-reveals-extinction-risk-for-unique-mangrove-adapted-pampas-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/genetic-study-reveals-extinction-risk-for-unique-mangrove-adapted-pampas-cat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>World Peatland Day honors a crucial ecosystem in the fight against climate change</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/world-peatland-day-honors-a-crucial-ecosystem-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/world-peatland-day-honors-a-crucial-ecosystem-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jun 2026 05:33:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bobby Bascomb]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/02052713/image1_GP0STR4PX_Medium-res-with-credit-line-1200px-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=320460</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arctic, Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Finland, Global, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Conservation, Environment, Forests, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Peatlands, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Peatlands are boggy wet ecosystems found from boreal forests in the Russian Arctic to the tropics of central Africa. Typically, when vegetation decomposes it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, when that same organic matter falls in a bog and is covered with water, carbon gets trapped and becomes sequestered there, sometimes for millennia. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Peatlands are boggy wet ecosystems found from boreal forests in the Russian Arctic to the tropics of central Africa. Typically, when vegetation decomposes it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, when that same organic matter falls in a bog and is covered with water, carbon gets trapped and becomes sequestered there, sometimes for millennia. This makes peatlands essential for the world’s carbon balance. Even though they cover just 3% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, they store nearly a third of the world’s carbon. On this World Peatland Day, June 2, here’s a look at some of Mongabay’s recent peatland reporting: ‘Ancient’ carbon leaking from Congo Basin lakes The largest tropical peatland in the world, located in Africa’s Congo Basin, was only mapped about a decade ago. Scientists believe the Cuvette Centrale peatlands are roughly the size of England and hold some 30 billion metric tons of carbon. Researchers recently found some lakes in the Cuvette Centrale are slowly releasing ancient carbon. Using statistical modeling they estimated that much of the carbon being emitted locally is between 2,000 and 3,500 years old. “[I]t surprised us that almost half was coming from ancient peat carbon,” lead author of the study Travis Drake told Mongabay’s John Cannon. Scientists don’t yet know if the released carbon is a natural phenomenon or a result of something altering the system. Preserving Arctic peatlands with Indigenous knowledge In the frigid Arctic, melting permafrost from climate change is a big driver of carbon emissions from peatlands. Now,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/world-peatland-day-honors-a-crucial-ecosystem-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/world-peatland-day-honors-a-crucial-ecosystem-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Most wildlife AI focuses on the ground. This model looks up in the trees</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/most-wildlife-ai-focuses-on-the-ground-this-model-looks-up-in-the-trees/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/most-wildlife-ai-focuses-on-the-ground-this-model-looks-up-in-the-trees/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 May 2026 06:46:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhishyant Kidangoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhishyantkidangoor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/28053452/Saimiri_sciureus-1_Luc_Viatour-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320225</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil, Central America, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Artificial Intelligence, Birds, Camera Trapping, Conservation, data, Deforestation, Ecosystems, Environment, Forests, Mammals, Primates, Research, Seed Dispersal, Species, Technology, Trees, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When it comes to decoding camera-trap images, artificial intelligence has become all the rage, especially for terrestrial animals, or those that dwell on the ground. But for more evasive species living high up in trees, the technology is still lacking. A newly developed AI model aims to fill that gap. TropiCam-AI was developed to detect [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When it comes to decoding camera-trap images, artificial intelligence has become all the rage, especially for terrestrial animals, or those that dwell on the ground. But for more evasive species living high up in trees, the technology is still lacking. A newly developed AI model aims to fill that gap. TropiCam-AI was developed to detect and identify arboreal, or tree-dwelling, species in a part of the world where they abound: the tropical forests of the Americas. Scientists built the model to address the voids that exist in identifying arboreal mammals and birds. “We set up TropiCam-AI with the objective of developing a tool that is specifically meant for neotropical camera-trapping surveys targeting the canopy,” Andrea Zampetti, lead author of the study and Ph.D. candidate in animal biology at the Sapienza University of Rome, told Mongabay in a video interview. Zampetti’s work was done in collaboration with the TROPECOLNET project at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid, led by Ana Benítez-López. Arboreal species play a key role in ecosystems. They serve as important seed dispersers, with studies finding that primates, small mammals and birds consume up to 90% of plant species in tropical rainforests. However, these are tree-dependent species that, by their very nature, are especially threatened by deforestation, underscoring the need to study, track and monitor them for conservation purposes. A study published earlier this year by Zampetti and colleagues notes that “arboreal camera trapping remains severely underrepresented compared to AI trained on terrestrial images.” AI models for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/most-wildlife-ai-focuses-on-the-ground-this-model-looks-up-in-the-trees/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/most-wildlife-ai-focuses-on-the-ground-this-model-looks-up-in-the-trees/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Peru&#8217;s Quellaveco mine tied to water scarcity, contamination, investigation finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/perus-quellaveco-mine-tied-to-water-scarcity-contamination-investigation-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/perus-quellaveco-mine-tied-to-water-scarcity-contamination-investigation-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 May 2026 18:13:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maxwell Radwin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Copper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Destruction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/26174151/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-14-at-3.27.18-PM-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320143</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Conservation, Copper, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Mining, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A copper mine in southern Peru that took decades to complete environmental assessments has been contaminating local watersheds with harmful metals, critics say. In its first few years of operation, the mine has allegedly endangered wildlife, threatened the local economy, and created health concerns in communities. Developers of the Quellaveco mine in Peru’s Moquegua department [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A copper mine in southern Peru that took decades to complete environmental assessments has been contaminating local watersheds with harmful metals, critics say. In its first few years of operation, the mine has allegedly endangered wildlife, threatened the local economy, and created health concerns in communities. Developers of the Quellaveco mine in Peru’s Moquegua department spent more than 20 years conducting and revising environmental assessments to responsibly extract copper and molybdenum, a metal used in industrial alloys. But after the mine started operating in 2022, the impacts from pollution, erosion and other issues became difficult to ignore, residents say. “[The project] has exhibited the tensions that are typical of large-scale mining in the Andean south: disputes over water in fragile basins, distrust in environmental evaluation and enforcement procedures, promises of employment and local development that are difficult to verify,” said a recent investigation by several advocacy groups, including Red Muqui, a collective of 32 NGOs in Peru. The mine is operated by Anglo American Quellaveco S.A., a subsidiary of British mining company Anglo American. The company received its first environmental impact assessment approval for the project in 2000, but then spent another two decades revising it and finishing technical permitting and negotiations with local communities. The Quellaveco mine. Image courtesy of Red Muqui. More than half of Moquegua department is covered by mining concessions, some of them causing contamination and water scarcity. Residents around the Quellaveco mine said they wanted to avoid the problems that had emerged from earlier large-scale&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/perus-quellaveco-mine-tied-to-water-scarcity-contamination-investigation-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/perus-quellaveco-mine-tied-to-water-scarcity-contamination-investigation-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Will my president save the Amazon? (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/will-my-president-save-the-amazon-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/will-my-president-save-the-amazon-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 May 2026 23:50:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Enrique Ortiz]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/05/23235534/amazon_241209144859raw-26-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320068</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Commentary, Conservation, Deforestation, Editorials, Environment, Environmental Policy, Environmental Politics, Forests, Governance, Rainforests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the coming months, voters in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia will elect new presidents. Together, these three countries contain roughly 82% of the Amazon rainforest, making their elections consequential far beyond national borders. The future of the world’s largest tropical forest — and, by extension, global climate stability — will depend in large measure on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the coming months, voters in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia will elect new presidents. Together, these three countries contain roughly 82% of the Amazon rainforest, making their elections consequential far beyond national borders. The future of the world’s largest tropical forest — and, by extension, global climate stability — will depend in large measure on the choices their citizens make at the ballot box. More than 35 million people living in the Amazon region of these countries also depend directly on those outcomes. Brazil, home to about 62% of the Amazon, offers a stark example of how presidential policies can shape the fate of the forest. The country has experienced dramatic swings in deforestation over the past two decades. While commodity prices, global markets, climate conditions, and geopolitics all play a role, government policy has often been the decisive factor. In 2004, for example, Brazil lost more than 10 million acres of Amazon forest. By 2012, stronger environmental measures had gradually reduced that loss to less than one-sixth of that level. Those efforts relied not only on stricter enforcement, but also on cooperation with agricultural and business sectors long associated with deforestation. More recent data suggest Brazil’s renewed environmental policies have again reduced forest loss by more than 30% from the previous year. Annual deforestation in the Legal Amazon (Amazonia) from 1988-2025, according to a preliminary estimate from Brazil&#8217;s national space research institute, INPE. Annual primary forest loss in the Colombian Amazon from 2002 to 2025 (hectares). Data from the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/will-my-president-save-the-amazon-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Agriculture drives most tropical peatland loss in Indonesia, Peru and DRC: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/agriculture-drives-most-tropical-peatland-loss-in-indonesia-peru-and-drc-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/agriculture-drives-most-tropical-peatland-loss-in-indonesia-peru-and-drc-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 May 2026 21:12:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bobby Bascomb]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/12/14054429/2021Oct12-Peatland-Forest-in-DRC-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=319288</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Democratic Republic Of Congo, Global, Indonesia, and Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon Emissions, Carbon Footprint, Climate Change, Deforestation, Degraded Lands, Forest Carbon, forest degradation, Peatlands, Soil Carbon, and Tropical Deforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture is the biggest driver of peatland loss in Indonesia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the largest expanses of tropical peatlands in the world, a recent study has found. Peatlands are crucial in the fight against climate change: They cover less than 3% of the world’s landmass, but sequester more carbon [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture is the biggest driver of peatland loss in Indonesia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the largest expanses of tropical peatlands in the world, a recent study has found. Peatlands are crucial in the fight against climate change: They cover less than 3% of the world’s landmass, but sequester more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Yet, the boggy wetlands are being deforested and drained at unsustainable rates, releasing climate-warming greenhouse gases. However, scientists have lacked a clear understanding of the emissions associated with the different drivers of recent tropical peatland degradation. In the new study, researchers analyzed satellite imagery from 2020-2021 to determine what’s driving peatland conversion in Indonesia, Peru and the DRC, and to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions associated with it. Logging emerged as a key driver of tropical peatland loss in all three countries. Mining and road development were major factors in Indonesia and Peru. However, agriculture was by far the biggest driver across all three regions, the study found. In Indonesia, where large-scale agriculture was the leading source of emissions, agriculture overall accounted for 67% of peatland conversion. In Peru, smallholder agriculture was most responsible, for the 61% of agricultural conversion. In the DRC, smallholder agriculture alone accounted for 93% of peatland conversion and 94% of emissions, with no significant role by large-scale agriculture. Tropical peatlands are often cleared by burning, which the study found accounted for roughly half the total greenhouse gas emissions of the conversion. “Fire emits a very&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/agriculture-drives-most-tropical-peatland-loss-in-indonesia-peru-and-drc-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Peru bets on bamboo to restore nature in its main coca-growing region</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/peru-bets-on-bamboo-to-restore-nature-in-its-main-coca-growing-region/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/peru-bets-on-bamboo-to-restore-nature-in-its-main-coca-growing-region/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Apr 2026 14:48:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anastasia AustinDouwe den Held]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crops]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plantation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protected Areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tropical Deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife Conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/27100809/DSC06579-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318101</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Bamboo, Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Plantations, Protected Areas, Reforestation, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PICHARI, Peru — It’s nearly 5 p.m., and the bamboo grove is filled with children. In silence, they’re looking up in awe. The monkeys have arrived. They jump from stalk to bamboo stalk and skitter down trees, not approaching the humans below but sometimes pausing to stare back. Monkey sightings are rare in Peru’s Valley [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PICHARI, Peru — It’s nearly 5 p.m., and the bamboo grove is filled with children. In silence, they’re looking up in awe. The monkeys have arrived. They jump from stalk to bamboo stalk and skitter down trees, not approaching the humans below but sometimes pausing to stare back. Monkey sightings are rare in Peru’s Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro, also known as VRAEM. Deforestation, much of it to make way for coca crops, has pushed wildlife to the margins of populated areas. But here, in the bamboo forest planted by Yuri Paredes just a few kilometers outside Pichari, VRAEM’s de facto capital, monkeys are coming back. For decades, illegal coca cultivation has dominated the region, clearing its primary forests and stripping the soil of nutrients. To restore local ecosystems, in the last three years Peruvian authorities have been counting on expanding bamboo plantations, which they say will also bring back wildlife and allow farmers to profit from the crop. Yet some farmers and experts remain critical. In 2023, PROVRAEM, a Ministry of Agriculture initiative for sustainable rural development in the region, launched the Bamboo Sustainable Development Project to help more than 2,400 local farming families and boost the industry. So far, it has spent approximately 16.7 million soles ($4.9 million) to plant nearly 1,300 hectares (about 3,200 acres)  of bamboo. The agency hopes to extend the project for at least another three years. Paredes’s 6-hectare (15-acre) bamboo forest, the biggest of its kind in the region, has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/peru-bets-on-bamboo-to-restore-nature-in-its-main-coca-growing-region/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>AI tool tracks spread of illegal gold mining in Amazon protected areas</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-tracks-spread-of-illegal-gold-mining-in-amazon-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-tracks-spread-of-illegal-gold-mining-in-amazon-protected-areas/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Apr 2026 09:56:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Constance Malleret]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Destruction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gold Mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Illegal Mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous territories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land tenure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protected Areas]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/06/11143403/foto_58-edit-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317945</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Latin America, Peru, South America, Suriname, and Venezuela]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Forest Destruction, Forest Loss, Gold Mining, Illegal Mining, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Rights, Mining, and Satellite Imagery]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In July 2025, the Indigenous Shuar people celebrated the end of a decade-long struggle when they received official titles for three communities — the Shuar Tunants, Kampan and Tsuntsuim –- within the Kutukú Shaimi Protected Forest, in the south of the Ecuadorean Amazon. But in one of those communities, satellite imagery shows that between August [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In July 2025, the Indigenous Shuar people celebrated the end of a decade-long struggle when they received official titles for three communities — the Shuar Tunants, Kampan and Tsuntsuim –- within the Kutukú Shaimi Protected Forest, in the south of the Ecuadorean Amazon. But in one of those communities, satellite imagery shows that between August and December 2025, a gaping hole appeared in the forest around a riverbend — a mining scar. Despite the Tunants territory’s newly formalized status, deforestation due to gold mining nearly tripled, reaching 2 hectares (5 acres) in size in the last three months of 2025, according to Amazon Mining Watch Panorama, a new quarterly report. The report shows that deforestation due to illegal gold mining continues to grow across the Amazon, threatening protected parts of the rainforest. In total, 6,000 hectares (more than 14,800 acres) — about seven times the size of Central Park in New York City — of new mining scars appeared across protected areas and Indigenous territories over the last three months of 2025. This mining is presumed to be illegal, as most Amazonian countries have legislation prohibiting mining in Indigenous territories and protected areas, with experts warning that greater law enforcement is needed. Most of the deforestation caused by mining during that period took place in Brazil, with roughly 2,000 hectares (about 5,000 acres) of forest being cleared. This was followed by Peru with 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres), and Guyana with 900 hectares (about 2,200 acres). New mining scars were also&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-tracks-spread-of-illegal-gold-mining-in-amazon-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ai-tool-tracks-spread-of-illegal-gold-mining-in-amazon-protected-areas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The Amazon&#8217;s silent crime crisis (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Apr 2026 17:59:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carlos NobreIlona SzaboRobert Muggah]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/15175627/peru_aerial_0166-2560px-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317585</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Mining, Commentary, Crime, Deforestation, Ecosystem Services, Editorials, Environment, Environmental Crime, Forests, Gold Mining, Illegal Logging, Illegal Mining, Illegal Trade, Mining, Organized Crime, Rainforest Ecological Services, Threats To Rainforests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Amazon is approaching a dangerous threshold. Long understood as the world&#8217;s largest tropical forest and a critical regulator of the global climate, its future is increasingly shaped by the convergence of organized crime and environmental crime. This nexus is accelerating deforestation and degradation, worsening fire risk, undermining governance, and weakening the economic foundations needed to sustain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Amazon is approaching a dangerous threshold. Long understood as the world&#8217;s largest tropical forest and a critical regulator of the global climate, its future is increasingly shaped by the convergence of organized crime and environmental crime. This nexus is accelerating deforestation and degradation, worsening fire risk, undermining governance, and weakening the economic foundations needed to sustain the region. Approaching a tipping point For decades, debate over the Amazon has centered on land-use change driven by agricultural expansion and cattle ranching. These pressures remain decisive. The advance of soy cultivation and pasture continues to fragment forests and disrupt rainfall cycles. When deforestation and degradation interact with climate change and fire, many scientists warn that parts of the Amazon—especially in the eastern and southern basin—could move toward an irreversible transition to a far more degraded, savannah-like state. A widely cited body of research suggests that such a tipping dynamic may emerge when deforestation reaches roughly 20 to 25 percent in some parts of the basin, especially when compounded by rising temperatures, drought, and recurrent fire. About 14–17% of the Amazon has been cleared, depending on definition and geography. The broader scientific message is clear: continued forest loss and degradation sharply increase the likelihood of large-scale ecological disruption. Many scientists warn that parts of the Amazon, especially the eastern and southern basin, are approaching dangerous thresholds once deforestation, degradation, fire and warming are considered together. Large-scale degraded areas scorched by fires, stripped by logging and desiccated by drought add a further layer of fragility that headline deforestation figures do not fully capture.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-amazons-silent-crime-crisis-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Novel research finds unexpected climate resilience in up to 36% of Amazon forest</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/novel-research-finds-unexpected-climate-resilience-in-up-to-36-of-amazon-forest/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/novel-research-finds-unexpected-climate-resilience-in-up-to-36-of-amazon-forest/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Apr 2026 03:23:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Justin Catanoso]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/09222759/1-Palms-along-river-in-Manu-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317301</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Planetary Boundaries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Brazil, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Biodiversity, Amazon Conservation, Amazon Destruction, Amazon Drought, Amazon Rainforest, Biodiversity, carbon, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Deforestation, Drought, Ecosystems, Environment, Forest Fragmentation, Forests, Nature's resilience, Precipitation, Research, Temperatures, Threats To The Amazon, Tipping points, Trees, Water, Wetlands, and wildfires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Reports on the health and vitality of the Amazon — often dubbed as Earth’s lungs — have been grim for years. Record drought has stressed large swaths of the world’s largest rainforest. Major Amazon River tributaries, including the Rio Negro and Madeira River, hit their lowest levels in more than a century of measurement in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Reports on the health and vitality of the Amazon — often dubbed as Earth’s lungs — have been grim for years. Record drought has stressed large swaths of the world’s largest rainforest. Major Amazon River tributaries, including the Rio Negro and Madeira River, hit their lowest levels in more than a century of measurement in 2024. And experts warn that deforestation and wildfires are tipping parts of the biome from carbon sink to source. Yet in Manaus, a city at the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, forest ecologist Flávia Costa is upbeat as she highlights what appears to be a previously underappreciated underlying Amazon reality: Her research finds that the region’s vast wetlands, or shallow water table areas, have proven to be stubbornly drought resistant through years of intensifying climate change. In fact, her long-term research reveals that palm species and other wetland trees are not just surviving drought seasons, they’re maintaining their health and even adding biomass. That could mean these areas could serve as valuable refugia, as other parts of Amazonia degrade. Significantly, these shallow water table areas compose 36% of Amazonia and have been a crucial part of the evolving rainforest ecosystem for millions of years. Sturdy, resilient palms account for one in five tree species across the Amazon, which includes parts of nine nations, and of which Brazil occupies 60%. These forested wetlands and Costa’s research represent one bright spot in the Amazon’s otherwise gloomy projected trajectory for the 21st century — forecasts built on decades&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/novel-research-finds-unexpected-climate-resilience-in-up-to-36-of-amazon-forest/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Tracking environmental crime in the Amazon: A conversation with Alexa Vélez</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/tracking-environmental-crime-in-the-amazon-a-conversation-with-alexa-velez/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/tracking-environmental-crime-in-the-amazon-a-conversation-with-alexa-velez/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2026 01:37:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/06223007/amazon_241208_123215013-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315312</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conversations with Mongabay leaders]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Journalism, Interviews, Interviews With Environmental Journalists, Journalism, Mongabay, and Satellite Imagery]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Environmental crimes rarely occur in isolation. A road cut into a forest may appear first as a faint line in satellite imagery. Months later it becomes a corridor for timber, wildlife, and sometimes cocaine. The early stages often unfold far from capitals and rarely attract immediate scrutiny. When the evidence does emerge, it tends to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Environmental crimes rarely occur in isolation. A road cut into a forest may appear first as a faint line in satellite imagery. Months later it becomes a corridor for timber, wildlife, and sometimes cocaine. The early stages often unfold far from capitals and rarely attract immediate scrutiny. When the evidence does emerge, it tends to arrive through a patchwork of sources: scientists sharing coordinates, local communities describing unfamiliar aircraft, or reporters willing to spend months tracing how a clearing became a network. Environmental journalism in Latin America has grown around precisely these kinds of fragments. The region contains some of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes and some of its most persistent environmental activities. Illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, and forest clearing often intersect with organized crime and political interests. Yet sustained reporting on these issues has historically been limited. Many large news organizations treat the environment as an occasional beat rather than a structural concern. Investigative work requires time, technical expertise, and sometimes the willingness to operate in difficult or dangerous conditions. In recent years the practice has begun to change. Satellite imagery, open databases, and new mapping tools allow reporters to track environmental change with greater precision than was possible even a decade ago. A clearing detected in a remote basin can be compared against historical imagery, connected to land concessions, and matched with field reporting. What once depended largely on eyewitness accounts now involves a blend of remote sensing, traditional reporting, and collaboration across borders. Those collaborations have become&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/tracking-environmental-crime-in-the-amazon-a-conversation-with-alexa-velez/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Hidden cameras reveal macaws&#8217; secret lives</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/hidden-cameras-reveal-macaws-secret-lives/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/hidden-cameras-reveal-macaws-secret-lives/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Apr 2026 10:17:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/05102652/2_Proyecto-Guacamayo-de-Tambopata-Guacamayo-Rojo-y-verde2.mp4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=316985</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Conservation, Birds, Camera Trapping, cameras, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[High up in the Amazon canopy, camera traps have recorded the entire breeding cycle of red-and-green macaws in Peru’s Madre de Dios region. Researchers watched these birds team up to defend their nest, raise a chick, and face rivals — all from a single artificial nest box. As natural nesting spaces are lost to logging, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[High up in the Amazon canopy, camera traps have recorded the entire breeding cycle of red-and-green macaws in Peru’s Madre de Dios region. Researchers watched these birds team up to defend their nest, raise a chick, and face rivals — all from a single artificial nest box. As natural nesting spaces are lost to logging, this success shows that artificial nests can help protect wildlife, though not all species benefit equally.This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/hidden-cameras-reveal-macaws-secret-lives/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Peru-Brazil Bioceanic Railway brings too much risk to the Amazon, experts warn</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/peru-brazil-bioceanic-railway-brings-too-much-risk-to-the-amazon-experts-warn/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/peru-brazil-bioceanic-railway-brings-too-much-risk-to-the-amazon-experts-warn/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Mar 2026 17:16:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Yvete Sierra Praeli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Xavier Bartaburu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/30151522/foto2-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316557</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Brazil and Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Conservation, Amazon Destruction, Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Peoples, Infrastructure, and Saving The Amazon]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The idea of a railway line stretching across the width of South America — from Peru on the Pacific coast to Brazil on the Atlantic — has gained steam since the inauguration of the megaport of Chancay in Peru. To complete its route, this “Bioceanic Railway,” as it’s known, would have to cross the Andes [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The idea of a railway line stretching across the width of South America — from Peru on the Pacific coast to Brazil on the Atlantic — has gained steam since the inauguration of the megaport of Chancay in Peru. To complete its route, this “Bioceanic Railway,” as it’s known, would have to cross the Andes mountain range in Peru and also the Amazon Rainforest in both countries. In July 2025, Brazil and China signed a cooperation deal to conduct feasibility studies on the railway corridor. In August 2025, Peru’s Transport and Communications Ministry presented the railway plan before the country’s Congress. Image by the Peruvian government. While the Peruvian government wasn’t present at that signing, in May that year the country’s then-economy minister, Raúl Pérez Reyes, and transport minister, César Sandoval Pozo, met with senior Chinese officials, including Fei Dongbin, president of China’s National Railway Administration, and Song Yang, the Chinese ambassador to Peru, to discuss the development of railway infrastructure in Peru. Several months later, in January 2026, the Chancay-Sierra Central section of the railway line was announced. The project was reportedly awarded to a Chinese company. The route that would continue after this section into Brazil has not yet been confirmed, but there are two proposals for crossing the Andes and the Peruvian Amazon to reach Brazilian territory. The mega construction project has prompted widespread concern due to the potential socioenvironmental impacts, especially for the section that crosses the Amazon. Compounding worries are the economic and geopolitical jousting&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/peru-brazil-bioceanic-railway-brings-too-much-risk-to-the-amazon-experts-warn/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/peru-brazil-bioceanic-railway-brings-too-much-risk-to-the-amazon-experts-warn/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>In Peru, Indigenous women work to save an ancestral potato from disappearance</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-peru-indigenous-women-work-to-save-an-ancestral-potato-from-disappearance/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-peru-indigenous-women-work-to-save-an-ancestral-potato-from-disappearance/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Mar 2026 07:02:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Astrid Arellano]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Xavier Bartaburu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/30150135/Copia-de-IMG_2365-1-1200x800-1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316544</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Agroecology]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agroecology, Amazon Biodiversity, Amazon Conservation, Amazon People, Amazon Rainforest, Bioeconomy, Community Forests, Food, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Culture, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Kashiri, the Moon, saw the young woman through a window. The celestial body descended from the sky and found her eating soil molded into the shape of a tubercle. “What you are eating is mud, not yuca,” the root of the cassava plant. “I will let you taste the true yuca,” it said. In love [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Kashiri, the Moon, saw the young woman through a window. The celestial body descended from the sky and found her eating soil molded into the shape of a tubercle. “What you are eating is mud, not yuca,” the root of the cassava plant. “I will let you taste the true yuca,” it said. In love with her, Kashiri handed a sacred seed and taught her how to plant it. This is the story that has survived through the tales of grandmothers and grandfathers of the Machiguenga people. Gabriela Loaiza Seri recalls the ancestral anecdote. The account speaks about the origin of crops in her village of San José de Koribeni, in Cusco, in southeastern Peru — the largest Indigenous Machiguenga community in the South American country. “The young woman learned how to plant yuca, magona potatoes, shonaki [an Indigenous name for a type of sweet corn root] and all the tubers we have always consumed,” she says. Since then, women have been responsible for these crops. This time-honored knowledge, however, is now facing increasing threats. The expansion of monocultures and intensive agriculture in Peru has put many of these native species at risk of disappearing, according to Loaiza Seri. To make matters worse, the introduction of new varieties and foreign crops has reduced the diversity of yucas that once secured food to Indigenous communities year-round. The arrival of external projects has also distanced the community from their chacras ( small, traditional farming plots). A member of the association Mujeres Emprendedoras&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-peru-indigenous-women-work-to-save-an-ancestral-potato-from-disappearance/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/in-peru-indigenous-women-work-to-save-an-ancestral-potato-from-disappearance/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>As traditional forest governance erodes in Peru, ‘ghost permits’ fill the vacuum</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/as-traditional-forest-governance-erodes-in-peru-ghost-permits-fill-the-vacuum/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/as-traditional-forest-governance-erodes-in-peru-ghost-permits-fill-the-vacuum/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Mar 2026 20:23:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Michele Calamaio]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/30182350/19_Peru_Ghost_01-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316593</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples and Conservation, Land rights and extractives, and Latin America]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Conservation, Amazon Logging, Amazon People, Amazon Rainforest, Corruption, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Crime, Forests, Governance, Illegal Logging, Illegal Timber Trade, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Logging, Natural Resources, Rainforest Conservation, Rainforest Deforestation, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforest Logging, Rainforest People, Rainforests, Threats To The Amazon, Timber, Traditional People, Tropical Deforestation, and wood]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[HONORIA, Peru — Jacqueline Flores sits cross-legged on a wooden platform inside a dim Asháninka maloca, the Indigenous longhouse where her dress, painted with geometric patterns, seems to merge with the resin-sweet smell of plants macerating for ceremony. Outside, the Boiling River murmurs. Inside, her voice rises in a long, trembling ícaro, part prayer, part [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[HONORIA, Peru — Jacqueline Flores sits cross-legged on a wooden platform inside a dim Asháninka maloca, the Indigenous longhouse where her dress, painted with geometric patterns, seems to merge with the resin-sweet smell of plants macerating for ceremony. Outside, the Boiling River murmurs. Inside, her voice rises in a long, trembling ícaro, part prayer, part medicine, part declaration of her identity. This South American ancestral colloquialism for ‘magic song’ serves her a specific purpose, she says: to anchor herself to something older than memory. “I’m a student of the plants,” she says, “to help humanity and people who need to ‘heal’.” In the ‘80s, Jacqueline’s ancestors were forced to leave their Asháninka territory in Peru’s central rainforest to escape the violence of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) terrorist group. “A lot was lost,” she says. She sees it in the fragmentation of neighboring communities, internal divisions and the disappearance of shared points of reference. Her work — improving her own healing center, Pumayaku, recovering her language and reconnecting with her territory after displacement — is her answer to that loss. In the Peruvian Amazon, erosion of traditional governance is reshaping the forest as powerfully as any force of globalization, according to anthropologist Glenn Shepard. Ancestral culture fades, languages are forgotten, rituals weaken and community guidance fractures, while internal corruption can concurrently become the driving force behind deforestation and the quiet dismantling of Indigenous stewardship. As elder-based authority, ritual discipline and long-term leadership degrade, collective decision-making gives way to document-based control,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/as-traditional-forest-governance-erodes-in-peru-ghost-permits-fill-the-vacuum/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/as-traditional-forest-governance-erodes-in-peru-ghost-permits-fill-the-vacuum/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>Human rights commission calls on Peru to protect isolated Kakataibo people</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/human-rights-commission-calls-on-peru-to-protect-isolated-kakataibo-people/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/human-rights-commission-calls-on-peru-to-protect-isolated-kakataibo-people/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Mar 2026 16:57:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimee Gabay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/10165628/AP19004110783798-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=315524</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon People, Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, and Indigenous Rights]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has requested that the Peruvian government take action to protect the isolated Kakataibo Indigenous people in the Amazonian departments of Ucayali, Huánuco and Loreto. The group lives in voluntary isolation in the Kakataibo North and South Indigenous Reserve, where it’s under threat from illegal loggers and other invaders who [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has requested that the Peruvian government take action to protect the isolated Kakataibo Indigenous people in the Amazonian departments of Ucayali, Huánuco and Loreto. The group lives in voluntary isolation in the Kakataibo North and South Indigenous Reserve, where it’s under threat from illegal loggers and other invaders who deforest, establish illegal settlements, construct clandestine airstrips for transporting drugs, and carry out other illegal activities, according to an IACHR press release. Such unwanted encroachment from outsiders has profound impacts on the area’s isolated people, said Julio Cusurichi, an Indigenous Shipibo-Conibo leader and member of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP). Uncontacted communities are more vulnerable to disease and violent conflict. Cusurichi told Mongabay that there have been reports of violent clashes between isolated people and illegal loggers, which have resulted in deaths. “These communities are highly vulnerable,” he said. “Any contact could lead to the death of all these people. That&#8217;s why there&#8217;s concern that action be taken, that the government take action, and it isn&#8217;t doing so.” According to the IACHR decision, the Peruvian state has failed to adopt effective and sufficient measures to mitigate the dangers that the isolated Kakataibo people face, thereby affecting their right to life, personal integrity and health. The commission requested that the state implement safeguarding actions that adhere to the principle of no contact, to prevent invaders from entering the territory, and to evaluate, monitor and guarantee water quality in the impacted&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/03/human-rights-commission-calls-on-peru-to-protect-isolated-kakataibo-people/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>China’s Pacific squid fishery rife with labor, fishing abuses: Report</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/chinas-pacific-squid-fishery-rife-with-labor-fishing-abuses-report/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/chinas-pacific-squid-fishery-rife-with-labor-fishing-abuses-report/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Mar 2026 15:47:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Francesco De Augustinis]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/03141824/39-with-seabird-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315118</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Chile, China, East Asia, Ecuador, Global, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Cruelty, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Crime, Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing, Forced labor, Illegal Fishing, Law, Marine, Marine Animals, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Saltwater Fish, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildlife Crime]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Labor abuses including violence, debt bondage and withheld wages and medical care, overfishing, shark finning, marine mammal killings: A new report exposes bad practices and a weak regulatory framework governing the jumbo flying squid fishery in the Southeast Pacific Ocean. The report was launched on Feb. 19, just days before the annual meeting of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Labor abuses including violence, debt bondage and withheld wages and medical care, overfishing, shark finning, marine mammal killings: A new report exposes bad practices and a weak regulatory framework governing the jumbo flying squid fishery in the Southeast Pacific Ocean. The report was launched on Feb. 19, just days before the annual meeting of the commission of the South Pacific Regional Fishery Management Organisation (SPRFMO), the intergovernmental body that manages the fishery. The report drew on interviews with 81 fishers, mainly Indonesian sailors who worked between 2021 and 2025 on 60 Chinese vessels targeting jumbo flying squid (Dosidicus gigas) in the region. “Our interviews revealed that these vessels are engaged in widespread fisheries abuses and labor abuses,” Dominic Thomson, head of the investigation for U.K.-based NGO the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), told Mongabay. Jumbo flying squid, also known as Humboldt squid, are large-bodied animals averaging 50 to 80 centimeters (20 to 31 inches) in length. They concentrate in the South Pacific Ocean, off the coast of South America, where they play a key mid-trophic role in the marine ecosystem, serving both as a predator of smaller species and as prey for sharks, swordfish, sperm whales, dolphins and other marine life. The species is among the most commercially important squid species, accounting for about 30% of global squid landings. The fishery involves South American countries fishing mainly within their exclusive economic zones (EEZs): Ecuador, Chile and Peru. The latter has for decades been the world&#8217;s leading producer. In the last decade,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/chinas-pacific-squid-fishery-rife-with-labor-fishing-abuses-report/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>How cockfighting imperils Peru’s critically endangered sawfish</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/how-cockfighting-imperils-perus-critically-endangered-sawfish/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/how-cockfighting-imperils-perus-critically-endangered-sawfish/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2026 12:27:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/27122527/A-judge-watches-a-cockfight-in-Peru.-Image-by-Peter-Baldes-via-Flickr-CC-BY-NC-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314903</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Entertainment, Environment, Environmental Law, Fish, Fishing, Illegal Fishing, Illegal Trade, Marine Conservation, Oceans, Overfishing, Video, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[MANCORA, Peru — The largetooth sawfish is a critically endangered fish distinguished by its long, blade-like snout edged with tooth-like projections. In the waters off Peru, it’s become an unlikely casualty of one of the country’s most entrenched traditions: cockfighting. The elongated “teeth” that give sawfish (Pristis pristis) their name aren’t actual teeth, but hardened, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[MANCORA, Peru — The largetooth sawfish is a critically endangered fish distinguished by its long, blade-like snout edged with tooth-like projections. In the waters off Peru, it’s become an unlikely casualty of one of the country’s most entrenched traditions: cockfighting. The elongated “teeth” that give sawfish (Pristis pristis) their name aren’t actual teeth, but hardened, modified scales embedded along the rostrum. For decades, some cockfighters have carved these structures into sharp spurs that they attach to a rooster’s legs before a fight. (Left) A crowd gathered on the beach in the town of Caleta La Cruz in Tumbes province, northern Peru, in 2014, after fishers landed a largetooth sawfish they captured accidentally. (Right) A sawfish rostral “tooth.” Images courtesy of (left) Emilio Borjas Garcia/Planeta Oceano and (right) Patricia Charvet. A new film by Mongabay, Why cockfighting is threatening Peru’s last sawfish, examines how — even as sawfish have nearly disappeared from Peruvian waters — their rostral teeth continue to circulate through informal markets, repurposed into weapons for the ring. Cockfighting in Peru is legal and is formally recognized as cultural heritage. An estimated 1,700 arenas operate nationwide, with between 300,000 and 500,000 breeders involved. Blade fights and spur fights are common. Historically, prized spurs were crafted from natural materials, including hawksbill turtle shells and sawfish rostral teeth. By the 1970s, sawfish spurs were especially sought after for their durability and capacity to inflict severe injury. They commanded premium prices among competitors. Spurs for cockfighting fashioned from sawfish teeth. Images courtesy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/how-cockfighting-imperils-perus-critically-endangered-sawfish/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/how-cockfighting-imperils-perus-critically-endangered-sawfish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Cockfights might knockout Peru’s rarest fish?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/cockfights-might-knockout-perus-rarest-fish/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/cockfights-might-knockout-perus-rarest-fish/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 13:35:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/26133239/two-black-brown-colored-roosters-having-a-cockfigh-2026-01-05-05-10-32-utc-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=314874</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Culture, Wildilfe, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Peru, cockfighting is legal — and one of its traditional weapons, a spur, may be pushing an ancient species closer to extinction. For decades, rostral teeth from the critically endangered sawfish have been carved into razor-sharp spurs used in rooster fights. Though selling sawfish parts is illegal, these spurs still circulate in informal online [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Peru, cockfighting is legal — and one of its traditional weapons, a spur, may be pushing an ancient species closer to extinction. For decades, rostral teeth from the critically endangered sawfish have been carved into razor-sharp spurs used in rooster fights. Though selling sawfish parts is illegal, these spurs still circulate in informal online markets, sometimes fetching up to $250 each. For small-scale fishers facing declining catches, a single sawfish can mean months of income. But researchers, conservationists and even leaders within the cockfighting community are now working to remove sawfish from the sport before it’s too late. Can tradition evolve fast enough to save one of the rarest fish on Earth?This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/cockfights-might-knockout-perus-rarest-fish/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Why is cockfighting a risk to Peru&#8217;s rarest fish?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/02/why-is-cockfighting-a-risk-to-perus-rarest-fish/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/02/why-is-cockfighting-a-risk-to-perus-rarest-fish/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Feb 2026 15:16:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/25151442/Mongabay_Thumbnail_Sawfish_Featured-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=videos&#038;p=314787</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Wild Targets and Wild Targets]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Crime, Culture, Wildilfe, Wildlife Crime, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[PERU — The film uncovers the connection between one of Peru’s most iconic cultural traditions and one of its most endangered marine species. In northern fishing communities, the rostral teeth of the largetooth sawfish, once thought extinct in the waters off Peru, have long been carved into razor-sharp spurs for cockfights. Today, even as the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[PERU — The film uncovers the connection between one of Peru’s most iconic cultural traditions and one of its most endangered marine species. In northern fishing communities, the rostral teeth of the largetooth sawfish, once thought extinct in the waters off Peru, have long been carved into razor-sharp spurs for cockfights. Today, even as the practice becomes illegal and increasingly discouraged within the sport, the teeth still circulate through informal markets, fueled by economic desperation and cultural pride. Through the perspectives of a fisherman who accidentally captured a massive sawfish at sea, a young scientist who fought to save one on a chaotic dock, a biologist documenting the species’ decline, and a cockfighting leader pushing to eliminate animal-based spurs, the film reveals a complex conservation story. Mongabay’s Video Team wants to cover questions and topics that matter to you. Are there any inspiring people, urgent issues, or local stories that you’d like us to cover? We want to hear from you. Be a part of our reporting process—get in touch with us here! Banner image: Collage featuring cockfighting and a largetooth sawfish. The man who risked everything to steal bird eggsThis article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/02/why-is-cockfighting-a-risk-to-perus-rarest-fish/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Big cats get the press, but small wildcats are being poached and trafficked in silence</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/big-cats-get-the-press-but-small-wildcats-are-being-poached-and-trafficked-in-silence/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/big-cats-get-the-press-but-small-wildcats-are-being-poached-and-trafficked-in-silence/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Feb 2026 15:13:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sean Mowbray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/25042015/Image-7-2-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314723</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, Bangladesh, Benin, Colombia, Latin America, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, South America, South Asia, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cats, Conservation, Environment, Illegal Trade, Jaguars, Pet Trade, Poachers, Poaching, Small Cats, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Jaguars are increasingly targeted across Latin America for their roseate-patterned pelts and canine teeth, following decades of relatively little poaching. When researchers in Colombia investigated the jaguar trade within the country, they made a troubling discovery: Colombia&#8217;s small wildcats are also in the crosshairs. Official records revealed that between 2015 and 2021, more than 700 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Jaguars are increasingly targeted across Latin America for their roseate-patterned pelts and canine teeth, following decades of relatively little poaching. When researchers in Colombia investigated the jaguar trade within the country, they made a troubling discovery: Colombia&#8217;s small wildcats are also in the crosshairs. Official records revealed that between 2015 and 2021, more than 700 small wildcats were seized or surrendered to authorities. The vast majority of these cats were found alive, including more than 400 ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) as well as oncillas (Leopardus pardinoides), also known as the clouded tiger cat, jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) and margays (Leopardus wiedii). Between 2015 and 2021, more than 400 ocelots were seized by or surrendered to Colombian authorities. Image by Robin Gwen Agarwal via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0). Skins, teeth and other parts were also confiscated. The research, which was published in the journal Biological Conservation, suggests an established demand for small wildcats as exotic pets in Colombia. “Until now, the trade in small cats in Latin America had always seemed [to be at] a very low scale — opportunistic activity,” says Melissa Arias, a wildlife trade specialist at the Zoological Society of London and a co-author of the study. “But what we saw with the numbers is that it is actually quite significant.” Their findings are both unsurprising and worrisome, as the true scale of trade is likely to be higher, says Pauline Verheij, a wildlife crime specialist with the NGO EcoJust, who wasn’t involved in the research. “It&#8217;s a given that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/big-cats-get-the-press-but-small-wildcats-are-being-poached-and-trafficked-in-silence/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Bringing Mongabay&#8217;s Amazon narco airstrip exposé to the stage</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/bringing-mongabays-amazon-narco-airstrip-expose-to-the-stage/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/bringing-mongabays-amazon-narco-airstrip-expose-to-the-stage/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Feb 2026 23:45:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike DiGirolamo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mikedigirolamo]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/12/19192307/FotoPrincipal6-1200x800-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=podcasts&#038;p=314416</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence, Environment, Environmental Activism, Environmental Crime, Environmental Journalism, Featured, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Groups, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Interviews, Interviews With Environmental Journalists, Murdered Activists, Podcast, satellite data, Satellite Imagery, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay Latam’s award-winning investigation that uncovered 67 secret airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon sent shockwaves across Peru&#8217;s media landscape. It drew public attention to Indigenous communities impacted by these illegal airstrips and the 15 Indigenous leaders who were killed defending their territory against drug traffickers. To communicate this story to a wider audience, Mongabay Latam [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay Latam’s award-winning investigation that uncovered 67 secret airstrips in the Peruvian Amazon sent shockwaves across Peru&#8217;s media landscape. It drew public attention to Indigenous communities impacted by these illegal airstrips and the 15 Indigenous leaders who were killed defending their territory against drug traffickers. To communicate this story to a wider audience, Mongabay Latam director Maria Isabel Torres and managing editor Alexa Vélez adapted it into an interactive, live theater performance for an audience of 100. They join this week’s podcast to tell the “story behind the story” of what they, their reporters, and Indigenous leaders experienced during this investigation, and how their play adaptation brings that to the eyes and ears of a theatrical audience. “I think that all the journalists in these times, we are very worried [about] trying to find ways to understand our audience and to get their attention. We know that there are news avoiders. We know that there are fake news. So we are trying to look for different ways,” Torres says. The idea behind the concept of a live theatrical performance is to put the audience in the shoes of the reporters and Indigenous leaders on the ground who faced intimidation and threats, they tell me. And to communicate how reporters ultimately uncovered the truth. “Instead of saying that 15 Indigenous leaders were killed, we gave the audience banners with the photos of each of the Indigenous leader, asking them to stand up … at the beginning of the play and read&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/podcast/2026/02/bringing-mongabays-amazon-narco-airstrip-expose-to-the-stage/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>How seabird poop helped fuel ancient civilizations in Peru</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/how-seabird-poop-helped-fuel-ancient-civilizations-in-peru/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/how-seabird-poop-helped-fuel-ancient-civilizations-in-peru/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Feb 2026 18:33:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David Brown]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/19183733/The_Guano_and_Peruvian_Booby_Birds_6990616208-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=314506</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America and Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Archeology, Birds, Indigenous Culture, Indigenous Peoples, Marine Birds, and Seabirds]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru are home to many seabird species that cover their island homes with thick layers of poop, or guano. New research now suggests that ancient Peruvians in the Chincha Valley on the Peruvian mainland hunted these seabirds, collected their guano, and used it to fertilize their maize crops, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru are home to many seabird species that cover their island homes with thick layers of poop, or guano. New research now suggests that ancient Peruvians in the Chincha Valley on the Peruvian mainland hunted these seabirds, collected their guano, and used it to fertilize their maize crops, which helped expand pre-Inca societies. The researchers analyzed ancient cobs of maize (Zea mays), some of them more than 2,200 years old, collected from archaeological sites in Peru. They found nitrogen levels in the maize that were much higher than natural soil conditions would allow. However, those nitrogen levels matched the levels found in 11 seabird species collected from the area, including the Peruvian booby (Sula variegata), Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) and guanay cormorant (Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum). The match suggested that guano from seabirds that was used to fertilize the maize, which allowed the Chincha Kingdom to grow into a major civilization of 100,000 people. The Inca Empire farther inland took notice of the Chincha Kingdom’s crop success. “The height of guano use was likely around AD 1250, which also represents the height of the Chincha Kingdom,” Jacob Bongers, lead author of the study with the University of Sydney in Australia, told Mongabay in an email. Bongers, a digital archaeologist, said it’s difficult to confirm details, but the Inca later controlled the Chincha Valley and “Chincha became the guano supplier for the Inca during this time.” Jordan Dalton, an archaeologist at the State University of New&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/how-seabird-poop-helped-fuel-ancient-civilizations-in-peru/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Peru mining pollution linked to children’s cognitive impairment: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/peru-mining-pollution-linked-to-childrens-cognitive-impairment-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/peru-mining-pollution-linked-to-childrens-cognitive-impairment-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Feb 2026 22:31:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimee Gabay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/18223000/CH_20230816_0210-Edit.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=314444</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Health, mine, Mining, Planetary Health, Pollution, and Public Health]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A recent study in Forensic Science International suggests a link between exposure to heavy metals from mining operations and reduced cognitive performance in children in Peru. Researchers say the findings highlight the long-term impact of mining pollution on children’s neurocognitive development and demonstrate that exposure is not a one-time event. The research focused on children [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A recent study in Forensic Science International suggests a link between exposure to heavy metals from mining operations and reduced cognitive performance in children in Peru. Researchers say the findings highlight the long-term impact of mining pollution on children’s neurocognitive development and demonstrate that exposure is not a one-time event. The research focused on children living near a heavily contaminated mining district in Cerro de Pasco, in Peru’s Andes Mountains. Extensive mining for lead, zinc and silver has been ongoing there for almost 400 years, since Spanish colonial rule. Industrial mining has intensified over recent decades, exposing residents to contamination from modern mining and a host of serious health consequences, including cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The study looked at metal concentrations in 81 exposed children and 17 unexposed children and compared their neurocognitive abilities and IQs. Exposed children had lead concentrations in their hair of 4.30 mg/kg, 43 times the recommended safe limit of 0.10 mg/kg set by the Micro Trace Laboratory in Germany. They also had elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium and manganese — all toxic heavy metals. The researchers found cognitive performance was lower in the children who had been exposed to mining pollutants compared with those who hadn’t; the mean IQ was 12.3 points lower. Other variables, including verbal comprehension, perceptive analysis and memory, were also impaired in the children with a high body burden from mining. “Simply put, pollution from mining increases children&#8217;s exposure to metals that are toxic to the developing brain,” Lucía Ordóñez&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/peru-mining-pollution-linked-to-childrens-cognitive-impairment-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>That “butterfly” you saw? It was probably a moth</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/that-butterfly-you-saw-it-was-probably-a-moth/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/that-butterfly-you-saw-it-was-probably-a-moth/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Feb 2026 15:26:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/17152240/Urania_leilus_Uraniidae-Credit-Filo-gen-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=314372</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Biodiversity, Amazon Rainforest, Moths, Rainforests, and Wildilfe]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Most people think moths are dull, nocturnal, and nothing like butterflies. That couldn’t be more wrong. In the Amazon rainforest, moths come in every color, shape, and size — and many are active during the day. In fact, while there are only about 18,000 species of butterflies worldwide, there are over 160,000 species of moths. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Most people think moths are dull, nocturnal, and nothing like butterflies. That couldn’t be more wrong. In the Amazon rainforest, moths come in every color, shape, and size — and many are active during the day. In fact, while there are only about 18,000 species of butterflies worldwide, there are over 160,000 species of moths. From fuzzy antennae to nighttime science traps, this is a closer look at one of the most overlooked — and misunderstood — creatures in the rainforest. I’m Romi Castagnino and this is Stranger Creatures — decoding the Amazon’s strangest survivors, one episode at a time. Episodes each week!This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/that-butterfly-you-saw-it-was-probably-a-moth/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The bug that makes bubbles with its butt: Froghopper</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/the-bug-that-makes-bubbles-with-its-butt-froghopper/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/the-bug-that-makes-bubbles-with-its-butt-froghopper/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2026 09:29:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sam Lee]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/13092440/Froghopper-3_Daniel-Echecopare-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=314233</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Biodiversity, Amazon Rainforest, Rainforest Biodiversity, Rainforests, and Wildilfe]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Meet the froghopper: a tiny insect that builds a bubble fortress out of sap, pee and air to protect itself from predators. Fully grown, it’s one of the best jumpers on Earth, leaping to heights nearly 100 times its body length. This is Episode 6 of Stranger Creatures, a series where biologist Romi Castagnino ventures [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Meet the froghopper: a tiny insect that builds a bubble fortress out of sap, pee and air to protect itself from predators. Fully grown, it’s one of the best jumpers on Earth, leaping to heights nearly 100 times its body length. This is Episode 6 of Stranger Creatures, a series where biologist Romi Castagnino ventures into the Amazon Rainforest to uncover nature’s strangest survivors. From frogs with see-through skin to mind-controlling fungi, she explores the bizarre adaptations and mind-bending survival tricks that make the Amazon’s wildlife — weird or familiar — truly extraordinary. Episodes each week!This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/02/the-bug-that-makes-bubbles-with-its-butt-froghopper/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>In Peru’s Andes, Quechua women turn human-wildcat conflict into coexistence</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-perus-andes-quechua-women-turn-human-wildcat-conflict-into-coexistence/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-perus-andes-quechua-women-turn-human-wildcat-conflict-into-coexistence/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Feb 2026 17:52:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/11174649/DSC_9958-scaled-e1771283060836-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314139</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Gender, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Human-wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Mammals, Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[AYACUCHO, Peru — High in the Peruvian Andes, a group of Indigenous Quechua women is transforming long-standing conflict with wildcats into a model of coexistence, conservation and cultural revival. A new film, Women Secure a Future with Pumas in the Andes, examines how the fear of predators like the puma (Puma concolor), pampas cat (Leopardus [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[AYACUCHO, Peru — High in the Peruvian Andes, a group of Indigenous Quechua women is transforming long-standing conflict with wildcats into a model of coexistence, conservation and cultural revival. A puma (Puma concolor) captured by a camera trap in the mountains of Ayacucho, Peru. Image courtesy of Mujeres Quechua por la Conservación. A new film, Women Secure a Future with Pumas in the Andes, examines how the fear of predators like the puma (Puma concolor), pampas cat (Leopardus garleppi) and Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) once shaped daily life in the high-altitude community of Ccarhuacc Licapa. For generations, community members hunted these wildcats in retaliation for livestock losses, particularly alpacas, the community’s primary source of income. Antonio Torres, a former vicuña guard, holds the skin of a puma killed in retaliation for livestock losses. He is now a member of the local conservation group. Image courtesy of Cristina Hara. An alpaca herd grazes near the highland community of Licapa, where livestock is central to local livelihoods. Image courtesy of Cristina Hara. The documentary follows shepherd Ida Auris Arango, whose life was marked by a traumatic encounter with a puma, and biologist Merinia Mendoza Almeida, founder of the local women-led conservation association Mujeres Quechua por la Conservación. Together with dozens of Quechua women, they began using camera traps to document the area’s wildlife, helping families — especially mothers and children — see the wildcats not as enemies, but as part of a shared ecosystem. Shepherd Ida Auris Arango, a member of Mujeres&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-perus-andes-quechua-women-turn-human-wildcat-conflict-into-coexistence/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Peru to invest $7.6 billion to continue critical minerals extraction</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/peru-to-invest-7-6-billion-to-continue-critical-minerals-extraction/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/peru-to-invest-7-6-billion-to-continue-critical-minerals-extraction/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jan 2026 22:50:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maxwell Radwin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[critical minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Grabbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Land Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pollution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/28144258/1047925-whatsapp-image-2024-10-28-at-9-30-18-am-1-768x501.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313414</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Critical Minerals, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Indigenous Peoples, Mining, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Peru plans to reinforce its mining sector this year with billions of dollars in investment across several ongoing projects, some of them with a history of environmental damage. The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced it will invest $7.6 billion to expand and improve mining operations that extract zinc, lead, tin, silver, copper and gold. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Peru plans to reinforce its mining sector this year with billions of dollars in investment across several ongoing projects, some of them with a history of environmental damage. The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced it will invest $7.6 billion to expand and improve mining operations that extract zinc, lead, tin, silver, copper and gold. While many of these minerals are critical for the clean energy transition, their extraction has also contributed to pollution and land use change. “Peru currently has exceptional conditions to continue leading the production of strategic minerals, attract new investments and consolidate its position as an indispensable player in the global energy transition,” a statement from the ministry said. Many of the minerals found in Peru are vital for developing batteries, turbines, solar panels and other technology that will lower global carbon emission rates. In recent years, the country has been working to better leverage those resources by establishing new international agreements on energy issues and strengthening the mining sector. The $7.6 billion will mostly go to upgrading infrastructure and operation safety and efficiency at eight mine sites, in some cases extending their lifespans by several years. These include Pampa de Pongo, Cerro Verde and Zafranal mines in the Arequipa region, the Corani mine in the Puno region and the Huarón mine in the Pasco region. Others will expand land use and mineral processing to help increase output. While that contributes to the clean energy market, it also comes with environmental risks. The Huancapetí mine in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/peru-to-invest-7-6-billion-to-continue-critical-minerals-extraction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>New data highlight Peru’s growing oil and gas footprint in the Amazon</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/01/new-data-highlight-perus-growing-oil-and-gas-footprint-in-the-amazon/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/01/new-data-highlight-perus-growing-oil-and-gas-footprint-in-the-amazon/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jan 2026 18:31:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimee Gabay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Bobbybascomb]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/30182318/Screenshot-2026-01-30-at-12.22.14-PM-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=313543</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Peru]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[extractives, Gas, Indigenous Communities, Oil, Oil Drilling, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Peru has the most oil and gas projects heading into production in the Amazon, according to a new data set published by the Stockholm Environment Institute. At 85 blocks in pre-production in the rainforest, that’s more than the 68 in Colombia and 53 in Brazil. Peru has 173 oil and gas lease blocks in total, [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[Peru has the most oil and gas projects heading into production in the Amazon, according to a new data set published by the Stockholm Environment Institute. At 85 blocks in pre-production in the rainforest, that’s more than the 68 in Colombia and 53 in Brazil. Peru has 173 oil and gas lease blocks in total, 59% of them located in its Amazonian region, covering 48 million hectares (119 million acres) of forest, or more than a third of the country’s total area. In the Brazilian Amazon, lease blocks cover 28 million hectares (69 million acres), and in Colombia 18 million hectares (44 million acres). A Mongabay estimate found that, based on the data set, 17% of the leases in Peru, or 5.85 million hectares (14.47 million acres), overlap with protected areas and 25.6%, or 12.36 million hectares (30.54 million acres), overlap with Indigenous territories. Image by Andrés Alegría/Mongabay. The impacted ares include San Matias-San Carlos Protection Forest and parts of Sierra del Divisor National Park. Numerous Indigenous communities are affected by the leases, including the Kukama-Kukamiria, Achuar, Kichwa, Quechua and Urarina communities. Mauricio Pinzás Luna, a geographer at the Peruvian NGO CooperAcción, told Mongabay that fossil fuel extraction in the Peruvian Amazon comes with high risks and such exploitation should not be allowed. He told Mongabay over WhatsApp voice messages that communities that live near these blocks suffer from water contamination, oil spills, deforestation, and new roads that attract illegal miners and other criminals. Such activities destroy livelihoods and culture,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/01/new-data-highlight-perus-growing-oil-and-gas-footprint-in-the-amazon/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Drone-mounted eDNA hints at richness of life in the rainforest canopy</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/drone-mounted-edna-hints-at-richness-of-life-in-the-rainforest-canopy/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/drone-mounted-edna-hints-at-richness-of-life-in-the-rainforest-canopy/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jan 2026 10:28:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhishyant Kidangoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Abhishyantkidangoor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/29101518/amazon_201482-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313495</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Amazon Biodiversity, Amazon Conservation, Amazon Rainforest, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Drones, Conservation Technology, DNA, Drones, eDNA, Environment, Habitat, Rainforest Biodiversity, Rainforest Conservation, Rainforests, Technology, Technology And Conservation, Trees, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[What’s lurking in and around the rainforest canopy? That’s a hard question to answer, especially in tall and dense forests. Traditional tracking methods, like camera traps, often miss out on elusive species that live high in the canopies. Acoustic monitoring might help detect some species, but not the relatively quiet ones. Scientists are now using [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[What’s lurking in and around the rainforest canopy? That’s a hard question to answer, especially in tall and dense forests. Traditional tracking methods, like camera traps, often miss out on elusive species that live high in the canopies. Acoustic monitoring might help detect some species, but not the relatively quiet ones. Scientists are now using a combination of drone technology and environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to unravel the mysteries unfolding in the treetops. A team at the Environmental Robotics Lab at ETH Zürich collaborated with nonprofit organization Wilderness International to deploy drones to collect eDNA samples from rainforest canopies in Peru. Environmental DNA is the genetic material left behind in the environment by animals via their hair, fur or saliva. These flow into water or float around in the air before settling on leaves, branches and canopies. For a long time, scientists have focused on extracting genetic material from water samples to detect the animals living in a forest or ecosystem. However, this often left out arboreal, or tree-dwelling, species. “We have researchers who cover the ground level when it comes to traditional biodiversity research,” Marie Schreiber, head of science communication at Wilderness International, told Mongabay in a video interview. “But what is going on in the treetops is very difficult to understand and assess.” A team of scientists collaborated to deploy a combination of drone technology and environmental DNA analysis to collect DNA samples from treetops in the Peruvian Amazon. Image courtesy of Matthis Weber. It was to fill&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/drone-mounted-edna-hints-at-richness-of-life-in-the-rainforest-canopy/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Women secure a future with pumas in the Andes</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/01/women-secure-a-future-with-pumas-in-the-andes/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/01/women-secure-a-future-with-pumas-in-the-andes/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jan 2026 17:04:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Lucia Torres]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/28170301/Mongabay_Thumbnail_Puma_Featured-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=videos&#038;p=313458</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andes, Latin America, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Camera Trapping, Endangered Species, Indigenous Peoples, Mountains, Wildlife, and Women in conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[AYACUCHO, Peru — High in the Peruvian Andes, fear of wildcats once meant survival. Pumas, pampas cats and the elusive Andean cat were seen only as threats to livestock — and were hunted without hesitation. But one woman’s journey has helped transform her community’s story. Through women-led conservation, camera traps and weaving traditions, Ida and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[AYACUCHO, Peru — High in the Peruvian Andes, fear of wildcats once meant survival. Pumas, pampas cats and the elusive Andean cat were seen only as threats to livestock — and were hunted without hesitation. But one woman’s journey has helped transform her community’s story. Through women-led conservation, camera traps and weaving traditions, Ida and her neighbors are finding new ways to coexist with the wild. This documentary follows her path from fear to respect, showing how cultural revival, science and empowerment intertwine to protect endangered species and reforest the mountains they call home. Mongabay’s Video Team wants to cover questions and topics that matter to you. Are there any inspiring people, urgent issues, or local stories that you’d like us to cover? We want to hear from you. Be a part of our reporting process—get in touch with us here! Banner image: Collage featuring a puma and Ida Isabel Auris Arango, shepherd and Quechua woman. The man who risked everything to steal bird eggsThis article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/video/2026/01/women-secure-a-future-with-pumas-in-the-andes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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