Indigenous Group Wins Lawsuit To Protect Amazonian Land From Oil Companies
John Vibes – This week, a Peruvian indigenous group won a lengthy court battle to save their land from oil exploration.
TAG: peru
Peru Vows to Plant One Million Trees Around Machu Picchu to Preserve Iconic Incan Citadel
Elias Marat – Earlier in May, Peru announced that it would restrict tourism to the site in hopes of preserving it.
Peru: Gold mine operating without license destroys primary forest in protected area
Morgan Erickson-Davis – A recent inspection found a large area of forest has been cleared by gold mining in Puerto Inca Province in Peru.
‘Huge Win for Wildlife’ – Peru Vows to End Deforestation Driven by Palm Oil
Elias Marat – Peru has vowed to put an end to palm oil-driven deforestation by 2021.
Peru Creates ‘Yellowstone of the Amazon’ for Uncontacted Tribes & Endangered Wildlife
Rhett A. Butler – Peru sets up 3.3M acre reserve home to un-contacted tribes, endangered wildlife.
Mining the Heart of the Mother of God: Peru’s Gold Rush Claims More Forest
Mrinalini Erkenswick Watsa – In the Peruvian Amazon, a global craving for gold has changed life for local communities.
6 Striking Aerial Images Show How Deforestation Has Altered the Earth
Stefanie Spear – There’s no debating that humans have greatly scarred the Earth. And, there’s no better way to see the extent of that damage than via aerial images…
Determining the Purpose of the Mysterious Nazca Lines
Video – The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in southern Peru. Scholars of all types have struggled with determining the purpose of the lines.
The Price of Gold: Winners and Losers in Latin America’s Mining Industry
Meghan Walsh, Mongabay Waking Times On a Friday afternoon in June, the Plaza de Armas in Cajamarca is pulsing with life. It’s winter here, and although thick white clouds hover low in the distance, the sun in this northern Peruvian city is warm. Couples sit on benches facing one another. Kids run in the grass …
Severe Oil Contamination Found in the Largest National Reserve in Peru
Stefan Kistler, Alianza Arkana Waking Times Last week Peruvian governmental authorities released test results that prove alarming levels of contamination in Peru’s largest national reserve, Pacaya Samiria. The park has been declared a “wetland of international importance” by international treaty and is part of Kukama Kukamilla indigenous territory. The contaminated waters are the source of drinking …
Gold Mining in the Amazon Rainforest Surges 400%
Rhett A. Butler, Mongabay Waking Times The extent of gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon has surged 400 percent since 1999 due to rocketing gold prices, wreaking havoc on forests and devastating local rivers, finds a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The assessment, led by Greg Asner of the Carnegie …
Video of Amazon Gold Mining Devastation Goes Viral in Peru
Rhett A. Butler, Mongabay Waking Times Video of illegal gold mining operations that have turned a portion of the Amazon rainforest into a moonscape went viral on Youtube after a popular radio and TV journalist in Peru highlighted the story. Last week Peruvian journalist and politician Güido Lombardi directed his audience to video shot from …
People, Law, Government – Three Elements at the Center of the Human Story
Jeffrey Scott, Guest Waking Times People. Law. Government. These three elements have been at the center of the human story since recorded history and the subject of dreamers and despots alike. How shall people live in a society? Who decides “rights” and whether they are granted or a natural birthright? Are governments created to serve …
Peru Finally Declares State of Emergency Over Oil Contamination of the Amazon
Jeremy Hance, Mongabay Waking Times The Peruvian government has declared an environmental state of emergency after finding elevated levels of lead, barium, and chromium in the Pastaza River in the Amazon jungle, reports the Associated Press. Indigenous peoples in the area have been complaining for decades of widespread contamination from oil drilling, but this is the …
Ayahuasca – A Cure Through Love
Ross Heaven, Guest Writer Waking Times Shamanic healing often employs plants to good effect, though it is rarely about herbalism, per se. Indeed, most shamans are explicit that the pharmacological properties of the plants they employ are of far less importance than the spirit which is held by the plant. It is the spirit which …
Peru’s Takiwasi Center Uses Medicinal Plants to Treat Addiction
The ritual is part of the nine-month therapy program at the Takiwasi Center, a cluster of rustic buildings on the edge of Tarapoto, Peru, a steamy town in the Amazon. Founded by Mabit in 1992, the center has treated nearly 1,000 drug addicts with a combination of psychotherapy and medicinal plants, including the ones mixed to make ayahuasca, a hallucinogen used by indigenous healers throughout the Amazon.