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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 21st 2025 - 11:28 UTC

Environment

  • Wednesday, March 26th 2025 - 05:38 UTC

    Falklands, Uruguayan scientists talk on advanced technology for wildlife conservation

    The official poster inviting to the talk this Wednesday at 17:00 in Falkland College

    Two advanced students from the School of Electronic Engineering from the main government university in Uruguay, Universidad de la Republica, are currently in the Falkland Islands and will be giving an insightful talk on AURORA, a solar powered wildlife monitoring device, this Wednesday March 26, at 17:00 hour in the Falkland College.

  • Tuesday, March 25th 2025 - 10:08 UTC

    Southern Chile hit by ravaging fires

    A red alert has been declared, and authorities are coordinating the fire extinguishing and relief efforts

    Forest fires in south-central Chile have caused widespread destruction over the past few days in multiple regions, such as La Araucanía, Biobío, Ñuble, and Los Ríos, with more than 15,000 hectares ravaged.

  • Tuesday, March 25th 2025 - 08:21 UTC

    Non-flying birds relocated from Argentina to Chile where they neared extinction

    Choiques are non-flying birds playing a key role in distributing seeds in their long-distance displacements

    Conservationist groups from Chile and Argentina have undertaken a project to transfer 15 Patagonian rheas (also known as choiques) from Argentina’s Patagonia Park in Santa Cruz to Chile’s Patagonia National Park in the Aysén Region, in an initiative led by Rewilding organizations of both countries and supported by the Tompkins Conservation Foundation.

  • Monday, March 24th 2025 - 08:58 UTC

    South Georgia’s ground-fish survey reveals key insights of marine life

    Jaimie Cleeland, BAS. Classifying some of the species

    The waters surrounding South Georgia, nestled beneath glaciated mountains, are among the most biologically rich in the Southern Ocean. In February, a team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and international institutions embarked on an important research expedition to explore the diverse marine life – including ground-fish – thriving 300 meters below the surface.

  • Monday, March 24th 2025 - 08:53 UTC

    Unexpected forms of life found under loose Antarctica iceberg

    Researchers were skeptical about any major discoveries so their findings came “by chance”

    Researchers found unimagined forms of life under the A-84 iceberg nearly 30 kilometers long and 510 square kilometers in area, which broke off from the George VI Ice Shelf in Antarctica earlier this year, exposing a previously hidden stretch of ocean unseen for decades, it was announced last week.

  • Thursday, March 20th 2025 - 20:03 UTC

    Amazon railroad project faces ballooning costs and environmental concerns

    Ferrogrão solves no logistical issues while creating significant problems instead

    New data provided by researchers from the University of São Paulo, the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and environmental groups like the Climate Observatory showed that the Ferrogrão railroad, a 933-kilometer project linking Mato Grosso’s grain-producing region to Atlantic ports, could cause significantly greater environmental damage than previously estimated. The study criticizes the government’s feasibility analysis, conducted under former President Jair Bolsonaro, for underestimating deforestation risks and cumulative impacts, especially in the Amazon rainforest and indigenous areas.

  • Tuesday, March 18th 2025 - 19:01 UTC

    Nearly 500,000 people affected by oil spill in Ecuador

    Petroecuador blamed a landslide due to heavy rains in recent weeks for the spill

    Local communities in the Ecuadorean province of Esmeraldas were still protesting Tuesday after a major oil spill last week left some 500,000 residents with no access to drinking water, in addition to other environmental damages.

  • Friday, March 14th 2025 - 19:42 UTC

    FAO: Coffee production down brings prices up to all-time high

    Unfavorable weather heralds a smaller coffee production in the long run

    The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report on Friday stating that global coffee prices hit a 13-year high in December last year, driven by reduced production in major exporting countries due to adverse weather.

  • Thursday, March 13th 2025 - 18:17 UTC

    Ireland donates to Brazil's Amazon Fund

    The Amazon Fund is managed by Brazil's BNDES

    Ireland has joined as the eighth donor to Brazil's Amazon Fund, contributing € 15 million, it was reported Thursday. The fund, managed by Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), supports conservation, monitoring, and sustainable development in the Amazon and has financed 123 projects since 2009. In 2024 alone, R$ 200 million (US$ 34.4 million at the current exchange rate) was allocated, aiding efforts to reduce deforestation, which dropped over 45% compared to 2022. Environment Minister Marina Silva emphasized that Ireland's support recognizes Brazil's achievements in combating deforestation and climate change, while the fund continues to attract international partners committed to sustainability.

  • Thursday, March 13th 2025 - 10:35 UTC

    Across-Amazon highway to be built for COP30 sparks controversy

    Sloths will have their way back into the wild hindered by the new structure

    As Brazilian authorities prepare for the upcoming COP30 climate summit in November in Belém, constructing a new four-lane highway - Avenida Liberdade - through the protected Amazon rainforest has sparked controversy. The structure seeks to ease traffic for the expected 50,000 attendees, including world leaders. But it has led to significant deforestation, fragmenting ecosystems and disrupting wildlife movement along its 13 kilometers.