Get our news on your inbox! x

Remember me Forgot password

MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, October 24th 2026 - 14:51 UTC

Tag: Amazon rainforest

  • Wednesday, October 21st 2026 - 13:29 UTC

    Amazon fires rise 62% in October as deforestation falls to a record low

    Satellites detected 9,045 fire hotspots in the Brazilian Amazon in the first half of October, 62% more than in the same period last year, amid a drought aggravated by El Niño. The increase contrasts with the fall in deforestation, which over the past year reached its lowest level since 1988.

    Add your comment!
  • Tuesday, October 13th 2026 - 06:29 UTC

    Brazil blames human action for the fires sweeping the Amazon

    The fires coincide with an El Niño episode that forecasts place among the most intense in recent decades and that is usually associated with drought in the Amazon

    The Brazilian government has blamed deliberate human action for the wave of fires in Amazonas state, where 540 new hotspots were recorded in 48 hours, more than half of those detected in the whole of October 2025, according to the National Institute for Space Research. The situation has led to a state of emergency in 36 municipalities.

  • 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.

  • Saturday, January 6th 2024 - 16:01 UTC

    Significant drop in Amazon deforestation reported in Brazil

    Lula has promoted environmental policies to halt the increasing destruction of the Amazon

    Deforestation alerts in the Amazon fell by 50% in 2023, according to a report from the Deter system released Friday by Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE), with data collected until Dec. 29 in an area of 5,152 km². It was the lowest rate since 2018, it also explained. In 2022, the alerts had registered 10,278 km² of deforested areas, the highest level ever.

  • Monday, December 4th 2023 - 10:42 UTC

    France to donate € 500 million to Brazil's Amazon Fund

    “With Brazil, we are determined to preserve the forests,” Macron said

    French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday pledged € 500 million over the next three years to Brazil's Amazon Fund, while the United Kingdom announced an additional £ 35 million (around € 40.78 million) in addition to the £ 80 million (€ 93.22 million) it had already announced in May, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Friday, November 10th 2023 - 09:55 UTC

    Drop in deforestation of Brazilian Amazon reported

    President Lula's political decision of zero deforestation was behind this achievement, Minister Silva explained

    A new study showing a 22.3% drop in the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon was released Thursday, Agencia Brasil reported. The document also highlighted that the latest figures represented the best results in the matter since 2019.

  • Saturday, October 28th 2023 - 10:30 UTC

    Entire Brazilian State of Amazonas gripped by drought

    El Niño is causing an abnormal warming of surface waters of the eastern portion of the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean, it was explained

    The entire state of Amazonas has been gripped by a severe drought, with most municipalities (60) in a state of emergency and 2 in a state of alert, Agencia Brasil reported. The El Niño phenomenon has been linked to the ongoing crisis.

  • Tuesday, October 24th 2023 - 10:08 UTC

    US troops to perform joint exercises in Brazilian Amazon

    The visiting troops will be carrying state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, optical devices, as well as control and communication technology

    US troops will be commencing Tuesday a training exercise in Brazil's Eastern Amazon area, Agencia Brasil reported. Operation Core (Combined Operation and Rotation Exercise) 23, which stems from a bilateral defense deal signed in 2015, will bring together 294 US military personnel with the Brazilian Army from Oct. 24 to Nov. 20 in Belém, the capital of the Northern state of Pará, as well as in the municipalities of Ferreira Gomes, Oiapoque, and Macapá, in Amapá state.

  • Saturday, October 21st 2023 - 10:53 UTC

    Ecuador undertakes Amazon reforestation project

    Dávalos stressed that the forests “are essential to guarantee a prosperous and sustainable future”

    Ecuador's Environment and Ecological Transition Minister José Antonio Dávalos announced that some 4,000 hectares of native forests in the Amazon region will be reforested because they are “sources of life” that provide clean air, water, and recreational spaces, it was reported in Quito.

  • Thursday, September 14th 2023 - 10:09 UTC

    Peru to allocate green debt swap to tropical forest protection in Amazon

    It was Peru's third swap after similar deals in 2002 and 2008

    The Peruvian administration of President Dina Boluarte pledged to use the proceeds from a US$ 20 million debt swap with the United States for climate action in the Amazon to finance a tropical forest protection fund over the next 13 years, it was reported Wednesday in Lima. It is the third debt-for-nature swap between the two governments.

Previous