As Colombia hosts a UN biodiversity summit, its own Amazonian rainforest is in crisis

Rainforest is fast being turned into cattle ranches.

Jesica Lopez, PhD Candidate, Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University • conversation
Oct. 24, 2024 • ~7 min

Cassava: The perilous past and promising future of a toxic but nourishing crop

Cassava’s many assets would seem to make it the ideal crop, except for one drawback: It’s highly poisonous. Human ingenuity has made cassava edible for millennia.

Stephen Wooding, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Heritage Studies, University of California, Merced • conversation
May 1, 2024 • ~11 min

Unprecedented drought in the Amazon threatens to release huge stores of carbon – podcast

Brazil’s rainforest is a massive carbon store, so its severe drought could be a tipping point for the global climate. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Gemma Ware, Editor and Co-Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation • conversation
Dec. 7, 2023 • ~5 min

The Amazon is not safe under Brazil's new president – a roads plan could push it past its breaking point

Nearly 95% of deforestation in the Amazon occurs within 3.5 miles of a road or near a river. Brazil’s plans to ramp up exports may be on a collision course with the forest.

Robert T. Walker, Professor of Latin American Studies and Geography, University of Florida • conversation
March 22, 2023 • ~10 min

Zero deforestation in the Amazon is now possible – here's what needs to happen

Three reasons for failure, and four reasons to be hopeful.

Rachael Garrett, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, University of Cambridge • conversation
Nov. 4, 2022 • ~7 min

Defensores indígenas ficam entre estradas ilegais e sobrevivência da floresta amazônica – o segundo turno das eleições no Brasil pode ser um ponto de virada

Estradas ilegais trouxeram desmatamento, fogo e outros danos ambientais para a Amazônia. Os resultados do segundo turno presidencial de 2022 podem ter um grande impacto no futuro.

David S. Salisbury, Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of Richmond • conversation
Oct. 11, 2022 • ~14 min

Indigenous defenders stand between illegal roads and survival of the Amazon rainforest – Brazil's runoff election could be a turning point

Illegal roads have brought deforestation, fire and other environmental damage to the Amazon. The results of the 2022 presidential runoff could have a major impact for the future.

David S. Salisbury, Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of Richmond • conversation
Sept. 29, 2022 • ~13 min

Indigenous defenders stand between illegal roads and survival of the Amazon rainforest – elections in Brazil and Peru could be a turning point

Illegal roads have brought deforestation, fire and other environmental damage to the Amazon. Indigenous territory in many areas has blocked them.

David S. Salisbury, Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of Richmond • conversation
Sept. 29, 2022 • ~12 min

A dam built in the Amazon created thousands of 'forest islands' but they are too small to sustain most species

New research shows how hydropower is linked to extinctions.

Carlos Peres, Professor of Tropical Conservation Ecology, University of East Anglia • conversation
Sept. 13, 2022 • ~7 min

The great Amazon land grab – how Brazil's government is turning public land private, clearing the way for deforestation

Land grabs spearheaded by wealthy interests are accelerating deforestation, and Brazil’s National Congress is working to legitimize them.

Robert T. Walker, Professor of Latin American Studies and Geography, University of Florida • conversation
Feb. 2, 2022 • ~10 min

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