Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Oct 26, 2010, 9:56 am
One of the most important tributaries of the Amazon river has fallen to its lowest level in over a century, following a fierce drought that has isolated tens of thousands of rainforest inhabitants and raised concerns about the possible impact of climate change on the region. Photo courtesy of Raimun...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Oct 26, 2010, 9:04 am
Spectacular species previously unknown to the outside world are being discovered in the Amazon rainforest at a rate of one every three days, environment group WWF said in a report published Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Irene Lee/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Jun 12, 2010, 11:16 pm
About 103.5 square km of rainforests disappeared in March and April in Brazil's Amazon region, roughly the size of Paris, said a new report. Photo courtesy of apoloniox70/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 11, 2010, 7:08 am
The third "Global Biodiversity Outlook" found that deforestation, pollution or overexploitation were damaging the productive capacity of the most vulnerable environments, including the Amazon rainforest, lakes and coral reefs. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Yamaguchi/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 8, 2010, 2:10 pm
The palm oil program marks a new focus for Brazil, which currently produces about 110,000 metric tons of crude palm oil per year, a fraction of the amount produced by market leaders Indonesia (16.9 million metric tons in 2008) and Malaysia (15.8 m tons), according to the FAO. Photo courtesy of Den...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 5, 2010, 8:56 am
"All of the reasons I fought against it 20 years ago are still there. It will destroy an entire river system and destroy the lives and culture of the people who live there and have lived there for thousands of years," said Sting, who was in Venezuela for a concert. Photo courtesy of Jazmin Million/...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 5, 2010, 8:31 am
Amazon deforestation rose again, according to Imazon. In March, the forest lost 76 square kilometers (km ²) of vegetation, a 35% increase over the same month in 2009. Please note: This article is in Portuguese. Photo courtesy of Rodrigo Baleia/Greenpeace
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 5, 2010, 7:47 am
According to a report from Globo Amazônia, the study conducted by Gilvan Sampaio of National Institute of Special Research (INPE) found that the vegetation of the Amazon will be particularly impacted by rising global temperatures in the years to come, in addition to the continued threats posed by d...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 3, 2010, 3:01 pm
In short, it's going to be very difficult to protect Florida's natural wonders and the health of our economy from climate change unless we protect the world's rainforests. Map Card courtesy of Striderv/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 2, 2010, 10:40 am
La Republica said on Saturday that the pink dolphins of the Amazon must have eaten fish poisoned – according to preliminary investigations – with phosphorus or pesticides thrown in the water by unknown persons in order to eliminate them. Photo courtesy of Kevin Schafer/K.S. Photography
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - May 1, 2010, 9:16 am
Belo Monte Dam is by no means an inevitability, despite what the Brazilian government and the companies promoting the dam would like you to believe. Legal actions, protests and occupations by indigenous groups, and a growing international campaign could derail the project. Photo courtesy of Sofie W...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 28, 2010, 8:57 am
To date, around 1 million insect species have been identified throughout the world. But, while that may be a mind-boggling number, biologists estimate that there remains at least 4 million more left undiscovered--many of which may lie deep in the heart of the world's largest rainforest. Photo court...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 27, 2010, 7:58 am
Brazil's president says it would be "insane" to scrap an enormous hydroelectric dam in the Amazon region because other ways of generating power would cause more pollution. Photo courtesy of Eraldo Peres/AP
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 27, 2010, 6:56 am
I have seen the self reliance of Brazil as the energy model. I have seen them move to renewable resources. Many things they have done are truly remarkable. But this? And 70 more? The WORLD relies on the rain forests. How will money replace that? Photo courtesy of Sofie Wistrand/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 24, 2010, 5:39 pm
Amazon hydro plants are some of the most polluting on the planet. Decomposing vegetation in the reservoir releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Belo Monte alone will be a big methane producer, but if an additional dam is built upstream – as many fear – the ...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 24, 2010, 9:51 am
Work on a huge, controversial dam in Brazil's Amazon is to begin by September at the latest, despite furious opposition from indigenous and environmental groups, Energy Minister Marcio Zimmerman said Friday. Photo courtesy of Andre Penner/AP
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 23, 2010, 11:25 pm
The dam would devastate an extensive area of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the survival of thousands of indigenous and traditional peoples who depend on the Xingu River for their livelihoods. Construction could begin this year. Photo courtesy of Andrew White/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 23, 2010, 10:58 am
These pictures give us a fascinating glimpse into the behaviour of the elusive bubblegum pink Amazon river dolphins. They live in the murky, sediment-covered depths of the Amazon River in Brazil, and are freshwater creatures. Photo courtesy of Kevin Schafer/K.S. Photography
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 23, 2010, 9:16 am
A country that wants to be the fifth-biggest economy on the planet within the next decade... needs to think five years ahead, and that is why we are doing this," Lula told reporters. Photo courtesy Diego Mandarino/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 22, 2010, 9:46 pm
Damage to the environment is also a major issue. The Xingu river basin has about four times as many species of fish as the whole of Europe, but the work will kill millions of animals and threaten extinction for some species, said Hermes Medeiros, a local ecologist on the review board. Photo courtes...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 22, 2010, 12:28 pm
Indigenous groups will occupy an area where the government wants to build a controversial hydroelectric dam projected to be the world's third-largest, an Indian chief said Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Andre Penner/AP
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 21, 2010, 7:58 am
The Brazilian energy regulator has awarded the contract to build the 11GW Belo Monte dam on a tributary of the Amazon rainforest, to Norte Energia, a consortium of nine companies, including state energy company Electrobras’s subsidiary Chesf. The project is extremely controversial, as up to 20,000...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 20, 2010, 7:01 am
Indigenous peoples were not adequately heard. Greenhouse gas emissions could be underestimated. Certain conditions set by IBAMA will only be checked years after completion of the plant. Photo courtesy of International Rivers/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 19, 2010, 12:14 pm
Last week Brazil's National Space Agency INPE reported a 51 percent drop in Amazon deforestation in the six months ended February 2010 compared with the year earlier period. But the seemingly happy news for environmentalists may be premature. Photo courtesy of apoloniox70/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 18, 2010, 5:37 pm
James Cameron and Avatar cast members Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore return to the Xingu river and speak out against the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil. Photo courtesy of Atossa Soltani/Amazon Watch
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 17, 2010, 9:37 am
A group called Amazon Watch said in a statement that, "This dam is one of the most destructive projects ever undertaken in the Amazon." Photo courtesy of Sofie Wistrand/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 17, 2010, 9:24 am
A Brazilian court has overturned a ruling that could have delayed building a massive dam on an Amazon tributary. Photo courtesy of Sofie Wistrand/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 16, 2010, 4:41 pm
A Brasilia judge overturned a decision that could have delayed construction of the 11,200-MW Belo Monte hydro project in Brazil's Amazon region, wire services reported. More later... Photo courtesy of Denise Gramelick/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 15, 2010, 10:35 pm
Actress Sigourney Weaver, who starred in "Avatar" and traveled with Cameron to Brazil, welcomed the dam delay. But she warned of a long fight ahead. Photo courtesy of International Rivers/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 15, 2010, 9:00 am
"It's a small victory for us, but I don't expect the battle is over," Cameron told The Associated Press by telephone from the small Amazon city of Altamira, where he was lending support to project opponents. Photo courtesy of Kathy Willens/AP
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 15, 2010, 8:51 am
A Brazilian judge on Wednesday suspended the preliminary license for the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, a controversial project in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, citing "danger of irreparable harm," reports the Amazon Watch, an NGO that has been campaigning on the issue. Photo courtesy of steph...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 14, 2010, 7:37 am
A real-life Avatar conflict is playing out in the Brazilian Amazon as indigenous groups fight against the construction of a giant hydroelectric dam in the heart of the rainforest, the Oscar-winning director James Cameron has warned. Photo courtesy of Andre Penner/AP
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 13, 2010, 6:53 am
You have a great opportunity, as a world leader, to take decisive action in the immediate short-term to demonstrate Brazil's commitment to these vital issues. I am referring to the Belo Monte Dam project, which will undergo bidding on April 20. I believe strongly that this project should not go ...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 12, 2010, 11:18 am
Since the Belo Monte project has no artificial reservoir, power generation will vary according to the rain cycle in the Xingu river, where it will be located, Estado reported. During the dry season, the dam will produce less than 3,000 megawatts, the newspaper said. Photo courtesy of Andrew White/F...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 11, 2010, 9:01 am
Mr. Cameron said that he was writing a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urging him to reconsider the dam and that he would press for a meeting with the president. “They need to listen to these people here,” he said. Photo courtesy of Atossa Soltani/Amazon Watch
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 10, 2010, 9:47 am
The hoatzin hangs around trees near wet areas such as still water, slow-moving creeks, flooded forests, swamps and oxbow lakes. Photo courtesy of Max Feingold/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 9, 2010, 7:14 am
The states which registered the greatest amount of deforestation were Mato Grosso, which alone amounted to 143.4 km2 deforested, followed by Roraima, 26.9 km2, and Pará, with 17.2 km2. Please note: This article is in Portuguese. Photo courtesy of apoloniox70/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 9, 2010, 6:55 am
Brazil's government will itself build the massive Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the Amazon region if no private firms bid for the project, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday. Photo courtesy of itupictures/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 8, 2010, 5:41 pm
The project would involve diverting a 100-kilometer (62-mile) stretch of the Xingu river, an Amazon tributary, and directly affect 12,000 families, including residents of two indigenous hamlets whose survival would depend on the dam operator providing them excess water from the reservoir. Photo cou...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 8, 2010, 2:37 pm
The Amazon rain forest in Brazil has lost nearly 20 percent of its area since the 1970s, largely because of ranchers and farmers seeking new land for their cattle and crops. Photo courtesy of Joelle Hernandez/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 8, 2010, 11:51 am
The decision by the Camargo Correa and Odebrecht construction groups dents government hopes for a competitive auction that would push down the price of energy production at the planned 11,000-megawatt project. Photo courtesy of Mahashiah/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 7, 2010, 4:37 pm
Delivered to the United Nations last Thursday, April 1st, a document claims that flaws in the environmental licensing process for the controversial Belo Monte Dam in Brazil were overlooked due to political pressure from the Lula administration. Photo courtesy of Thiago Teixeira/REUTERS
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 7, 2010, 11:01 am
Brazil has become one of the world’s leading exporters of beef, leather, and other cattle products, and the country’s government is fostering further development of this sector. If they want to keep leading the global market, it is in the Brazilian slaughterhouses’ best interest to ensure catt...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 6, 2010, 7:23 am
A farmer in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso was fined 6.15 million dollars for destroying 2,234 hectares of the Amazon rainforest, Brazilian authorities said Monday. Photo courtesy of Andy Revkin/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 4, 2010, 10:43 am

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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Apr 3, 2010, 6:11 pm
The Brazilian government has plans to build more than 100 large dams in the Amazon Basin over the next 20 years. Many Brazilians believe that if Belo Monte is approved, it will represent a carte blanche for the destruction of all the magnificent rivers of the Amazon - next the Tapajos, the Teles Pir...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Mar 31, 2010, 9:50 am
Last week during his address at the International Forum on Sustainability in Manaus, Mr. Cameron expressed his concern about the project saying: "For people living along the river, as they have for millennia, the dam will end their way of life. I implore the Brazilian government, and President Lula,...
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Mar 31, 2010, 8:47 am
Brazil has unrolled an ambitious plan to preserve vast areas of the Amazon rainforest by tapping its rubber trees to make sustainable condoms. Photo courtesy of NWF/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Mar 30, 2010, 8:56 am
Trees grow faster in the Amazon rainforest -- the lungs of the planet -- than anywhere else in the world, and can reach between six to 12 metres (18 to 36 feet) in just one year. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Yamaguchi/Flickr
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Eric Laczi posted an article on The Amazon Rainforest - Mar 30, 2010, 7:24 am
The main cause of deforestation, the government says, are ranchers who illegally clear jungle to graze cattle and grow soy — often using threats and violence to remove the poor farmers eking a living there. Photo courtesy of Charles Thomas/Flickr
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