News
Illustrated Learning in Apetina, Suriname
In September and October 2016, The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) enabled the indigenous community of the rainforest village of Apetina to create six educational murals on the back walls of their local elementary school. Through these murals, ACT seeks to encourage additional local students to complete their village schooling.
Read MoreClean Water for a Model Amazon Village
The Waurá of the Ulupuene village in the Xingu, Brazil came to us with a problem: their water supply had become contaminated by soybean crop pesticides. These pesticides are carried annually to the rivers of midwestern Brazil, often rendering the water unsuitable for human consumption. The Waurá had one request: clean water drawn from an open deep well with the support of the Amazon Conservation Team.
Read MoreACT launches map journal highlighting the Amazonian travels of Richard Evans Schultes
To celebrate the life and work of Dr. Schultes and the indigenous peoples he visited, the Amazon Conservation Team has developed a new online, interactive map journal that follows the father of modern ethnobotany through his amazing Amazonian explorations.
Read MoreSchool of the Arts: Ulupuene Villagers Visit Their Sacred Cavern
An important piece of this effort is allowing Waurá youth to experience sacred sites that, until now, have only existed in their imaginations and the stories of their elders. Because of this effort, we were thrilled when we were given the opportunity for ACT to visit Kamukuaká Cave, one of these sacred sites, with several Waurá villagers from multiple generations.
Read MoreConvenio beneficia a resguardos indígenas
Mediante la firma de un convenio entre la Gerencia Indígena de Antioquia de la Gobernación y la Agencia Nacional de Tierras se espera dar solución a las solicitudes de titulación, ampliación y construcción de resguardos indígenas en el departamento.
Read MoreDos años sin mi papá, el hombre que le entregó su vida al Amazonas
Roberto Franco ––un politólogo de la Universidad de los Andes que trabajaba como antropólogo y que dedicó su vida a la preservación del medio ambiente, a las comunidades indígenas aisladas, a los campesinos, a causas no muy valoradas–– se subió el 6 de septiembre de 2014 a una avioneta en Araracuara, un pueblo que queda en el Caquetá, luego de pasar la mañana recogiéndole flores de Inirida a Patricia Vargas, su mujer.
Read MoreDebut of Mississippi Kite in the U.S. Capital Area Prompts Reflection on Climate Change
In 1987, my friend Dr. Rob Peters and I were having dinner somewhere in Woodley Park on a temperate June evening. Although I had been involved in tropical forest conservation in Costa Rica, climate change was not a hot topic at the time. Rob, a biologist , began talking about his research. I remember his agitation at the fact that people were not paying attention to what he felt was a looming catastrophe for humanity: the rising temperature of our atmosphere.
Read MoreLiving Planet: Apps not arms
Despite conservation efforts, swathes of Brazil’s Amazon forest are still lost to deforestation. Small-scale illegal logging can be difficult to monitor, even with satellite-imaging technology. Now, one indigenous tribe is looking to GPS mapping on smartphones to protect their forest.
Read MoreACT participates in the IV International Congress on Biodiversity of the Guiana Shield in Georgetown, Guyana
In August 2016, ACT participated in the IV International Congress on Biodiversity of the Guiana Shield in Georgetown, Guyana. ACT-Suriname staff gave a total of six presentations overall, and had a booth with materials for sale and display at the entrance of the conference.
Read MoreIntroducing: Maps, Magic, and Medicine
As part of our 20th anniversary, we’re producing a podcast about the formative stories that have made ACT the unique conservation organization it is. Maps, Magic, and Medicine explores the importance of indigenous knowledge to protect the environment. Each month we bring you stories about the spiritual, the unexplained, and the unbelievable.
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