Posts Tagged ‘biodiversity’
An Amazonian Food Atlas Is Shared with the Communities That Nourished It
Over the last two years, fourteen communities across the Amazon have participated in a collaborative initiative to share the foods that have sustained life and cultures in their territories for generations. Their stories, knowledge, and traditional recipes were woven together into an atlas designed by the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) as part of the World…
Read MoreÃwa People Strengthen Environmental Restoration on Bananal Island
More than 800 seedlings are currently being planted across the territory through the collective work of the entire community. On Bananal Island (Tocantins, Brazil), the Ãwa people are taking new steps toward environmental restoration in their territory. Planting and forest management activities are gaining momentum through the Kawú Nursery, an initiative supported by ACT-Brasil and funded by the Overbrook Foundation and the Scheidel Foundation. Planting Advances in Flooded Areas, with Preparations for Forest…
Read MoreCurare: The Amazonian Arrow Poison and Its Role in History and Medicine
Curare is a plant-based arrow poison perfected over centuries by Indigenous peoples of the Amazonia. Applied to the tips of both blowgun darts and arrows, it induces profound muscle relaxation, ultimately stopping breathing by paralyzing the diaphragm. This remarkable botanical technology was central to subsistence hunting in tropical rainforests, where dense canopy and elusive prey…
Read MoreProtecting a Global Food Staple: Statement on Cassava Disease
The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is monitoring the potential spread of Witches’ Broom disease in cassava crops across the Guianas. The fungal pathogen Ceratobasidium causes broom-like shoots and can sharply reduce yields of one of the world’s most important staple foods. “Cassava is the major food crop in these regions imagine what crop failure would mean,” Dr. Mark Plotkin, ethnobotanist and ACT president, said. “For millions of families,…
Read MoreSolving the problems of the Amazon will require serious commitments at COP30
Carolina Gil, regional director for the Amazon Conservation Team, wrote the following op-ed, published in the Colombian digital news outlet La Silla Vacía (“The Empty Chair”). The original, Spanish version of the piece can be found here. The Amazon is not just a territory that must be preserved, but a vital system that sustains the climatic,…
Read MoreAriadna Gutiérrez Becomes Ambassador for the Amazon Conservation Team
The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is proud to announce that actress, model, and humanitarian Ariadna Gutiérrez has joined the organization as an Ambassador, lending her voice and platform to the protection of rainforests, Indigenous cultures, and ancestral wisdom across South America. Gutiérrez, who has long been passionate about environmental and cultural preservation, deepened her commitment…
Read MoreA Return to Ulupuwene: Indigenous-Led Conservation in Brazil
Ulupuwene, within the Batovi Indigenous Territory of Brazil, has a special place in the heart of ACT. It is a small community of courageous Waura people, led by Chief and Pajé (shaman) Eleukah and his wife Kapi, who is also a powerful shaman. We met a little over two decades ago, and since then, together,…
Read MoreMeet the Amazon Tapir: The Rainforest’s Gentle Giant
Every April 27, we celebrate World Tapir Day—a chance to shine a spotlight on one of the Amazon’s most unique and underappreciated animals: the tapir. Often described as a cross between a pig and an anteater, the Amazon tapir (also known as the South American tapir or lowland tapir) is neither. In fact, its closest…
Read MoreFinding Climate Optimism in the Amazon this Earth Day
Earth Day, celebrated this Tuesday, is a global reminder to reflect on the health of our planet. And right now, there’s no sugarcoating it—the biosphere’s vital signs are concerning. The past decade has been the hottest on record. Droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes are growing more intense. The climate crisis feels more real than ever. But…
Read MoreThe Jaguar: Guardian of the Amazon
In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, one elusive and powerful creature reigns supreme—the jaguar. Known as el tigre in much of South America, the jaguar is more than just an apex predator. Jaguar conservation in the Amazon is essential for the health and resilience of Amazonian ecosystems. The jaguar is also a sacred being…
Read More