by on 15 April 2021Imagine you have invaded a public land in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, cut the forest down and, after all that, you get the papers that certify you as the rightful owner of that area. According to experts, that’s what’s going to happen with the passage of two bills currently before the Brazilian Congress.Both proposals have a common root: Executive Order 910, known as MP 910 or MP of Grilagem, from the local term for a land grabber. The executive order was signed in 2019 by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. As it wasn’t approved on time by Congress, however, the...…by on 15 April 2021Imagine you have invaded a public land in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, cut the forest down and, after all that, you get the papers that certify you as the rightful owner of that area. According to experts, that’s what’s going to happen with the passage of two bills currently before the Brazilian Congress.Both proposals have a common root: Executive Order 910, known as MP 910 or MP of Grilagem, from the local term for a land grabber. The executive order was signed in 2019 by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. As it wasn’t approved on time by Congress, however, the...WW…

by on 20 January 2021The old adage of “money talks” is being given a modern data analysis stress test and applied to the assassinations of civil society activists in the global mining sector. In fact, according to a trio of economics experts from Oxford University and Australia’s Monash University who have taken on the subject, it is simply bad business for a multinational firm to be associated with a publicly reported murder.This is especially true if some key baseline factors are in play: notably, a slow news day and a specific company connected by name with the violence-associated...…by on 20 January 2021The old adage of “money talks” is being given a modern data analysis stress test and applied to the assassinations of civil society activists in the global mining sector. In fact, according to a trio of economics experts from Oxford University and Australia’s Monash University who have taken on the subject, it is simply bad business for a multinational firm to be associated with a publicly reported murder.This is especially true if some key baseline factors are in play: notably, a slow news day and a specific company connected by name with the violence-associated...WW…

Mongabay Series:by on 28 December 2020Home to more than 60% of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world, Brazil is beyond rich in biodiversity and life. The country is also rife with deforestation, and violations of environmental laws and Indigenous people’s rights.In other words, Brazil has a serious forest problem.According to historical data gathered by the Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project () since its creation in 2015, Brazil lost 870,000 square kilometers (336,000 square miles) of native vegetation between 1985 and 2019. That’s an area the...…Mongabay Series:by on 28 December 2020Home to more than 60% of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world, Brazil is beyond rich in biodiversity and life. The country is also rife with deforestation, and violations of environmental laws and Indigenous people’s rights.In other words, Brazil has a serious forest problem.According to historical data gathered by the Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project () since its creation in 2015, Brazil lost 870,000 square kilometers (336,000 square miles) of native vegetation between 1985 and 2019. That’s an area the...WW…

Mongabay Series:by on 3 November 2020An international team led by Brazilian researchers recently showing that restoring habitats that are currently degraded by agricultural activity is key to mitigating climate change impacts and avoiding animal species extinction.The study analyzed data from 2.87 billion hectares (7.09 billion acres) of natural areas worldwide that were transformed into farmland over the years, assessing forests, grasslands, shrublands, wetlands and arid ecosystems all over the globe.Researchers used three criteria to evaluate optimal outcomes — biodiversity conservation,...…Mongabay Series:by on 3 November 2020An international team led by Brazilian researchers recently showing that restoring habitats that are currently degraded by agricultural activity is key to mitigating climate change impacts and avoiding animal species extinction.The study analyzed data from 2.87 billion hectares (7.09 billion acres) of natural areas worldwide that were transformed into farmland over the years, assessing forests, grasslands, shrublands, wetlands and arid ecosystems all over the globe.Researchers used three criteria to evaluate optimal outcomes — biodiversity conservation,...WW…