Brazil taps legal loophole to issue bids for Amazon ‘tipping point’ road A strategic shift in law clears the way for a highway that scientists warn will push the Amazon to a tipping point.

The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has launched renewal works for the BR-319 highway, using a new legal loophole to bypass environmental licensing requirements.

@nandawenzel.bsky.social on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/04/braz...

Contested Amazon dam called to review water flow as river ecosystem fails Locals warned Belo Monte would kill the river, and now the plant faces a turning point as prophecies become real.

A federal court and Brazil’s environmental agency ordered the Belo Monte hydropower plant to revise the Xingu River’s water-sharing plan, a decade after its debut, but a legal stay blocks enforcement of the ruling.

@schroder.bsky.social on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cont...

Critically endangered and found in only one forest patch, the admirable red-belly toad is a symbol of resistance.

Mongabay joins researcher Michelle Abadie to see if this tiny hero survived southern Brazil's catastrophic floods.

By Thamys Trindade, Felipe Rosa, and Julia Lima.
mongabay.cc/EBJVJa

Amazon waterway noise threatens unique social life of giant river turtles Hatchlings talk inside their shells to time their birth, but the roar of massive barges may soon drown out their sound.

A planned shipping waterway on the Tapajós River, a major tributary of the Amazon, may disrupt the sophisticated social communication systems used by the Amazon river turtle, a species likely to be endangered.

@nandawenzel.bsky.social on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/03/amaz...

Minerais críticos avançam em Carajás e pressionam áreas de reforma agrária Área de mineração mais importante do Brasil, Carajás vê crescer interesse em cobre, níquel e manganês, essenciais para alta tecnologia

Several hands working on this one. Thanks @samcowie84.bsky.social, Cícero Pedrosa Neto, @isabelharari.bsky.social and @diegojunqueira.bsky.social.

Leia em português aqui: reporterbrasil.org.br/2026/02/corr...

Mining rush for critical minerals threatens Amazon land reform settlements Families awaiting land reform in the Amazon now face a surge in mining that can destroy their chance at a decent life.

A survey by @reporterbrasil.org.br of mining records found dozens of requests for copper, manganese and nickel targeting land reform settlements in northern Brazil’s Carajás region in the last five years.

on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/03/mini...

Falling Amazon river flows trigger reality check at Belo Monte power plant Brazil bet big on a mega river dam using old data, but climate change is leaving its massive turbines high and dry.

Studies warn that climate change could slash hydropower generation across the Amazon by up to 40%, with controversial Belo Monte among the most exposed plants in Brazil.

Rafael Spuldar on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/03/fall...

Brazil wanted more protections for its endangered national tree. Then France called Just three months ago, Brazil seemed close to winning the highest level of international trade protections for the country’s symbol and namesake, the Brazilwood tree (Paubrasilia echinata). On Nov. 26...

Alleged last-minute political maneuvers prevented Brazil from securing the highest protections from international commercial trade of Brazilwood at the 2025 meeting of CITES.

✍️ @nandawenzel.bsky.social, Spoorthy Raman, Emmanuelle Picaud on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/02/braz...

Amazon riverfolk warn blasting rocks for shipping route will kill fisheries Generations of fishers have called these rocky formations home. Now, they say Brazil is not hearing their knowledge.

As Brazil moves to explode the deep, rocky river territory of the Lourenção Rocks, locals on the Tocantins River say the government’s refusal to recognize them as “impacted” excludes thousands of fishers from protections.

Tiffany Higgins for @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amaz...

Bolsa Y. Eva Tan de Jornalismo Ambiental – Português - Environmental Journalism and Education Formando jovens e novos talentos do jornalismo ambiental para cobrir temas críticos da biodiversidade Com os efeitos da degradação ambiental se tornando cada vez mais evidentes, o jornalismo ambiental...

Oportunidade para novos talentos no jornalismo ambiental em PORTUGUÊS na @mongabay.com. Inscrevam-se!

mongabay.org/opportunity/...

Amazon villages build autonomous energy systems after mega-dam failed pledges Despite hosting huge hydropower plants, Amazon people still pay high energy tariffs — so they found another way.

A pilot project in the Tapajós-Arapiuns Reserve is providing 24-hour electricity through an integrated system of solar panels and river-based hydrokinetic turbines.

Jorge Carrasco on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amaz...

Ajudando o amor acontecer

Amazon deforestation may rise 30% as major traders exit historic soy pact As global soy giants walk away from a landmark pact, land grabbers move in to clear the forest for new crops.

Their abandonment of the agreement signals a “green light” for land speculators to clear rainforest for new soy crops, observers warn.

@nandawenzel.bsky.social on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amaz...

Seminarian-turned-fire-agent preaches new tactics to fight Amazon’s burn crisis Once destined for the priesthood, Edson Abreu dos Santos now shepherds volunteers to tackle Amazon’s fire crisis.

Lacking trucks and gear, a Brazilian civil servant now uses WhatsApp groups to direct volunteers who must manually carry river water through dense forest to tackle record blazes deep in an Amazonian town five times the size of NYC.

Carla Ruas on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/01/semi...

Com a indicação de 'O Agente Secreto', a ImpedCorp conquista a sua primeira indicação ao Oscar.

Leonardo Kluck, nosso querido Neni, que desenhou o antigo site do Impedimento, aparece em uma das cenas do filme

Sigam ele no Instagram > www.instagram.com/leonardokluck/

Cowboy boots made from pirarucu leather fund Amazon’s sustainable fishery A massive Amazonian fish yields the unique and once overlooked leather prized by luxury brands and Texas cowboys.

Sustainable pirarucu fisheries in Brazil’s Amazonas are restoring once-depleted populations of this freshwater giant, thanks to community-led management systems and sales to brands overseas.

Jenny Gonzales on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2026/01/cowb...

Trump's Venezuela Attack: It’s All About the Oil, Stupid! Here are five times Donald Trump himself admitted that illegally attacking Venezuela and toppling Nicolás Maduro was aimed at seizing the country’s massive oil reserves.

“Trump's Venezuela Attack: It’s All About the Oil, Stupid!”

Here are five times Donald Trump himself admitted that illegally attacking Venezuela and toppling Nicolás Maduro was aimed at seizing the country’s massive oil reserves.

My latest for Zeteo:

The Amazon in 2026: A challenging year ahead, now off the center stage As Belém's COP30 ended in compromise, political forces moved swiftly to accelerate destruction far from the global spotlight.

New infrastructure projects, critical minerals, fires and novel threats to the Amazon remain looming for 2026 after a year in the spotlight preparing for COP30.

Myself for @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-...

Collapses of Amazon riverbanks threaten communities and shipping routes Erosion is natural along Amazonian rivers, but increasing boat traffic can raise the risk of bank collapse.

Four public river ports in Amazonas state have been damaged by riverbank collapses in the past decade, prompting concerns about the safety of Amazon port infrastructure.

@schroder.bsky.social on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/12/coll...

New financial tools boost traditional bioeconomy projects in the Amazon When rigid loans fail to reach forest communities, they work in favor of invaders.

Brazil’s Restoration & Bioeconomy Finance Coalition aims to mobilize $10B by 2030 for Indigenous and traditional community enterprises.

The goal: restore millions of hectares and replace rigid finance systems with models that truly reach forest communities.

How dropping ads set us free to focus on impact Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo, Mongabay’s senior marketing associate,…

[FOUNDER'S BRIEF - @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social]

In 2012, Mongabay shifted from ads to a nonprofit model. Mongabay Indonesia showed that journalism could drive real transparency and impact. Leaving ads behind let us focus on public-interest reporting, collaboration and global reach — not clicks.

Marco Temporal: Senado aprova em terras indígenas. | G1 Senado aprova incluir na Constituição o marco temporal de terras indígenas, contrariando decisão do STF. Entenda o que muda para os povos originários.

PEC aprovada a jato. Assim que acabou a COP em Belém. É o rolo compressor contra os povos indígenas para inglês não ver >

g1.globo.com/politica/not...

🚨 Metrópoles mostra os jornalistas Guilherme Balza (GloboNews) e Carol Nogueira (UOL) sendo agredidos na Câmara dos Deputados após serem expulsos do Plenário por Hugo Motta.

New financial tools boost traditional bioeconomy projects in the Amazon When rigid loans fail to reach forest communities, they work in favor of invaders.

The Brazil Restoration and Bioeconomy Finance Coalition (BRB FC), an alliance of NGOs, funders and financial institutions, aims to mobilize $10 billion by 2030 to support Indigenous and traditional communities-led enterprises.

Sarah Brown on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/12/new-...

Amazon’s stingless bee propolis shows potent healing power, studies show Fueled by açaí flowers, a bee's resin once used for war wounds is now evolving as a new ingredient for cosmetics.

Stingless bees (meliponines) are the primary pollinators for the açaí berry, making their conservation crucial for both the Amazon ecosystem and a billion-dollar global industry.

@lucas-berti.bsky.social reports on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/12/amaz...

Brazil nut hauling effort gets easier with zip lines and ‘Amazon Waze’ Lugging 50-kilo bags through the rainforest’s rough terrain is a vital piece of the nut trade, but could soon change.

Researchers are developing solutions to help Brazil nut collectors in the Amazon Rainforest reduce the physical toll of the trade.

@nandawenzel.bsky.social for @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/braz...

Brazil aims for alternative route to fossil fuel road map after COP30 failure Phaseout plan gained unexpected momentum at the summit, only to vanish from the final deal and unlock a new stage.

In April 2026, a new summit in Santa Marta, Colombia, promises to advance on one crucial point the U.N. climate summits have been failing to address after 30 editions: planning the transition to a world without fossil fuels.

Carla Ruas on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/braz...

Brazil’s forest fund faces a slow takeoff at COP30 despite initial support Operational rifts and budget constraints choked ambitious funding from rich nations for TFFF at Belém’s summit.

Rich nations blamed operational rifts and budget constraints to hold off funding TFFF, a struggle that reflects a worldwide crisis in climate finance; nearly one-third of the funds raised by global forest mechanisms remain undisbursed.

Carla Ruas on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/braz...

Amazon Indigenous groups fight soy waterway as Brazil fast-tracks dredging The Tapajós supported Indigenous people for millennia, but now vessels, pollution and waves may disrupt their lives.

Brazil is pushing the Tapajós River waterway as one of the main Amazon shipping corridors and preparing it for privatization, which will enable regular dredging and maintenance to improve its capacity.

@schroder.bsky.social reports on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/amaz...

In one of the Amazon’s deadliest areas, a group fighting for land was besieged by a dozen armed men hired by ranchers.

@nandawenzel.bsky.social explains Brazil's new wave of land reform conflicts on @mongabay.com

news.mongabay.com/video/2025/1...