Spanish

Dear friends and colleagues,

Latin America is going through an unprecedented ecological devastation caused by the forest fires in the Amazon, the Pantanal and other ecoregions.

WWF is currently working on several initiatives to face this environmental crisis, such as strengthening its Amazon conservation programs, and gathering thousands of voices from civil society to call upon governments to take a stance on the matter.

Several events have taken place in the affected countries.

WWF-Brazil strongly rejected the statements of President Jair Bolsonaro, who seeks to delegitimize the debate over the Amazon’s protection and the actions of environmental conservation organizations.

In Bolivia, the fires intensified in the Amazon, the Chiquitanía and the Pantanal, despite the actions to control the fire. WWF called for international aid and regional solidarity.

WWF-Paraguay called upon the national government to take concrete measures against fires and their causes.

Our work in conservation continues and its role is increasingly important as the fires continue.

In relation to Forests, a new nature reserve of 78 hectares donated by Fundación Vida Silvestre was created in Argentina. On the other hand, WWF and Paraguayan producers supported indigenous communities to manage economic activities to protect the Atlantic Forest.

With regards to Freshwater, WWF-Colombia launched the first Report Card of the Mira and Mataje binational basins.

In Food, WWF-Mexico launched a campaign to promote the use of ingredients that are essential to traditional dishes but are at risk of disappearing, such as various varieties of peppers.

While in Governance work, WWF-Chile presented proposals and guidelines for COP25 which will take place in Santiago, Chile, this coming December.

In Wildlife, a study revealed that sustainable forest management in the Peruvian Amazon can help preserving species.

Lastly, WWF-Ecuador renewed the cooperation agreement with the Ecuadorian government. Meanwhile, two new interactive environmental education rooms were opened in the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Enjoy this edition and take action for the Amazon here!

Roberto Troya

Vice president & Regional Director

WWF-LAC

Serious concern about forest fires in the Amazon

WWF expresses serious concern about the fires spreading in the Amazon, which threatens the existence of the world's largest tropical forest and other important ecosystems in the region. We warn the public about the consequences of this ecological catastrophe for the planet and people, and we call upon politicians to stand together to face this problem, to fight the fires and to prevent similar scenarios in the future.

WWF-Brazil statement: NGOs accused of causing fires in the Amazon

The priority of public authorities is to ensure the interests of citizens, not to create sterile discrepancies without a basis in reality. That is why WWF-Brazil regrets the statements of President Jair Bolsonaro holding NGOs responsible for the fires due to a budget cut, which are not based on data. The money blocked by the government was the international donation to the Amazon Fund and these resources subsidized firefighting actions, among other things.

Fire is revived in the Amazon, the Chiquitanía and the Pantanal

A change in the direction of the winds, revived the fire at several points, mainly in the Chiquitanía, in Bolivia, and the Pantanal in Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil, causing new outbreaks of fire to intensify. The efforts of forest firefighters, volunteers, protection groups and the Bolivian government have not been enough to mitigate the fire. So far, the Government of Santa Cruz has reported a million hectares affected.

WWF urgently calls on all countries in the region to put out fires and to create policies that minimize their causes

WWF-Paraguay statement on environmental emergency due to forest fires

During the last week, the Paraguayan Cerrado, Pantanal and Chaco, in the Department of Alto Paraguay, have been severely affected by uncontrolled fires. Which, added to adverse conditions such as lack of rain and winds from north to south, have left 37,000 hectares affected. WWF asks the national government for concrete actions to mitigate the fire and to prevent future fires, together with social actors and governments in the region.

A new natural reserve for the Misiones rainforest

From a land donation on behalf of Fundación Vida Silvestre, the "Alto Iguazú" Nature Reserve was created in Misiones, Argentina, a new protected area that will be managed by National Parks. With this, 78 hectares of forest are added to the protection of natural environments that is already being carried out in Colonia Andresito, Misiones. The lands hold a high ecological value, and includes a native forest that is in good condition.

This activity will allow reforestation actions in areas surrounding indigenous communities, taking care of biodiversity and protecting riverbeds.

WWF joins producers to support reforestation efforts in Paraguay

WWF-Paraguay and the most important production cooperatives in the country support indigenous communities of the Atlantic Forest to implement forest nurseries with the purpose of producing seedlings of native species, including yerba mate. This traditional plant will be destined to their own use, selling the rest to the local market. This activity will allow reforestation actions in areas surrounding indigenous communities, taking care of biodiversity and protecting riverbeds.

WWF-Colombia released the first Report Card of two binational basins in the world

3/5. That’s the score of the Mira and Mataje rivers (shared by Colombia and Ecuador), on the first Basin Health Report. WWF worked on this analysis for almost two years with more than 30 public institutions, local organizations and communities from both countries. One of the main conclusions is the need for greater binational effort to manage the conservation and sustainability of this territory. The launch of this Report was broadcasted live on the television show ‘Rivers that Unify’ by Telepasto channel and was supported by the Government and University of Nariño.

Campaign seeks to conserve Mexican cuisine’s essential ingredients

WWF-Mexico has launched a campaign to promote the conservation of its country’s traditional dishes, using Mexican varieties of peppers, tomatoes and beans. Various of these ingredients are at risk of disappearing, due to causes such as a change in consumption habits, land-use changes, climate change and the use of synthetic alternatives.

WWF shared proposals and guidelines for COP25 in Chile

Together with WWF-Chile representatives, led by its director, Ricardo Bosshard, international WWF leaders participated in a meeting with the Minister of the Environment, Carolina Schmidt, and their advisors. There, they commented on the guidelines that WWF will promote during the next Climate Change COP25 that will be held in Chile in December.

Responsible forest management in the Peruvian Amazon can help preserve wildlife

The research, conducted in the Tahuamanu Province, within the Madre de Dios region of Peru, evaluated the impact of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forest management on biodiversity. The findings reveal that FSC-certified concessions have a greater variety of species such as amphibians, insects and monkeys than non-FSC certified logging concessions.

WWF renews Operation Agreement with the Government of Ecuador

The Operation Agreement between WWF and the Government of the Republic of Ecuador was renewed on August 7th. Although the organization has been supporting conservation work in the country for more than 58 years, this is the third time the agreement has been renewed, which has been signed since the NGO’s offices in Galapagos were officially opened in 2004.

Two New Interactive Environmental Education Rooms in Bolivia

Two interactive rooms, powered by solar energy, were opened at the Municipal Environmental Education Center and are ready to receive children from the city of Santa Cruz in Bolivia.

The space allows visitors to interact with the country’s biodiversity, specifically three flagship species: the Andean bear, river dolphin and jaguar. This also includes a space dedicated to the Municipal Protected Area “Curichi La Madre” that offers information, images and videos from trap cameras.