A Victory After 15 Years: Land Restitution for Families Displaced by the El Quimbo Dam

A Victory After 15 Years: Land Restitution for Families Displaced by the El Quimbo Dam

By Monti Aguirre, Director, Latin America Program In a long overdue victory, Colombian President Gustavo Petro last week handed over nearly 1000 hectares of land to close to 100 families displaced by the construction of El Quimbo dam. Built on the Magdalena River—Colombia’s most important waterway, vital for the country’s ecosystem, culture, and economy—the dam effectively…

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Recognizing the Rights of the Biobío River: A New Era of Environmental Stewardship

Recognizing the Rights of the Biobío River: A New Era of Environmental Stewardship

By Monti Aguirre, Director, Latin America Program For the Spanish version, click here. The Biobío River was Chile’s first major river protection campaign, which later helped shape and inform efforts to protect iconic rivers in Patagonia. The lessons learned from the Biobío campaign laid the groundwork for future advocacy, driving the successful movements to safeguard rivers…

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Reconociendo los Derechos del Río Biobío: Una Nueva Era para la Protección Ambiental

Reconociendo los Derechos del Río Biobío: Una Nueva Era para la Protección Ambiental

Por Monti Aguirre, Directora, Programa América Latina For English version, click here El Río Biobío fue la primera gran campaña de protección de ríos en Chile, y marcó un precedente que luego inspiraría e informaría los esfuerzos para proteger ríos icónicos en la Patagonia. Las lecciones aprendidas en la campaña por el Biobío sentaron las bases…

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PRESS RELEASE: Breaking News: The Biobío River becomes the first ecosystem in Chile to have a Declaration of Rights

PRESS RELEASE: Breaking News: The Biobío River becomes the first ecosystem in Chile to have a Declaration of Rights

Photos here (credit: Defensa Ambiental) Download the press release here: English Version For Immediate Release September 25, 2024 MEDIA CONTACTS: Isadora Armani, Communications of International Rivers,iarmani@internationalrivers.org (English, Portuguese) Dario Cuellar, Communications of Defensa Ambiental, dario@ongdefensaambiental.cl (Spanish) CONCEPCIÓN, CHILE – The Biobío River is now the first ecosystem to have a Declaration of Rights in Chile. …

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PRESS RELEASE | Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition Statement on Release of Hoang Thi Minh Hong

PRESS RELEASE | Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition Statement on Release of Hoang Thi Minh Hong

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT: v4climateleaders@gmail.com The Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition,  a group of over 30 international and regional environmental, climate justice, and human rights organizations, celebrates the early release from prison of climate advocate and environmental defender Hoang Thi Minh Hong.  Hong was released in the early hours of 21 September…

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Asia Pacific Feminist Forum Event | Asserting rights to rivers, territories and life in the face of authoritarian crack-downs: lessons from cross-border organizing

Asia Pacific Feminist Forum Event | Asserting rights to rivers, territories and life in the face of authoritarian crack-downs: lessons from cross-border organizing

Date: Thursday, September 12th Time: 11am Location: Asia Pacific Feminist Forum, Chiang Mai, Thailand Hydropower continues to be promoted as part of the energy transition, backed by vested interests across the region, including energy, construction and consultancy companies, bankrolled increasingly in the context of ‘climate finance’ schemes. However, damming our rivers creates sacrifice zones, causing…

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Biocultural Community Protocols, a powerful tool to affirm and protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights 

Biocultural Community Protocols, a powerful tool to affirm and protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights 

by Sherelee Odayar, Senior Programme Officer, Standing with Communities, Natural Justice The Process of developing the Biocultural Community Protocol of the OvaHerero of the Kaokoland in Namibia and Angola For centuries, Indigenous peoples have depended on the natural environment to sustain their livelihoods. Knowledge of plants and animals, as well as the performance of certain…

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Webinar: Operating the Principles for Free-Flowing River Protection, Restoration and Management

Webinar: Operating the Principles for Free-Flowing River Protection, Restoration and Management

DATE: September 18, 2024 TIME: 7am – 8am MDT (UTC -6)  REGISTER: Zoom link for the event Join us to discover how the Global River Protection Coalition’s (GRPC) Principles of Free-flowing River Protection, Restoration, and Management can be applied to meet freshwater conservation needs at various scales, including achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 30×30 Targets…

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PRESS RELEASE | Klamath River Runs Free for First Time in a Century as Largest Dam Removal in US History Nears Completion

PRESS RELEASE | Klamath River Runs Free for First Time in a Century as Largest Dam Removal in US History Nears Completion

Tribal and conservation advocates celebrate as river is returned to historic channel; restoration activities to continue for several more years FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 28, 2024 CONTACT Ren Brownell,  ren@klamathrenewal.org, KRRC PIO, 530-598-8255Craig Tucker, craig@suitsandsigns.com, Consultant for the Karuk Tribe 916-207-8294Matt Mais, mmais@yuroktribe.nsn.us, PR Director for the Yurok Tribe 707-954-0976 Klamath River Renewal Corporation • Karuk Tribe • Yurok Tribe • American…

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STATEMENT | International Rivers statement on Teesta-V hydropower station destruction in Sikkim

STATEMENT | International Rivers statement on Teesta-V hydropower station destruction in Sikkim

On August 20, 2024, the world witnessed another major landslide that badly damaged a hydropower project in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem along the river Teesta. This latest landslide caused major destruction of the 510 MW NHPC Teesta-V hydropower power station in Sikkim, India. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported but the region is still reeling…

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