Belo Monte: The dialogue that never happened
Bishop Erwin Kräutler, the president of CIMI (Indigenous Missionary Council) in Brazil, has published an "open letter" in which he attacks the government's decision to push ahead with the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the Amazon basin.
Colombia: Las Pavas: Farmers demand right of return to lands
On 4 April 2011, more than 70 adults returned to the Las Pavas ranch (Department of Bolívar), from which they were displaced in July 2009, following various returns and subsequent forced displacements.
Amazon: NASA scientists detect extensive drought damage
Satellite images have revealed that last year's drought, the most severe ever recorded, did more extensive and more lasting damage to the Amazon forest than had been expected, say NASA scientists.
Brazil: the latest round in the Guarani struggle
At the end of February, the trial was held of the men accused of killing the Guarani leader Marcos Verón in 2003. Jan Rocha, who was at the trial, sent this special report.
In Haiti, Land Reform as a Pillar of Reconstruction
Ronel Thelusmond is the director of the technical division of the National Institute for the Application of Agrarian Reform (INARA), which is part of the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture.
WikiLeaks: Why Brazil matters to US climate policy-makers
The leaks, brought together by redd-monitor.org, give a fascinting glimpse into U.S. climate policy towards Brazil, particularly its concern that Brazil should favour carbon trading.
Colombia: Multinational Banana Corporation Displaces Afro-Colombian Peace Communities
Since early December, hundreds of private contractors of multinational banana corporation Banacol have illegally invaded and occupied Afro-Colombian peace communities in the Curvaradó river basin in order to clear the land for banana cultivation.
Argentina: Xenophobia and urban land takeovers
Resentment against foreigners is growing in Argentina, as many poor migrants from Bolivia and Paraguay have been involved in the takeover of land in Buenos Aires.
Martial Law, Repression, and Remilitarization in Guatemala
President Colom initiated Martial Law in Alta Verapaz in December in order to control the drugs violence between cartels in the area.
“Haiti Needs a Social Policy for Housing”
As many, many people are still living in tents following last year's earthquake Ronal Thelusmond discusses the need for a clear social housing policy to allow everyone to work together in securing a future for Haiti's people.