Gold, Mercury, and Deforestation | Oro, mercurio y deforestación

Editorial, El Deber: It is both paradoxical and tragic. Where large deposits of silver and tin were discovered and exploited, today poor families and decimated communities survive. Where natural gas was discovered and exported, fueling the powerful industries of Brazil and Argentina, there are still regions that have not overcome the most critical levels of…

Encroachers and Illegal Miners | Avasalladores y mineros ilegales

Tatiana Castro, Los Tiempos: Park Rangers Must Face Harassment from Encroachers and Illegal Miners Park rangers must confront the lack of human resources, adverse working conditions, harassment from encroachers, and judicial harassment in their tasks of protecting the 23 parks and protected areas in Bolivia. They feel defenseless and unauthorized. The vice president of the…

Fish that eats piranhas – Paiche – Pez que come pirañas

Bob Howard – Assignment, BBC World Service, Yahoo News: The fish that eats piranhas for breakfast Guillermo Otta Parum has been fishing in the Bolivian Amazon his whole life, for more than 50 years. At first, Guillermo was catching native fish, such as the various kinds of catfish which inhabit the river. But then a…

In search of El Dorado | En busca de El Dorado

David Smith, The Critic: Bolivia’s future could be bright if it forges its own bold path A century ago, a British explorer —  adventurer is probably the better word — named Percy Fawcett, pursued the dream of finding that hidden paradise called El Dorado, the gold city of South America that had obsessed plenty before…