We had caught up on zoom calls during lockdown but it had been close to a decade since Morley Read and I had met face to face. So when I got the email from Morley telling me he was in the UK we fixed a date and I made the trip down to Cornwall (where he grew up) to meet. It was a sunny late … Continue reading #worth more than gold: interview with Morley Read

Last week, Jamaica’s PM, Andrew Holness has announced that Cockpit Country is closed to mining activity. I first became aware of this special rainforest when I visited Jamaica in the nineties. Driving up to St Elizabeth from Montego Bay I could see tracts of primary rainforest on the distinctively-shaped hills on the western outskirts of Cockpit Country. Investigating the habitat further, I learned that it … Continue reading Cockpit Country, Jamaica’s precious rainforest, Closed to Mining – its official!

As reported in a number of leading new agencies (links below), on Wednesday the Constitutional Court of Ecuador ruled in favour of recognising the ‘Rights of Nature’ – protecting Los Cedros and other rainforests across the country. An amazing result, well done to José and the whole team involved. Monumental. Selected news coverage: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/02/plan-to-mine-in-ecuador-forest-violate-rights-of-nature-court-rules-aoe https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/ecuadors-highest-court-enforces-constitutional-rights-of-nature-to-safeguard-los-cedros-protected-forest-2021-12-02/ https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/12/01/rights-nature-victory-ecuador-los-cedros-case-constitutional-court-upholds Continue reading Landmark ruling – Los Cedros

In the latest in a series of interviews with eco-defenders working on the frontline, I managed to catch up with Elisa Levy who has been crucially raising the profile of forest conservation in Ecuador. Elisa was born in rural area in NW Ecuador, Chical. As such she grew up interested in the natural world and, in 2003, started a course in biology at the Universidad … Continue reading Interview with Elisa Levy – taking the case for conservation to the people

Earlier this week, the BBC reported on the climate summit’s first major deal “More than 100 world leaders have promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030″…. However, the reception to this news has been varied. Several commentators point to a similar commitment made in 2014. The ‘New York Declaration on Forests’ aimed to half deforestation by 2020, and halt it by 2030 – and … Continue reading End forest detruction by 2030 – COP 26’s first major deal – but will it really make a difference?

RESERVA LOS CEDROS PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY RAINFOREST INFORMATION CENTRE, 3RD SEPTEMBER 2021How Green is Copper? As we head deeper into climate catastrophe, the push to extract raw materials for an urgent ‘clean energy’transition is impacting on resource-rich areas, including the world’s most biodiverse and vulnerableecosystems. With the world’s largest climate conference COP just around the corner for the first time they will beincluding biodiversity … Continue reading Los Cedros update – COP26: the ideal chance to ensure the future of the reserve is not ‘swept under the carpet’

Mongabay Latam recently interviewed Diego Cisneros-Heredia – a leading herpatologist from Ecuador who has discovered over 30 species of amphibians and reptiles new to science. The article covers his biography and also gives his perspective on the threats to the habitats of the species he studies. Los Cedros reserve gets special mention! For the earth! Full article: “The conservation situation and the risk of extinction … Continue reading Interview with Ecuadorian herpatologist highlights the threats to his country’s unique biological diversity

Judges in Ecuador are deciding whether to grant protection to Los Cedros under the ‘Rights of Nature’. The decision-making process has so far taken 9 months in the country’s Constitutional Court. The judgement is being scrutinized not just by environemental campaigners but also the mining industry prospecting in the region. The decision on Los Cedros will set a precedent for the many mining concesssions in … Continue reading Reserva Los Cedros – Update

Ecuador is being ravaged by highly contagious variants of COVID and under total lockdown every weekend. That might have explained why Jose was truggling to join our Zoom call. Communications to Los Cedros, nestled in a remote corner of NW Ecuador, have always been a challenge but are especially so when the whole country is swamping internet bandwidth, locked down in their homes. In the … Continue reading Interview with José DeCoux – founder of Reserva Los Cedros, Ecuador