Places

We use our limited resources strategically to focus on protecting key species and ecosystems, such as Mexico’s National Wetlands, which host 80% of the Pacific’s migratory birds and absorb twice as much carbon dioxide as a tropical forest of the same size. We also bring legal, scientific, and technical support to communities to strengthen their ability to fight industrial projects that damage their land, air, and water.

Related projects

Holding Brazil accountable for the Belo Monte Dam

We're representing affected communities before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in a case calling on Brazil to answer for the gross human rights violations caused from the construction of the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River.

Protecting the rich marine life of Cabo Pulmo Reef

We've been working for decades to protect Cabo Pulmo Reef, an ecological treasure off the coast of Baja California, from irresponsible development and ensure the conservation and sustainable use of its natural resources.

Protecting the Santurban Páramo from mining's damages

For years we've been leading the fight to protect Colombia's páramos, particularly the Santurbán páramo, from the toxic dangers posed by mining and other extractive industries, which threaten to contaminate the Andean nation's primary sources of fresh water.

Halting the implementation of large dams in the Americas

We're advocating before governments, financial institutions and decision-makers to stop the funding and implementation of large dam projects, highly unsustainable energy sources that often carry huge social and environmental costs, and whose implementation aggravates climate change.

Defending Mexico's marine biodiversity from deep sea mining

We're working to protect the habitat of the rich marine life that migrates along the coast of Baja California, including grey whales and sea turtles, by advocating against the implementation of a proposed deep-sea mining project.

Saving the San Pedro Mezquital River from a destructive large dam

We've partnered with the indigenous communities of Nayarit to protect the last free-flowing river in the Western Sierra Madre Mountains, the San Pedro Mezquital, a sacred river that feeds Mexico's largest mangrove forest and is threatened by the proposed Las Cruces Dam.

Defending the Veracruz Reef from a port expansion project

We're working through international conventions and strategic public outreach to raise awareness of the threats posed to the largest reef system in the Gulf of Mexico by the short-sighted expansion of the Port of Veracruz, a project authorized by the Mexican government without adequate environmental assessment.

Protecting Patagonian Seas from Salmon Farms

We're working to protect the pristine seascapes of Southern Patagonia from the rapid expansion of the salmon industry, which has wreaked havoc in other parts of the country due to harmful techniques and the lack of adequate oversight, leading to expansive oceanic dead zones in waters once teaming with life.

Conserving the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta

We're calling on Colombia to respond to the ecological crisis facing the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, the nation's largest coastal wetland, and take immediate actions to limit harm and preserve the unique natural area for future generations.

Supporting Cajamarca’s fight to defend its territory from mining

We're providing legal support to the people of Cajamarca, a rural municipality in Colombia that voted to ban all mining from its territory, who face the continued presence of a large-scale open-pit mining project that threatens their land and water.

Mayan women’s struggle before the Inter-American Development Bank in Guatemala

We advise indigenous communities in the micro-region of Ixquisis, Guatemala on how to best defend their water and natural resources from the damages of large dams.

Protecting herbivorous fish, to secure a future for corals

We support the implementation of effective measures to protect herbivorous fish and ensure the future of coral reefs in Latin America. We do it hand-in-hand with governments, decision makers, civil society organizations and others.

Preserving the legacy of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Heart of the World

We support the struggle of the Arhuaco, Kogi, Wiwa and Kankuamo indigenous peoples of Colombia, who seek legal protection for their territory and sacred sites, threatened by mining and other industries.

Preserving Bolivia’s High-Andean lakes, sources of life

We support communities affected by the degradation of the Poopó and Uru Uru lakes with legal strategies to protect their rights and rescue the ecosystems.

Towards an end to subsidies that promote overfishing

We support Latin American countries in redesigning their fisheries subsidy programs and in designing fisheries management measures that contribute to sustainable fisheries.