Antonio García on the Role of USAID in US Imperialism

By: Antonio García, Primer Comandante of ELN

U.S. Congressman Scott Perry in his X account had already been denouncing what now jumps out again among an endless number of scandals: “USAID financed Boko Haram, Al Qaeda with more than 697 million dollars (…) It financed the training camps for these terrorists. In Afghanistan and Pakistan it also financed terrorism with false programs.”

A strong and controversial denunciation made in previous years, now, in 2025, regains strength in the midst of the total change in US international policy, under the Trump administration.

At the beginning of February of this year, the new occupant of the White House, among many decisions he has made in his first month in office, made the radical decision of closing the Agency for International Development and Cooperation -USAID-.

He vehemently stated that much of the funds of this Agency have been used fraudulently, without a beneficial return for the United States.

This entity was created in 1961 and became a mechanism that, under the protection of “international aid”, had already been translated into a perfect mechanism of political interference in various countries, the objective was none other than to achieve the objectives and interests of the United States in the regions considered strategic for the northern country.

There are many cases that account for and ratify this statement, the case of the coup d’état and installation of a dictatorship in Chile, overthrowing the elected President Salvador Allende, more recent and under a similar logic stand out cases such as the support and promotion of the failed coup d’état against the then president of Venezuela Hugo Chávez in 2002, support and interference that extended to 2006, 2009 and later.

It is worth remembering that these actions of interference have been repeated throughout the region, just to refer to cases from the continent, they motivated the expulsion of USAID from Bolivia for supporting the opposition in the growing destabilization of the government of the time (2013), the same thing was done at the time by the then president of Ecuador Rafael Correa in expelling this agency from his country (2014).

In Cuba, for example, USAID financed destabilization actions through the use of social networks, the case called ZunZuneo. The list of actions is long and the denunciations profound.

Perhaps one of the acts of greatest interference has been to support and guide training processes aimed at public servants, judges, prosecutors, social organizations, but above all the media.

Almost 500 million dollars were allocated through the NGO Internews Network (IN) influencing a wide network of media, thus consolidating narratives related to the interests of the United States, that is, it ended up financing a wide network of manipulation and propaganda.

This extensive mechanism of manipulation has proven to be very effective in attacking and destabilizing governments not aligned with U.S. interests, generating a matrix of disinformation, a series of baseless accusations, but credibly edited to encourage hatred, as was the case of the proceeding against President Zelaya of Honduras, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Dilma Rousseff in Brazil, attacking everything that opposes its interests.

It has even been revealed how USAID has been key to activating destabilization processes against the government of Venezuela, with the participation of legal and illegal actors, media matrices from Colombia, as was done during the government of Iván Duque, when the network of destabilizing actions and deep corruption was conceived.

Now, this flood of information that comes to light, some open secrets, others unpublished data, does not imply anything satisfactory in the medium term, it is only the change of a foreign policy focused on threats, coercion, extortion and that rewards indignity and submission. Let this be clear to us.

However, this large amount of information is of great value to us.

Colombia is among the countries with the greatest “unconditional support” from this defunct agency, resources that were allocated, among others, to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement, support for investigations and work of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), support for the issue of land, border, projects in strategic regions, etc.

It is good to keep in mind the reports presented to the Truth Commission in 2020, one in particular entitled: “From the beginning to the end. The United States in the Colombian Armed Conflict.” It leaves us with the question after reading it, because the one who has been the promoter of the war in Colombia since long ago, now serves as a “disinterested” promoter of Peace.

We cannot pass by and we are obliged to look carefully at the recipients of “hot money” from the “master of the North”, NGOs and some social organizations and even institutions of the current government, which regret Trump’s decision. They think that people swallow the “toad” that these monies come with well-intentioned purposes.

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#AntonioGarcía #colombia #eln #southAmerica #usImperialism

(Chile) Update on Anarchist Comrades Aldo and Lucas Hernández

It’s been more than two years since that 22nd of December in 2022, the day of various raids orchestrated by the Metropolitana Sur High Complexity Prosecutor. Six households were raided, five of these in the Metropolitan Region and one in the Valparaiso Region, all registered by police groups OS9, GOPE and LABOCAR, resulting in six arrests, four of which led to pre-trial prison. Two of these were brothers and comrades Aldo and Lucas Hernández, who throughout the following months remained under investigation for the explosive attack on the National Police Headquarters of Chile. Aldo is accused of having placed the device, as well as facing violations of the Arms Control Law, and Lucas is also accused of various violations of the arms and explosives control Law.

Months later, the comrades were asked to attend a hearing to be re-formalized, and both were charged with the manufacture of weapons and explosive devices for various items found in the home raided in Pedro Aguirre Cerda.

In this process we have seen how the prosecution has used trickery and dirty games to attempt to harm and intimidate those surrounding the accused with imprisonment, seeking information and even denunciations in order to complete the investigation and to be able to prove their accusations. The result of the harassment has been negative, since all the detainees after the raids have remained dignified and trustworthy faced with the mediocre attempts of the Prosecutor Claudio Orellana, demonstrating complicity and loyalty to the principles of anti-authoritarian comradeship in practice.

Across the months, the comrades have lived various and different realities of prison, since from the beginning they were separated, trying to break their family ties, depriving them from having contact and sharing the same physical space for more than two years.

Now the comrades await the preparation audience of the oral trial, which has already been postponed on two occasions for legal reasons. After awaiting trial for over two years, the comrades remain unable to reunite for reasons of security, violating their rights of conserving the family ties that bond them.

In this trial, they risk being given exemplary sentences; for Aldo the prosecution requests a 90 year sentence and for Lucas a 26 year sentence. We call these exemplary because this excessive quantity of years only aims to intimidate the environment and those who decide to return blow with blow without turning the other cheek, nor awaiting illusive and idealized opportune moments to go for our enemies. The comrades maintain intact their integrity and impetus to continue contributing to strengthening the anarchic path outside and within prison. They cling fiercely to their ideas and values, bringing along various comrades who have been deprived of their freedom just like they have, making their ideas a real threat for the range of nefarious conducts inside prison and practicing carceral solidarity, remaining strong against prison and its jailers within their own houses (prisons).

Power continues to deal blows; reprisals are part of the daily life/captivity of our brothers. The last update was Aldo’s transfer to unit 2 of maximum security in “La Gonzalina” prison, on December 24 of last year, changing the carceral regime for him. Currently he is being kept with a schedule of 21 hours of lockup and 3 hours on the range, this added to restrictions such as the prohibition of electronic apparatuses (TV, kettle and radio). This transfer resulted from a raid carried out in unit 12 (unit in which Aldo was held for 2 years) on December 18 during which the personal information of the 16 national police wounded in the attack on the headquarters carried out on December 27, 2021 was found inside Aldo’s cell. This information which was found contained in the respective investigative files of the case, was the motive for which the high authorities of La Gonzalina decided on his isolation.

Violentist practice is more valid than ever, and it is blood to pump the hearts of our brothers in prison. Each unerring action, propaganda gesture, reveals the vulnerability of a predatory system that sustains itself through a false security that’s no more than a mask that can be burnt off, in reach of our hands full of conviction and courage.

Actions such as attacks with arms-bombs on institutions-police-machines that protect the interests of power and the rich are only one demonstration of this, so that the fear is felt by those who capture us, the bullets have names and addresses. May our energies be capable of creating what our imagination once thought, so that each idea in the minds of those who see the violentist struggle as possible overflows.

Fire and death to the spectator, the scavenger, the martyr and the vulture.

Freedom for all those who remain convinced, true and courageous against domination!

Freedom for anarchist, subversive and mapuche prisoners!

We dare to create the forbidden!

Make ideas a real threat!

Freedom for Aldo and Lucas Hernández!

February 2025.

via:informativoanarquista

Translated by Act for freedom now!

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=…

#AldoHernández #AnarchistPrisoners #chile #lucasHernández #southAmerica

(Chile) Update on Anarchist Comrades Aldo and Lucas Hernández

It’s been more than two years since that 22nd of December in 2022, the day of various raids orchestrated by the Metropolitana Sur High Complexity Prosecutor. Six households were raided, five of these in the Metropolitan Region and one in the Valparaiso Region, all registered by police groups OS9, GOPE an

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/175…

#News #AldoHernndez #AnarchistPrisoners #chile #LucasHernndez #SouthAmerica

abolitionmedia

2025-03-13 22:03:42

(Chile) Update on Anarchist Comrades Aldo and Lucas Hernández

It’s been more than two years since that 22nd of December in 2022, the day of various raids orchestrated by the Metropolitana Sur High Complexity Prosecutor. Six households were raided, five of these in the Metropolitan Region and one in the Valparaiso Region, all registered by police groups OS9, GOPE and LABOCAR, resulting in six arrests, four of which led to pre-trial prison. Two of these were brothers and comrades Aldo and Lucas Hernández, who throughout the following months remained under investigation for the explosive attack on the National Police Headquarters of Chile. Aldo is accused of having placed the device, as well as facing violations of the Arms Control Law, and Lucas is also accused of various violations of the arms and explosives control Law.

Months later, the comrades were asked to attend a hearing to be re-formalized, and both were charged with the manufacture of weapons and explosive devices for various items found in the home raided in Pedro Aguirre Cerda.

In this process we have seen how the prosecution has used trickery and dirty games to attempt to harm and intimidate those surrounding the accused with imprisonment, seeking information and even denunciations in order to complete the investigation and to be able to prove their accusations. The result of the harassment has been negative, since all the detainees after the raids have remained dignified and trustworthy faced with the mediocre attempts of the Prosecutor Claudio Orellana, demonstrating complicity and loyalty to the principles of anti-authoritarian comradeship in practice.

Across the months, the comrades have lived various and different realities of prison, since from the beginning they were separated, trying to break their family ties, depriving them from having contact and sharing the same physical space for more than two years.

Now the comrades await the preparation audience of the oral trial, which has already been postponed on two occasions for legal reasons. After awaiting trial for over two years, the comrades remain unable to reunite for reasons of security, violating their rights of conserving the family ties that bond them.

In this trial, they risk being given exemplary sentences; for Aldo the prosecution requests a 90 year sentence and for Lucas a 26 year sentence. We call these exemplary because this excessive quantity of years only aims to intimidate the environment and those who decide to return blow with blow without turning the other cheek, nor awaiting illusive and idealized opportune moments to go for our enemies. The comrades maintain intact their integrity and impetus to continue contributing to strengthening the anarchic path outside and within prison. They cling fiercely to their ideas and values, bringing along various comrades who have been deprived of their freedom just like they have, making their ideas a real threat for the range of nefarious conducts inside prison and practicing carceral solidarity, remaining strong against prison and its jailers within their own houses (prisons).

Power continues to deal blows; reprisals are part of the daily life/captivity of our brothers. The last update was Aldo’s transfer to unit 2 of maximum security in “La Gonzalina” prison, on December 24 of last year, changing the carceral regime for him. Currently he is being kept with a schedule of 21 hours of lockup and 3 hours on the range, this added to restrictions such as the prohibition of electronic apparatuses (TV, kettle and radio). This transfer resulted from a raid carried out in unit 12 (unit in which Aldo was held for 2 years) on December 18 during which the personal information of the 16 national police wounded in the attack on the headquarters carried out on December 27, 2021 was found inside Aldo’s cell. This information which was found contained in the respective investigative files of the case, was the motive for which the high authorities of La Gonzalina decided on his isolation.

Violentist practice is more valid than ever, and it is blood to pump the hearts of our brothers in prison. Each unerring action, propaganda gesture, reveals the vulnerability of a predatory system that sustains itself through a false security that’s no more than a mask that can be burnt off, in reach of our hands full of conviction and courage.

Actions such as attacks with arms-bombs on institutions-police-machines that protect the interests of power and the rich are only one demonstration of this, so that the fear is felt by those who capture us, the bullets have names and addresses. May our energies be capable of creating what our imagination once thought, so that each idea in the minds of those who see the violentist struggle as possible overflows.

Fire and death to the spectator, the scavenger, the martyr and the vulture.

Freedom for all those who remain convinced, true and courageous against domination!

Freedom for anarchist, subversive and mapuche prisoners!

We dare to create the forbidden!

Make ideas a real threat!

Freedom for Aldo and Lucas Hernández!

February 2025.

via:informativoanarquista

Translated by Act for freedom now!

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=…

#AldoHernández #AnarchistPrisoners #chile #lucasHernández #southAmerica

(Chile) Update on Anarchist Comrades Aldo and Lucas Hernández | Act for freedom now!

^{actforfree.noblogs.org}

Violence for Palm Oil Against Peasant Communities in Honduras Meets Resistance

In the Aguán Valley of northern Honduras, peasant communities reclaiming ancestral lands face increasing violence and intimidation from armed groups linked to organised crime. The Dinant Corporation, a prominent palm oil producer, is accused of land theft and involvement in the murders of local activists. International organisations have condemned these human rights abuses, with a coalition of 33 organisations calling for a boycott of Dinant and for multinational companies: Pepsi, ADM, Cargill and Nestle to immediately cease business with Dinant. Despite governmental promises to address the conflict, concrete actions remain absent. You can resist for them in solidarity by boycotting their products in the supermarket! #BoycottPalmOil #LandRights #IndigenousRights #HumanRights

#News: Peasant Communities in #Honduras 🇭🇳 face violent #landgrabbing from armed groups claiming their ancestral lands on behalf of #palmoil company #Dinant. 33 #HumanRights orgs call for an end to violence and a boycott of Dinant. #LandRights #IndigenousRights #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🔥⛔ wp.me/pcFhgU-an1

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In the Aguán Valley, northern Honduras, peasant communities striving to reclaim ancestral lands from the palm oil industry are encountering severe threats from heavily armed groups associated with organised crime. Recent incidents include the assassinations of peasant leaders José Luis Hernández Lobo and Suyapa Guillén in February 2025, and activist Arnulfo Díaz in January 2025. On December 24, 2024, the Los Camarones cooperative suffered a violent eviction by armed factions, displacing over 160 families who now endure precarious conditions without access to land or resources.

Dinant Faces Allegations of Murder, Violence and Threats Against Peasant Farmers

The Dinant Corporation, a major palm oil producer, claims ownership of lands that peasants assert as their ancestral territory. For over a decade, Dinant has faced allegations of engaging in violence, including murders and threats against peasant leaders and human rights defenders. International bodies, such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, have denounced these abuses. In February 2022, Honduran President Xiomara Castro pledged to investigate and resolve the conflict through a tripartite commission; however, tangible actions have yet to materialise.

Environmental and Economic Implications

The expansion of palm oil monoculture in Honduras, now covering approximately 200,000 hectares—over 18% of the nation’s arable land—has led to significant deforestation, ecosystem destruction, and soil degradation. This growth often involves collaboration between corporations and paramilitary groups, exacerbating the displacement and persecution of peasant communities.

International Coalition of 33 Orgs Call for Boycott of Dinant

A coalition of 33 environmental and human rights organisations has called on multinational corporations, including ADM, Cargill, Pepsico, and Nestlé, to cease business relations with Dinant. These organisations accuse Dinant of employing paramilitary and military forces to forcibly remove peasants resisting plantation expansion, using tactics ranging from physical violence to the destruction of livelihoods. In response to mounting pressure, companies such as BASF and Bunge have suspended commercial ties with Dinant, while Nestlé has announced plans to eliminate the supplier from its supply chains.

Call for Immediate Action

The ongoing violence and displacement of peasant communities in Honduras necessitate urgent intervention from both national authorities and the international community. Protecting the rights and lives of these communities is imperative, alongside promoting land use practices that fully respect indigenous territories and environmental integrity.

Latchford, R. (2025, February 20). Peasant communities under attack in Honduras. Freedom News. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from freedomnews.org.uk/2025/02/20/…

ENDS

Read more about human rights abuses and child slavery in the palm oil industry

The Great Malaysian Timber and Palm Oil Swindle

A joint investigation by Malaysiakini and Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) reveals alarming deforestation in Pahang, #Malaysia, caused by one of the country’s largest #palmoil plantations. The plantation threatens endangered species like…

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Deadly Harvest: How Demand for Palm Oil Fuels Corruption in Honduras

Latin America is the fastest-growing producer of palm oil, but at what price for the environment and its defenders? Park rangers in Honduras tell harrowing tales of daily threats to their lives and…

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Ten Victories and Challenges to Indigenous Rights in 2024

From Brazil’s action against illegal gold miners to the Sacred Headwaters Alliance defending the Amazon, these top Indigenous stories of 2024 highlight resilience and challenges. The year of 2024 underscored the importance of…

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Palm Oil Protesters Silenced and Arrested in Congo

On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, a shocking and disgraceful incident occurred in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During a meeting of shareholders from Plantations et Huileries du Congo…

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Amazon Clarion Call: Pandemics Emerging in the Rainforest

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…

twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…

twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #childLabour #childSlavery #Dinant #Honduras #humanRights #HumanRights #indigenousRights #indigenousrights #landRights #landgrabbing #landrights #LatinAmerica #Nestle #News #PalmOil #palmoil #Pepsi #PepsiCo #slavery #SouthAmerica #violence

' profile=

2025-02-11 14:09:00

Deadly Harvest: How Demand for Palm Oil Fuels Corruption in Honduras

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Latin America is the fastest-growing producer of palm oil, but at what price for the environment and its defenders? Park rangers in Honduras tell harrowing tales of daily threats to their lives and real dangers they face in the long-term fight for protect Honduran rainforests, indigenous peoples and animals from annihilation #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

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🌿 #LatinAmerica’s #Honduras is rapidly increasing #palmoil production – at HUGE cost. Rangers face daily death threats 💀 while defending #rainforests 🌳 #indigenous peoples and #wildlife. 💔 Fight back! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8YV

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💀 Park rangers in #Honduras 🇭🇳 #SouthAmerica risk their lives every day to protect animals 🐒 #indigenous peoples and #rainforests from #palmoil plantations. Their fight is real. Resist when u shop! 💪 #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-8YV

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Words and photography by Fritz Pinnow in Tela, Honduras. Originally published in The Guardian, 27 November, 2023 and republished via the Guardian’s open license agreement, read original article.

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Park ranger Adonias Cruz was out monitoring illegal oil palm crops in Blanca Jeannette Kawas national park, on the north coast of Honduras, on 10 September, when an unknown armed man came to his flat and rang the bell. When the stranger realised Cruz was out, he left him a death threat.
Oil palm fields growing at the edges of the national park in Honduras. Photography: Fritz Pinnow.

“I had already received death threats from people in the community for leading a team to eradicate a new oil palm plantation in the central zone of the park,” says Cruz. “It was frightening to know they were in my flat and that everything could have ended differently if I had been home that day.”

Cruz, 28, is one of four park rangers dedicated to protecting national parks and monitoring illegal oil palm crops in Honduras. It is a high-risk job: groups linked to the exploitation of palm oil in environmental reserves and drug trafficking have made it clear they are ready to kill if they think the agents interfere too much in their business.

“Most people see us as their enemy. We can have friendly conversations with everyone here, but you never know who will be behind the next assassination attempt,” says Cruz.
Park ranger Adonias Cruz and colleagues patrol a mangrove lagoon in Blanca Jeannette Kawas national park looking for signs of illegal oil palm. Photo: Fritz Pinnow.
Fellow park ranger Cesar Ortega, 22, adds that the team’s work is monitored by the criminals. “From when we leave the office, they know exactly where we are and where we are heading. They have people at every intersection calling in our position and asking if we are with soldiers,” he says.

Cruz and Ortega are two of the many rangers who have been threatened while fighting against the rapid spread of oil palm plantations. Palm oil, especially from the oil palm’s fruit, has become an essential export business in Honduras, used in the food industry, in beauty products and as a biofuel. Its low production costs make it a cheap substitute for most oils, such as sunflower and olive, significantly lowering manufacturing costs in global markets.

Palm oil accounts for about 40% of global demand for vegetable oil as food, animal feed and fuel – about 210m tonnes. Between 1995 and 2015, annual production quadrupled, from 15.2m tonnes to 62.6m tonnes, and it is expected to quadruple once more in 2050. Latin America, the fastest-growing producer, accounts for almost 7% of global palm oil production.
Park ranger Cesar Ortega points out newly planted oil palm: “When the oil palm is still so young, it is critical to remove it
In Honduras, oil palm gained traction as a crop in2014, when the former president Juan Orlando Hernández invested almost $72m (£57m) in loans and grants to incentivise its cultivation. “All one needed was the willingness to plant oil palm, and the rest was served on a plate,” says Pablo Flores Velásquez, professor of environmental investigations at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH).

For the traffickers, oil palm crops are a way of legitimising their presence in the territory and securing physical control over the land.

Frances Thomson, Latin America specialist

The problem is that the extensive cultivation of oil palm has not only proved to be lucrative, but also poses a risk to the environment. “The oil palm presents a serious threat to the biodiversity of the wetlands and the water quality communities depend on,” says Velásquez. “As a monoculture, the installation and establishment of the crop necessitates the complete eradication of the biodiverse area, paralysing the ecosystem completely and permanently.”

In Honduras, these crops – whose harmful effects on the soil can create “green deserts” – account for almost 4% of all exports, mostly going to the Netherlands, the US, Italy and Switzerland, with a value of $334m in 2021. Six large companies control the production, and two claim more than half of all exports.

Nevertheless, 60% of the production in Honduras is in the hands of smallholders, who sell to corporations for refinement and export. Palm oil is highly lucrative for the farmers and provides an income every 15 days. The regional price of palm oil fruit varies greatly, from about 2,400 lempiras (£77) a tonne during low season to double that in summer.
Cesar Ortega looks at an area deforested for oil palm plantations. “They have stopped because of flooding, but as soon as they can access this area again this will all become palma,” he says
Read the remaining article on The Guardian’s website.

Words and photography by Fritz Pinnow in Tela, Honduras. Originally published in The Guardian, 27 November, 2023 and republished under Guardian’s open license agreement, read original article.

ENDS

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Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…

twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…

twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #Honduras #indigenous #LatinAmerica #PalmOil #palmOilBiofuel #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #rainforests #SouthAmerica #vegan #wildlife

How the world got hooked on palm oil

The long read: It’s the miracle ingredient in everything from biscuits to shampoo. But our dependence on palm oil has devastating consequences. Is it too late to break the habit?

^{Paul Tullis (The Guardian)}

Blind Eagle: …And Justice for All

Check Point Research uncovered ongoing campaigns by Blind Eagle targeting Colombian institutions since November 2024. The group exploits a variant of CVE-2024-43451, using malicious .url files to deliver malware. Their attack chain includes HeartCrypt-packed executables, a .NET RAT, and Remcos RAT as the final payload. The campaigns have high infection rates, with over 1,600 victims in a single operation. Blind Eagle utilizes legitimate platforms like Google Drive and GitHub for malware distribution. The group's operating timezone suggests South American origins. An operational failure revealed past phishing activities targeting Colombian banks, resulting in over 8,000 stolen PII entries.

Pulse ID: 67cf37cf03a9a42f431dbbef
Pulse Link: otx.alienvault.com/pulse/67cf3…
Pulse Author: AlienVault
Created: 2025-03-10 19:04:47

Be advised, this data is unverified and should be considered preliminary. Always do further verification.

#Bank #BlindEagle #CheckPoint #CyberSecurity #GitHub #Google #InfoSec #Malware #NET #OTX #OpenThreatExchange #Phishing #RAT #Remcos #RemcosRAT #SouthAmerica #bot #AlienVault

The alluring deep blue Glaucous #Macaw 🦜 has an immeasurably tragic tale to tell 😭🙁 Critically endangered in #SouthAmerica, fight for their survival, when you shop make sure you #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold 🚫🔥#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

' profile=

2025-03-08 14:45:00

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Critically endangered

Extant (resident)

Argentina; Brazil; Paraguay; Uruguay

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The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a larger group of neotropical macaws, they are closely related to the Lear’s macaw (A. leari) and the hyacinth macaw (A. hyacinthinus). Although often confused with similar species, the Glaucous Macaw is a unique denizen of South America’s gallery forests and palm savannahs.

Use your wallet as a weapon and help the Glaucous Macaw and other rare #birds. They face many threats to their survival including forest destruction for meat, palm oil, soy and gold. Join the movement to #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold and #Boycott4Wildlife. Together we can empower people we know to make conscious supermarket decisions for wildlife survival.

---

Their regal blue feathers have led the Glaucous #Macaw to being targeted by those in the illegal #pet trade and their home is being razed for #palmoil, #gold and #meat Help them to survive! #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold and be #vegan @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

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The alluring deep blue Glaucous #Macaw 🦜 has an immeasurably tragic tale to tell 😭🙁 Critically endangered in #SouthAmerica, fight for their survival, when you shop make sure you #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold 🚫🔥#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

youtu.be/_jL0Z32s_Ro

Appearance & Behaviour

The Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus are known for their pale turquoise-blue plumage and distinctive grey head, is a critically endangered bird native to South America. With a length of 70 cm (28 in), this striking macaw features a long tail, yellow eye ring, and half-moon lappets around its large mandible. Despite their formidable size and stunning appearance, the bird is rarely seen in the wild today due to habitat loss and poaching.

Threats

The Glaucous Macaw faces have faced significant human-related threats that have driven them to the brink of extinction. This is an immeasurable tragedy.

• Habitat Loss: Widespread logging, gold mining and palm oil agriculture led to the destruction of crucial yatay palm groves.
• Poaching: The bird was heavily targeted for the illegal pet trade due to their striking appearance.
• Deforestation: Conversion of forests for palm oil and cultivation along with gold mining and cattle ranching has destroyed many suitable habitats for the Glaucous Macaw.

Habitat

The Glaucous Macaw was historically found across Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil, favoring river basins with yatay palms or open forests. They relied on these palm groves for nesting and feeding. Their disappearance from these areas due to logging, agriculture, and hunting is a poignant reminder of the importance of habitat conservation. We cannot let them disappear!

Diet

Primarily feeding on the yatay palm nuts, the Glaucous Macaw supplemented their diet with other fruits and seeds. The loss of these critical palms directly impacted the bird’s survival and forced the remaining macaws to seek alternative, often insufficient, food sources.

Mating and breeding

Little is known about the breeding behaviour of this species due to their rarity. It is thought they nested on rocky cliffs in colonies, likely laying eggs in secure nests. Their colonial nature made them especially vulnerable to hunters.

Support Glaucous Macaw by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Animalia. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw. Retrieved from animalia.bio/glaucous-macaw

BirdLife International. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw Conservation. Birds of the World

BirdLife International. 2019. Anodorhynchus glaucus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22685527A154380861. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 09 May 2024.

---

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
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Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…

twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…

twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

---

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG

Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi

Keep reading

Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey Aotus nancymaae

Keep reading

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Keep reading

Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis

Keep reading

Visayan Broadbill Sarcophanops samarensis

Keep reading

Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus

Keep reading

---

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazards

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Read more

---

#animals #argentina #Bird #birds #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #GlaucousMacawAnodorhynchusGlaucus #gold #hunting #illegalPetTrade #macaw #meat #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraguay #pet #poaching #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #uruguay #vegan

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a larger group of neotropical…

^{Palm Oil Detectives}

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Critically endangered

Extant (resident)

Argentina; Brazil; Paraguay; Uruguay

The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a larger group of neotropical macaws, they are closely related to the Lear’s macaw (A. leari) and the hyacinth macaw (A. hyacinthinus). Although often confused with similar species, the Glaucous Macaw is a unique denizen of South America’s gallery forests and palm savannahs.

Use your wallet as a weapon and help the Glaucous Macaw and other rare #birds. They face many threats to their survival including forest destruction for meat, palm oil, soy and gold. Join the movement to #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold and #Boycott4Wildlife. Together we can empower people we know to make conscious supermarket decisions for wildlife survival.

Their regal blue feathers have led the Glaucous #Macaw to being targeted by those in the illegal #pet trade and their home is being razed for #palmoil, #gold and #meat Help them to survive! #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold and be #vegan @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

The alluring deep blue Glaucous #Macaw 🦜 has an immeasurably tragic tale to tell 😭🙁 Critically endangered in #SouthAmerica, fight for their survival, when you shop make sure you #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold 🚫🔥#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

youtu.be/_jL0Z32s_Ro

Appearance & Behaviour

The Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus are known for their pale turquoise-blue plumage and distinctive grey head, is a critically endangered bird native to South America. With a length of 70 cm (28 in), this striking macaw features a long tail, yellow eye ring, and half-moon lappets around its large mandible. Despite their formidable size and stunning appearance, the bird is rarely seen in the wild today due to habitat loss and poaching.

Threats

The Glaucous Macaw faces have faced significant human-related threats that have driven them to the brink of extinction. This is an immeasurable tragedy.

• Habitat Loss: Widespread logging, gold mining and palm oil agriculture led to the destruction of crucial yatay palm groves.
• Poaching: The bird was heavily targeted for the illegal pet trade due to their striking appearance.
• Deforestation: Conversion of forests for palm oil and cultivation along with gold mining and cattle ranching has destroyed many suitable habitats for the Glaucous Macaw.

Habitat

The Glaucous Macaw was historically found across Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil, favoring river basins with yatay palms or open forests. They relied on these palm groves for nesting and feeding. Their disappearance from these areas due to logging, agriculture, and hunting is a poignant reminder of the importance of habitat conservation. We cannot let them disappear!

Diet

Primarily feeding on the yatay palm nuts, the Glaucous Macaw supplemented their diet with other fruits and seeds. The loss of these critical palms directly impacted the bird’s survival and forced the remaining macaws to seek alternative, often insufficient, food sources.

Mating and breeding

Little is known about the breeding behaviour of this species due to their rarity. It is thought they nested on rocky cliffs in colonies, likely laying eggs in secure nests. Their colonial nature made them especially vulnerable to hunters.

Support Glaucous Macaw by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Animalia. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw. Retrieved from animalia.bio/glaucous-macaw

BirdLife International. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw Conservation. Birds of the World

BirdLife International. 2019. Anodorhynchus glaucus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22685527A154380861. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 09 May 2024.

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…

twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…

twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG

Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi

Keep reading

Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey Aotus nancymaae

Keep reading

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Keep reading

Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis

Keep reading

Visayan Broadbill Sarcophanops samarensis

Keep reading

Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus

Keep reading

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazards

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Read more

#animals #argentina #Bird #birds #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #GlaucousMacawAnodorhynchusGlaucus #gold #hunting #illegalPetTrade #macaw #meat #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraguay #pet #poaching #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #uruguay #vegan

' profile=

2024-07-13 16:54:00

Bird species are facing extinction hundreds of times faster than previously thought

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Extinction, or the disappearance of an entire species, is commonplace. Yet evidence suggests that the number of bird species going extinct, and the rate at which they are disappearing, is increasing dramatically. Conserving species at the 11th hour is difficult and expensive, the key is definitely prevention. To go hard and go early and stop species disappearing. Help rainforest animals on the verge of extinction from deforestation by changing your shopping habits. #Boycottmeat #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

---

Share to Twitter

#Birds like Spix #Macaw🦜 are now #extinct in the wild 😨😢 due to #palmoil #meat and #soy deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon 🇧🇷. Fight back against #extinction with ur wallet 🙋‍♂️🙌 💚🌿#Boycottmeat #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/07/…

Share to Twitter

The rate at which #birds 🦜🦃 are going #extinct has increased dramatically and is happening much faster than we previously thought. Help birds of the #Amazon survive when you #Boycottmeat 🥩🚫 #Boycottpalmoil 🪔🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect palmoildetectives.com/2024/07/…

Share to Twitter

youtu.be/OEeBDKVzrTo

Written by Arne Mooers, Professor, Biodiversity, Phylogeny & Evolution, Simon Fraser University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Arne Mooers, Simon Fraser University

Extinction, or the disappearance of an entire species, is commonplace. Species have been forming, persisting and then shuffling off their mortal coil since life began on Earth. However, evidence suggests the number of species going extinct, and the rate at which they disappear, is increasing dramatically.

Our recent work suggests that the rate at which species are going extinct may be many times higher than previously estimated — at least for birds. The good news, however, is that recent conservation efforts have slowed this rate a lot.

Old rates

For decades, palaeontologists have used fossils to estimate how long different species persisted before dying out. The discovery of a new fossil species gives a minimum estimate of when the species might have first evolved. The absence of the same species later in the fossil record signifies its probable extinction.

Though the methods are woefully imprecise, researchers have estimated that the average lifetime of a vertebrate species is between one and three million years. Many species are at the lower end of this range, while a few species persist many millions of years longer. For comparison, our own species, Homo sapiens, has been around for less than 500,000 years.

Such estimates can be compared to what is happening now. Conservation biologists estimate current extinction rates using historic, documented extinctions. For instance, since 1500 — just after Columbus’s arrival in the Americas — 187 of the roughly 10,000 bird species have gone extinct worldwide.
Spix’s macaw is now extinct in the wild. Conservation programs in Brazil maintain the last 70 or so individuals from this species. (Shutterstock)
Some simple math based on the average duration of fossil species predicts that only two to five bird species should have been lost since 1500. If the fossil data suggests a bird species will persist for three million years before going extinct, a species living in 1500 could be expected to survive for 30,000 years. In other words, a hundredfold drop.

This is the sort of calculation that supports the argument that we are approaching a “sixth mass extinction,” rivalling times in the past when extinction rates were orders of magnitude higher than the long-term average.

However, a high historical extinction rate based on data from the past few centuries may not be helpful. Using the historical extinction rate to predict current rates of extinction is similar to using car crash numbers for Model T Fords in the 1920s to predict deaths on the road in the 2020s. Many more cars hurtle down the road much faster today than they did 100 years ago. But in contrast to the 1920s, cars today sport airbags and other safety features.

Almost 80 per cent of historic bird extinctions were on oceanic islands like Hawaii, Madagascar and New Zealand, and often due to our unwitting importation of rats and snakes. Current threats include habitat destruction and climate change. And, akin to airbags, we are now much more interested in, and able to attempt, active conservation.
The New Zealand kaka, which is on the IUCN’s Endangered List, is threatened by non-native predators and wasps, the latter which compete with the bird for its food source. (Shutterstock)

New rates

Using the same reasoning as before, we studied the number of species that change their status. But instead of considering extinct versus living species from long ago, we considered all levels of endangerment (the entire escalator of decline that moves species closer to extinction), and more recent data. We used numbers from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List for all 10,000 bird species from four time points.

The Red List gives each species a threat rating based on the likelihood that it is at risk of extinction. There are six ratings in total, starting with least concern (8,714 species in 2016) and moving through critically endangered (222 species) all the way to extinct in the wild (five species).

We started with the initial records from 1988 and compared them to subsequent updates taken every four to six years. My co-authors – comparative biologist Melanie Monroe and Stuart Butchart, chief scientist at BirdLife International — tallied the number of species that remained in place, rose or descended the extinction escalator decade over decade. Using those numbers, applied mathematician Folmer Bokma calculated a current average rate of extinction — the chance an average species would go extinct in any given year.

The vast majority of species moved down the endangerment escalator. That means that they are at higher risk of extinction today than they were previously. So the final average rate of extinction was high.

Based on the Red List numbers, the expected lifespan of a species living today is only about 5,000 years — this is six times worse than the historical rate and hundreds of times worse than the average extinction rate calculated using fossils.

A silver lining?

These results are surprisingly dismal, but we also found an encouraging pattern. We calculated the overall impact of conservation activity on rates of extinction by including or excluding improvements in risk status due to conservation efforts. Without conservation, our estimate of a 5,000 year future for living species would have dropped to 3,000 years.

Because of intense conservation efforts, a species designated as critically endangered in the past was twice as likely to improve in status as it was to become extinct in the wild. Likewise, from year to year, the probability of a critically endangered species to move up to the relative safety of merely endangered status was greater than the probability of an endangered species having its prospects become critical. This is hard evidence that conservation works.

Costs of preventing extinction

This raises an interesting challenge. It is clear that we can bring species back from the brink of extinction, and many countries engage in last-ditch efforts.

But we also know that 11th-hour intervention is expensive. For instance, in British Columbia, the government recently earmarked nearly $30 million to try to protect the few remaining caribou in the province. We have known for decades that B.C. caribou have been declining, and extreme intervention, like shooting wolves from helicopters, seems, well, desperate.
Efforts to preserve B.C. caribou have included going after their predators. (Shutterstock)
And this desperation is unnecessary. If we want to conserve particular species, we need to target them early. This means we need to pay more attention to species that are not currently critically endangered.

We must identify the species that we want to keep around and that are unlikely to deal well with the world we are creating (or maybe more accurately, destroying) for them. Importantly, these species may currently be assessed as merely vulnerable, or even of least concern. We need to get them off the extinction escalator. It bears repeating: an ounce of prevention, a stitch in time.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on Jan. 16, 2020. The earlier story included an image of a hyacinth macaw (a species that is not endangered) that was misidentified as a Spix’s macaw. The original image has been updated to include an image two Spix’s macaws, which are extinct in the wild.

Written by Arne Mooers, Professor, Biodiversity, Phylogeny & Evolution, Simon Fraser University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

ENDS

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Forgotten Species on Palm Oil Detectives

These species have no known conservation actions in place and are silently disappearing before we can save them. Do something about it by boycotting supermarket brands linked to tropical deforestation. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Read more

Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi

Read more

Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey Aotus nancymaae

Read more

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Read more

Dung Beetles Are Rainforests’ Diligent Regrowth Soldiers

Read more

Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis

Read more

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status…

twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status…

twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1…

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

#Amazon #animalExtinction #animalRights #biodiversity #Bird #birds #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #deforestation #extinct #extinction #meat #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #soy #SpixMacawCyanopsittaSpixii

Should Some Species Be Allowed to Die Out?

As the list of endangered animals worldwide grows longer, society may soon be faced with an impossible decision: which ones to take off life support.

^{Jennifer Kahn (The New York Times)}

The alluring deep blue Glaucous #Macaw 🦜 has an immeasurably tragic tale to tell 😭🙁 Critically endangered in #SouthAmerica, fight for their survival, when you shop make sure you #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold 🚫🔥#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect

palmoildetectives.com/2025/03/…

' profile=

2025-03-08 14:45:00

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

Critically endangered

Extant (resident)

Argentina; Brazil; Paraguay; Uruguay

---

The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a larger group of neotropical macaws, they are closely related to the Lear’s macaw (A. leari) and the hyacinth macaw (A. hyacinthinus). Although often confused with similar species, the Glaucous Macaw is a unique denizen of South America’s gallery forests and palm savannahs.

Use your wallet as a weapon and help the Glaucous Macaw and other rare #birds. They face many threats to their survival including forest destruction for meat, palm oil, soy and gold. Join the movement to #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold and #Boycott4Wildlife. Together we can empower people we know to make conscious supermarket decisions for wildlife survival.

---

Their regal blue feathers have led the Glaucous #Macaw to being targeted by those in the illegal #pet trade and their home is being razed for #palmoil, #gold and #meat Help them to survive! #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold and be #vegan @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

The alluring deep blue Glaucous #Macaw 🦜 has an immeasurably tragic tale to tell 😭🙁 Critically endangered in #SouthAmerica, fight for their survival, when you shop make sure you #Boycottpalmoil #BoycottGold 🚫🔥#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect wp.me/pcFhgU-7R7

Share to BlueSky
Share to Twitter

youtu.be/_jL0Z32s_Ro

Appearance & Behaviour

The Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus are known for their pale turquoise-blue plumage and distinctive grey head, is a critically endangered bird native to South America. With a length of 70 cm (28 in), this striking macaw features a long tail, yellow eye ring, and half-moon lappets around its large mandible. Despite their formidable size and stunning appearance, the bird is rarely seen in the wild today due to habitat loss and poaching.

Threats

The Glaucous Macaw faces have faced significant human-related threats that have driven them to the brink of extinction. This is an immeasurable tragedy.

• Habitat Loss: Widespread logging, gold mining and palm oil agriculture led to the destruction of crucial yatay palm groves.
• Poaching: The bird was heavily targeted for the illegal pet trade due to their striking appearance.
• Deforestation: Conversion of forests for palm oil and cultivation along with gold mining and cattle ranching has destroyed many suitable habitats for the Glaucous Macaw.

Habitat

The Glaucous Macaw was historically found across Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil, favoring river basins with yatay palms or open forests. They relied on these palm groves for nesting and feeding. Their disappearance from these areas due to logging, agriculture, and hunting is a poignant reminder of the importance of habitat conservation. We cannot let them disappear!

Diet

Primarily feeding on the yatay palm nuts, the Glaucous Macaw supplemented their diet with other fruits and seeds. The loss of these critical palms directly impacted the bird’s survival and forced the remaining macaws to seek alternative, often insufficient, food sources.

Mating and breeding

Little is known about the breeding behaviour of this species due to their rarity. It is thought they nested on rocky cliffs in colonies, likely laying eggs in secure nests. Their colonial nature made them especially vulnerable to hunters.

Support Glaucous Macaw by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Animalia. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw. Retrieved from animalia.bio/glaucous-macaw

BirdLife International. (n.d.). Glaucous Macaw Conservation. Birds of the World

BirdLife International. 2019. Anodorhynchus glaucus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22685527A154380861. dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.201…. Accessed on 09 May 2024.

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

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Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

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How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

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Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Global
South America
S.E. Asia
India
Africa
West Papua & PNG

Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi

Keep reading

Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey Aotus nancymaae

Keep reading

Maned Wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus

Keep reading

Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis

Keep reading

Visayan Broadbill Sarcophanops samarensis

Keep reading

Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus

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Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

Lying
Fake labels
Indigenous Land-grabbing
Human rights abuses
Deforestation
Human health hazards

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Read more

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#animals #argentina #Bird #birds #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #GlaucousMacawAnodorhynchusGlaucus #gold #hunting #illegalPetTrade #macaw #meat #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Paraguay #pet #poaching #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #uruguay #vegan

Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus

The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a larger group of neotropical…

^{Palm Oil Detectives}

Mapuche Nation. 100 Years of Punishment for a Young Weichafe: Another Revenge of the Chilean State

Pelentaro Llaitul, my son, is being prosecuted for a series of events that are part of what is the territorial and political claim carried out by the Mapuche Nation people.

His trial, which is currently in the process of preparation, begins in June 2025 after more than 2 years of preventive detention, a case where we are once again in the presence of a judicial process full of racism, prejudice and bias with implications of political persecution. It is undoubtedly a trial that demonstrates once again the position of the Chilean State, the oppressive Chilean institutionality, against the process of struggle carried out by the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco, the CAM.

It is the so-called “Lautaro Case”, of resistance actions against the forestry industry in which several militants of the Mapuche cause, including my son, are artificially involved. A case where a new situation of improper process is already observed, since this judicial case together with the presence of protected witnesses, the lack of concrete and scientific evidence, adds the argumentative fallacy on the part of the prosecution, which indicates that the pu peñi (brothers) were arrested in flagrante delicto, in circumstances that they were arrested many kilometers away from the scene of the events and in an area where another process is taking place of territorial recovery, and where there is a strong ascendant militant insertion of each of them in that Mapuche Nagche territory.

For this reason, the procedural situation is complex and unfair. First, because one of the weichafe prosecuted is my son, which shows a kind of cruelty against my children for the role I have been playing in the autonomy struggle. And on the other hand, the contribution and meaning that the Mapuche youth have had in the concrete struggle. Certainly, Pelentaro’s participation in the Mapuche cause has been very significant not only because of his selfless dedication that gives new energy and freshness to the liberation process, but also because throughout his life, his participation has to be an example for young weichafe to follow.

Pelentaro Llaitul, is one of my youngest sons, he has a lifetime of being involved in the struggle for the historic territorial and political claims of our organization. From a very young age he has participated in this process, becoming at a very early age, an outstanding militant of the Mapuche cause. Fulfilling very specific roles within what is our world and the culture of our people, what are the socio-political and cultural implications of the communities in reconstitution, the lof, and in the Mapuche autonomist and revolutionary movement in general. Thus he became purrufe, curiche, palife and an outstanding weichafe. It is in this framework of outstanding cultural and political participation that he had to fulfill a very important function in the organization, which earned him hatred and persecution by our historical enemies, today represented by the forestry companies and the fascists who attack Wallmapu.

We are in the presence of a new act of directed political persecution and that today is part of a political decision on the part of this specific government, an action of revenge and cruelty against Pelentaro, because beyond being my son, the State intends to achieve a mockery of the new generations of fighters.

With this action, the Chilean State portrays itself as giving an account of the de facto repressive and punitive action against the Mapuche that is applied by the current administrators of justice in Chile, by the current ruling political class and that is carried out by the courts that have historically acted in a racist and intolerant way against our people. This is the reason that explains the bitterness that is reflected and translated into the Lautaro Case where the prosecution is asking for 70 years in prison and this government of Gabriel Boric is requesting 100 years in prison against Pelentaro via complaint. Moreover, aggravating the situation and not satisfied with the above, my son is being formalized again for another cause, in which he also risks many years of political imprisonment, in circumstances that at that time he was a minor.

It is for this reason that we can affirm without fear of equivocation that we are in the presence of an emblematic act of political persecution, where this government in particular wants to install an example of derision and teaching against one of the most consistent Mapuche youth. With this action, the current government contradicts the entire supposed position of human rights and justice for the Mapuche that it shouts so much and that is reflected in absurd peace commissions, revealing the true position towards the native peoples, which is to repress the resistance of the communities at all costs.

Without a doubt, we are in the presence of a new action that portrays this government in its most racist, intolerant and punitive facet that has been seen in recent decades, and which currently has more than 100 Mapuche political prisoners in Chilean state prisons. Because, discrimination and political persecution against the Mapuche who are willing to fight for territorial and historical political claims are and will be repressed without contemplation to safeguard the interests of the powerful.

I am currently a prisoner in a Chilean state prison, but I must continue to denounce injustices and from my role as werken of a Mapuche autonomist organization that is still in force. Especially because this case, in which my son and other young weichafe have been involved, has not had the proper media coverage, which has allowed there to be abuse on the part of the Prosecutor’s Office and the courts, and where due process is imposed in all its magnitude.

Another reason for making this specific denunciation, and which obliges me to disseminate it in the alternative and foreign media, is because the official press, the bourgeois press, covers the facts in a tendentious and malicious way, creating the conditions for the racist action of the oppressive institutions and where the courts and the political police of the State have not only criminalized our struggle but also mount operations and are vicious against the most outstanding weichafe of our people.

It is in this framework that we extend the denunciation against the media that are supposedly alternative and that were pro-Mapuche cause, and that soon ended up selling themselves to power, that were not only co-opted by the current governance as is the case of the newspaper El Ciudadano, El Mostrador, The Clinic who are accomplices with their silence or omission of these dirty intelligence operations. Because only in this way can it be understood why they do not cover or make these cases invisible and only cover supposed demands that are framed in lowly and submissive positions. It is, in the final analysis, a pseudo-progressive press at the service of the model of injustices.

Finally, we continue to reaffirm the profound significance of our struggle in recent times, and where, given the achievements of the autonomist movement, the contradictions between the Mapuche people and the Chilean State have become more acute. Because our struggle has positioned itself in anti-capitalist and anti-colonial definitions that have mostly clearly confronted the interests of big capital. The struggle for territory and freedom does not compromise. It is in this context that there is greater repression on the part of the current government, and that generates the conditions for a new fascist offensive of the Chilean right that is already attacking with great force in historic Wallmapu.

Finally, and a not insignificant piece of information at the last minute, my son Pelentaro Llaitul is currently awaiting the trial, which was set for 39 days from June 24. And that one of the judges that the court ordered for the drafting of the sentence in that process, is Judge Jorge González Salazar, the same one who convicted me without evidence in a case that is currently in international headquarters for various violations of rights that occurred in the process. In principle, this judge had not been appointed, however, a day after the court was formed, one of the 3 judges was changed to leave González Salazar, a recognized anti-Mapuche. It should also be remembered that this judge was the same one who convicted several Mapuche leaders as in the Lonkos Case, for which the Chilean State was condemned internationally due to the way in which Mapuche social protest was criminalized. This new fact clearly illustrates how justice works in the ancestral territory. A justice system at the service of the powerful and that acts under pressure and mandate from the ruling political class.

For territory and autonomy for the Mapuche Nation !!

Out with the forestry companies from the Wallmapu!!

Weuwaiñ

Héctor Llaitul

(*) This column was published by the French newspaper Les 2 Rives

Resumen Latinoamericano, March 5, 2025

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=…

#CAM #chile #HéctorLlaitul #mapuche #mapuchePrisoners #PoliticalPrisoners #southAmerica

Mapuche Nation. 100 Years of Punishment for a Young Weichafe: Another Revenge of the Chilean State

Pelentaro Llaitul, my son, is being prosecuted for a series of events that are part of what is the territorial and political claim carried out by the Mapuche Nation people.

His trial, which is currently in the process of preparation, begins in J

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/173…

#Analysis #CAM #chile #HctorLlaitul #mapuche #MapuchePrisoners #PoliticalPrisoners #SouthAmerica

abolitionmedia

2025-03-06 05:41:13

Mapuche Nation. 100 Years of Punishment for a Young Weichafe: Another Revenge of the Chilean State

Pelentaro Llaitul, my son, is being prosecuted for a series of events that are part of what is the territorial and political claim carried out by the Mapuche Nation people.

His trial, which is currently in the process of preparation, begins in June 2025 after more than 2 years of preventive detention, a case where we are once again in the presence of a judicial process full of racism, prejudice and bias with implications of political persecution. It is undoubtedly a trial that demonstrates once again the position of the Chilean State, the oppressive Chilean institutionality, against the process of struggle carried out by the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco, the CAM.

It is the so-called “Lautaro Case”, of resistance actions against the forestry industry in which several militants of the Mapuche cause, including my son, are artificially involved. A case where a new situation of improper process is already observed, since this judicial case together with the presence of protected witnesses, the lack of concrete and scientific evidence, adds the argumentative fallacy on the part of the prosecution, which indicates that the pu peñi (brothers) were arrested in flagrante delicto, in circumstances that they were arrested many kilometers away from the scene of the events and in an area where another process is taking place of territorial recovery, and where there is a strong ascendant militant insertion of each of them in that Mapuche Nagche territory.

For this reason, the procedural situation is complex and unfair. First, because one of the weichafe prosecuted is my son, which shows a kind of cruelty against my children for the role I have been playing in the autonomy struggle. And on the other hand, the contribution and meaning that the Mapuche youth have had in the concrete struggle. Certainly, Pelentaro’s participation in the Mapuche cause has been very significant not only because of his selfless dedication that gives new energy and freshness to the liberation process, but also because throughout his life, his participation has to be an example for young weichafe to follow.

Pelentaro Llaitul, is one of my youngest sons, he has a lifetime of being involved in the struggle for the historic territorial and political claims of our organization. From a very young age he has participated in this process, becoming at a very early age, an outstanding militant of the Mapuche cause. Fulfilling very specific roles within what is our world and the culture of our people, what are the socio-political and cultural implications of the communities in reconstitution, the lof, and in the Mapuche autonomist and revolutionary movement in general. Thus he became purrufe, curiche, palife and an outstanding weichafe. It is in this framework of outstanding cultural and political participation that he had to fulfill a very important function in the organization, which earned him hatred and persecution by our historical enemies, today represented by the forestry companies and the fascists who attack Wallmapu.

We are in the presence of a new act of directed political persecution and that today is part of a political decision on the part of this specific government, an action of revenge and cruelty against Pelentaro, because beyond being my son, the State intends to achieve a mockery of the new generations of fighters.

With this action, the Chilean State portrays itself as giving an account of the de facto repressive and punitive action against the Mapuche that is applied by the current administrators of justice in Chile, by the current ruling political class and that is carried out by the courts that have historically acted in a racist and intolerant way against our people. This is the reason that explains the bitterness that is reflected and translated into the Lautaro Case where the prosecution is asking for 70 years in prison and this government of Gabriel Boric is requesting 100 years in prison against Pelentaro via complaint. Moreover, aggravating the situation and not satisfied with the above, my son is being formalized again for another cause, in which he also risks many years of political imprisonment, in circumstances that at that time he was a minor.

It is for this reason that we can affirm without fear of equivocation that we are in the presence of an emblematic act of political persecution, where this government in particular wants to install an example of derision and teaching against one of the most consistent Mapuche youth. With this action, the current government contradicts the entire supposed position of human rights and justice for the Mapuche that it shouts so much and that is reflected in absurd peace commissions, revealing the true position towards the native peoples, which is to repress the resistance of the communities at all costs.

Without a doubt, we are in the presence of a new action that portrays this government in its most racist, intolerant and punitive facet that has been seen in recent decades, and which currently has more than 100 Mapuche political prisoners in Chilean state prisons. Because, discrimination and political persecution against the Mapuche who are willing to fight for territorial and historical political claims are and will be repressed without contemplation to safeguard the interests of the powerful.

I am currently a prisoner in a Chilean state prison, but I must continue to denounce injustices and from my role as werken of a Mapuche autonomist organization that is still in force. Especially because this case, in which my son and other young weichafe have been involved, has not had the proper media coverage, which has allowed there to be abuse on the part of the Prosecutor’s Office and the courts, and where due process is imposed in all its magnitude.

Another reason for making this specific denunciation, and which obliges me to disseminate it in the alternative and foreign media, is because the official press, the bourgeois press, covers the facts in a tendentious and malicious way, creating the conditions for the racist action of the oppressive institutions and where the courts and the political police of the State have not only criminalized our struggle but also mount operations and are vicious against the most outstanding weichafe of our people.

It is in this framework that we extend the denunciation against the media that are supposedly alternative and that were pro-Mapuche cause, and that soon ended up selling themselves to power, that were not only co-opted by the current governance as is the case of the newspaper El Ciudadano, El Mostrador, The Clinic who are accomplices with their silence or omission of these dirty intelligence operations. Because only in this way can it be understood why they do not cover or make these cases invisible and only cover supposed demands that are framed in lowly and submissive positions. It is, in the final analysis, a pseudo-progressive press at the service of the model of injustices.

Finally, we continue to reaffirm the profound significance of our struggle in recent times, and where, given the achievements of the autonomist movement, the contradictions between the Mapuche people and the Chilean State have become more acute. Because our struggle has positioned itself in anti-capitalist and anti-colonial definitions that have mostly clearly confronted the interests of big capital. The struggle for territory and freedom does not compromise. It is in this context that there is greater repression on the part of the current government, and that generates the conditions for a new fascist offensive of the Chilean right that is already attacking with great force in historic Wallmapu.

Finally, and a not insignificant piece of information at the last minute, my son Pelentaro Llaitul is currently awaiting the trial, which was set for 39 days from June 24. And that one of the judges that the court ordered for the drafting of the sentence in that process, is Judge Jorge González Salazar, the same one who convicted me without evidence in a case that is currently in international headquarters for various violations of rights that occurred in the process. In principle, this judge had not been appointed, however, a day after the court was formed, one of the 3 judges was changed to leave González Salazar, a recognized anti-Mapuche. It should also be remembered that this judge was the same one who convicted several Mapuche leaders as in the Lonkos Case, for which the Chilean State was condemned internationally due to the way in which Mapuche social protest was criminalized. This new fact clearly illustrates how justice works in the ancestral territory. A justice system at the service of the powerful and that acts under pressure and mandate from the ruling political class.

For territory and autonomy for the Mapuche Nation !!

Out with the forestry companies from the Wallmapu!!

Weuwaiñ

Héctor Llaitul

(*) This column was published by the French newspaper Les 2 Rives

Resumen Latinoamericano, March 5, 2025

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=…

#CAM #chile #HéctorLlaitul #mapuche #mapuchePrisoners #PoliticalPrisoners #southAmerica

Nación Mapuche. 100 años de castigo para un joven weichafe: otra venganza del Estado Chileno - Resumen Latinoamericano

Resumen Latinoamericano, 5 de marzo de 2025 Pelentaro Llaitul, mi hijo, está siendo procesado por una serie de hechos que se enmarcan dentro de lo que es la reivindicación territorial y política que lleva adelante el pueblo Nación Mapuche.

^{Resumen Latinoamericano}

Petro’s Change: From Total Peace to Total War — ELN

After two and a half years, those hopes for a better life turn into frustration and popular rebellion.

He has been reiterative in his speeches, that he is not leftist or socialist, but that his government came to modernize capitalism in Colombia, but in our country the same economic structure is maintained, where speculative capital, landowners and servility to transnational capital predominate. The extractivist model and only taxing the middle class, increasing the price of fuel and public services, is aggravated. The tax reforms of Petrismo have ended up in more of the same: less taxes for capital and more taxes for the middle and popular classes. In this government, the neoliberal model is deepened.

The government of change started by giving bureaucratic quotas to the different traditional parties, to guarantee their governance. However, it was not enough for the rancid oligarchy accustomed to having everything, which is why they have dedicated themselves to airing in the press the corruption scandals that compromise Petro, his family or his close circle of government. In addition, the government crisis worsens, since the renegotiation of positions is permanent, which prevents a stable cabinet and effective and honest officials. The bureaucratic rise of characters who are completely questioned and discredited, put an end to the president’s little administrative credibility.

Petro could have promoted the package of legislative reforms with the people mobilized in the streets, but he preferred compromises and shenanigans with the old politicking, granting jams, bribes and taking away the substance that favored the people, to put in what interests big capital. Some facts of this new corruption are already coming out to public opinion, where the officials of the government of change, steal even the resources of the victims of the great natural disasters. Petrista’s remedy against corruption has turned out to be worse than the disease.

Some leaders of the main social and leftist organizations, who previously led the large mobilizations in Colombia, were captured as government officials in some bureaucratic positions or with projects, becoming the unconditional defenders of Petro, with the illusion that they are co-governing. In this way, Petro tries to fulfill his role of neutralizing and deactivating the popular insurgency.

To complete the counter-insurgency role of the State, Petro implements his policy of Total Peace. A new generation of paramilitarism is strengthened, reviving the old structures of the ex-FARC and strengthening all narco-paramilitary groups such as the Clan del Golfo, so that they confront the ELN. In this way, coca cultivation skyrockets and productivity in obtaining cocaine, as the main source of financing for paramilitarism, increases. Petro gives political status to these narco-paramilitary groups and opens negotiation tables with them, while the ELN intends to degrade it as a Gao, or a criminal group, dedicated to drug trafficking.

Despite having initiated dialogue and negotiation with the ELN and having agreed to carry out a process of participation of society, to generate a new National Agreement, which would guarantee political, social, economic and military change; Petro decides to abort this process, failing to comply with the agreements signed at the Dialogue Table, consolidating a rabid anti-subversive discourse, demanding the surrender of the ELN’s weapons in exchange for his illusions, imposing the State of Internal Commotion, reviving the military defense minister, developing plans for military and paramilitary devastation such as those he is advancing in the main regions of the country. obedient to the counter-insurgency doctrine imposed by the Pentagon.

With the sun at its back, this government continues to make speeches about delusional results, when the reality is that it is completely mortgaged and blackmailed by the sectors that have traditionally managed the establishment, without being able to show fundamental changes.

Petro’s disastrous government feeds a climate of political uncertainty, which sectors of the right and the far-right take advantage of, to agitate that alternative political projects are doomed to failure. The construction of a new alternative political project in Colombia involves the consultation of unitary proposals, overcoming the old tricks of sectarianism, arrogance and manipulation, where group or personal interests are put aside and popular and national interests are always put first.

Consequently, the ELN will continue with the commitment to always be with the people in the construction of a socialist homeland. It is imperative that the revolutionary, leftist, progressive and democratic sectors reflect critically and self-critically on the lessons left by this government, so as not to repeat its mistakes and to guarantee a new way of doing politics, truly democratic and grassroots.

We call on all Colombians committed to the mandate of the social outburst, the Political Solution to the Conflict, to persist in the struggle for transformations; in the struggle of the people to be power and to be government; in the realization of a more sovereign, democratic, equitable nation in peace with social justice.

source: ELN

abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=…

#colombia #eln #guerrilla #petro #southAmerica

Hey, imagine you’re a 20-something international student, fresh off the plane in Ireland, chasing dreams of Guinness and green hills. You’re scrolling Facebook for a cheap room because the housing crisis has rents higher than a Dublin rooftop bar. Then, bam—a seemingly sweet deal pops up: “Cozy room, low cost, friendly host.” You message the guy, and suddenly he’s asking for way more than a deposit. Welcome to the “sex-for-rent” nightmare that’s spiking across Ireland, and it’s hitting vulnerable women—especially from South America and Latin America—hard.

This isn’t some urban legend. Sky News recently talked to young women who’ve faced “shocking” offers of accommodation in exchange for sex. The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) calls it an “alarming surge.” Predators are lurking in Facebook rental listings, preying on folks desperate for a bed. It’s grim, it’s real, and it’s giving Irish hospitality a bad name.

The Setup: How It Goes Down

Picture this: Maria, a 22-year-old from Brazil, lands in Dublin for her master’s degree. She’s got a tight budget and no local connections. She spots an ad—“Room available, €200/month, great location”—and jumps on it. The landlord, let’s call him Creepy Colin, replies: “Oh, we can skip the cash if you’re open to… other arrangements.” No mention of that in the ad, of course. Maria’s stuck—say no, and she’s back to square one in a housing crisis that’s tighter than a leprechaun’s wallet.

Or take Priya, an Indian student in Galway. She’s juggling classes and a part-time job, messaging a “chill host” about a spare room. He seems legit until he drops, “Rent’s negotiable if you’re fun to have around.” These aren’t one-offs—ICOS says international students, especially women, are prime targets for these predatory tactics. Why? They’re new, they’re stressed, and they’re often on platforms like Facebook where rules are lax and creeps thrive.

The Legal Gray Area: Why Isn’t This Illegal Yet?

Here’s the kicker: Ireland doesn’t have a specific law banning sex for rent. It’s a legal gray area, which feels absurd in 2025. Sure, coercion or assault could be prosecuted, but the sly “hey, it’s your choice” vibe of these offers slips through the cracks. Previous attempts to outlaw it flopped, though the government’s now promising a new criminal offense. Timeline? TBD—classic political “we’ll get to it” energy. Meanwhile, vulnerable women are left dodging sleazy propositions like it’s a twisted game of rental roulette.

Compare this to the UK, where campaigners have pushed harder—Reuters reported in 2024 on efforts to crack down there (Reuters, “UK Sex-for-Rent Crackdown”). Ireland’s lagging, and it’s not just a policy fail—it’s a signal to predators that the coast is still clear.

Why International Students Are in the Crosshairs

Ireland’s housing crisis is brutal—rents up 10% in a year, per the BBC (BBC News, “Ireland Housing Woes”, Jan 2025)—and international students feel it most. They’re not locals with family couches to crash on. They turn to informal spots like Facebook rental listings because agencies demand references they don’t have. Add stereotypes—think “exotic” biases about Latin American women—and you’ve got a perfect storm for exploitation. ICOS says these students aren’t just broke; they’re isolated, making them easy marks.

My Take: This Isn’t Just “A Few Bad Apples”

Look, I get it—most Irish folks aren’t lurking online offering dodgy deals. But this trend’s bad enough to tarnish the country’s rep. My opinion? The government’s dragging its feet because it’s a messy issue—housing shortages, immigration debates, and sex crimes all tangled up. But the evidence backs me up: Sky News and ICOS aren’t making this up, and posts on X from students echo the same horror stories. Ireland needs to act—fast—before “sex for rent” becomes a sick stereotype of its rental market. A new law’s a start, but enforcement matters more. Bust a few of these creeps publicly, and the message gets loud.

What’s Next? A Call to Action

Hypothetically, if Maria reports Colin and nothing happens, she’s out of luck—and faith in the system. But if Priya’s host gets slapped with a fine or jail time under a shiny new law, maybe the next predator thinks twice. This isn’t just about punishment; it’s about deterrence. The government response can’t be a vague “soon”—it’s got to be concrete, like yesterday.

So, what should international students do? Stick to verified platforms? Travel in packs? Demand better from lawmakers? I’d love your take—drop it in the comments. Because right now, Ireland’s letting vulnerable women fend for themselves, and that’s a story worth rewriting.

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#HousingCrisis #InternationalStudents #Exploitation #SexForRent #Ireland #Accommodation #PredatoryTactics #FacebookRentalListings #LegalGrayArea #IrishCouncilForInternationalStudents #ICOS #VulnerableWomen #SouthAmerica #LatinAmerica #GovernmentResponse

When Rent Becomes a Creepy Bargain: The Sex-for-Rent Surge in Ireland

Hey, imagine you’re a 20-something international student, fresh off the plane in Ireland, chasing dreams of Guinness and green hills. You’re scrolling Facebook for a cheap room because the housing crisis has rents higher than a Dublin rooftop bar. Then, bam—a seemingly sweet deal pops up: “Cozy room, low cost, friendly host.” You message the guy, and suddenly he’s asking for way more than a deposit. Welcome to the “sex-for-rent” nightmare that’s spiking across Ireland, and it’s hitting vulnerable women—especially from South America and Latin America—hard.

This isn’t some urban legend. Sky News recently talked to young women who’ve faced “shocking” offers of accommodation in exchange for sex. The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) calls it an “alarming surge.” Predators are lurking in Facebook rental listings, preying on folks desperate for a bed. It’s grim, it’s real, and it’s giving Irish hospitality a bad name.

The Setup: How It Goes Down

Picture this: Maria, a 22-year-old from Brazil, lands in Dublin for her master’s degree. She’s got a tight budget and no local connections. She spots an ad—“Room available, €200/month, great location”—and jumps on it. The landlord, let’s call him Creepy Colin, replies: “Oh, we can skip the cash if you’re open to… other arrangements.” No mention of that in the ad, of course. Maria’s stuck—say no, and she’s back to square one in a housing crisis that’s tighter than a leprechaun’s wallet.

Or take Priya, an Indian student in Galway. She’s juggling classes and a part-time job, messaging a “chill host” about a spare room. He seems legit until he drops, “Rent’s negotiable if you’re fun to have around.” These aren’t one-offs—ICOS says international students, especially women, are prime targets for these predatory tactics. Why? They’re new, they’re stressed, and they’re often on platforms like Facebook where rules are lax and creeps thrive.

The Legal Gray Area: Why Isn’t This Illegal Yet?

Here’s the kicker: Ireland doesn’t have a specific law banning sex for rent. It’s a legal gray area, which feels absurd in 2025. Sure, coercion or assault could be prosecuted, but the sly “hey, it’s your choice” vibe of these offers slips through the cracks. Previous attempts to outlaw it flopped, though the government’s now promising a new criminal offense. Timeline? TBD—classic political “we’ll get to it” energy. Meanwhile, vulnerable women are left dodging sleazy propositions like it’s a twisted game of rental roulette.

Compare this to the UK, where campaigners have pushed harder—Reuters reported in 2024 on efforts to crack down there (Reuters, “UK Sex-for-Rent Crackdown”). Ireland’s lagging, and it’s not just a policy fail—it’s a signal to predators that the coast is still clear.

Why International Students Are in the Crosshairs

Ireland’s housing crisis is brutal—rents up 10% in a year, per the BBC (BBC News, “Ireland Housing Woes”, Jan 2025)—and international students feel it most. They’re not locals with family couches to crash on. They turn to informal spots like Facebook rental listings because agencies demand references they don’t have. Add stereotypes—think “exotic” biases about Latin American women—and you’ve got a perfect storm for exploitation. ICOS says these students aren’t just broke; they’re isolated, making them easy marks.

My Take: This Isn’t Just “A Few Bad Apples”

Look, I get it—most Irish folks aren’t lurking online offering dodgy deals. But this trend’s bad enough to tarnish the country’s rep. My opinion? The government’s dragging its feet because it’s a messy issue—housing shortages, immigration debates, and sex crimes all tangled up. But the evidence backs me up: Sky News and ICOS aren’t making this up, and posts on X from students echo the same horror stories. Ireland needs to act—fast—before “sex for rent” becomes a sick stereotype of its rental market. A new law’s a start, but enforcement matters more. Bust a few of these creeps publicly, and the message gets loud.

What’s Next? A Call to Action

Hypothetically, if Maria reports Colin and nothing happens, she’s out of luck—and faith in the system. But if Priya’s host gets slapped with a fine or jail time under a shiny new law, maybe the next predator thinks twice. This isn’t just about punishment; it’s about deterrence. The government response can’t be a vague “soon”—it’s got to be concrete, like yesterday.

So, what should international students do? Stick to verified platforms? Travel in packs? Demand better from lawmakers? I’d love your take—drop it in the comments. Because right now, Ireland’s letting vulnerable women fend for themselves, and that’s a story worth rewriting.

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