Latin America is a vast and ecologically diverse region known for the power and beauty of its river systems. International Rivers works in river basins throughout Latin America that are hotspots of biodiversity and that are also threatened by extensive large hydropower development, including the Amazon, the world’s largest river basin; Colombia’s Magdalena River and Peru’s Marañon; and the crystalline waters of Patagonia.
These magnificent rivers are fountains of life for an incredible diversity of plant and animal species, as well as for indigenous peoples and riverine communities.
Despite the fundamental social, economic and ecological importance of rivers, corporations and governments treat these natural treasures as a resource to be exploited for electricity, industrial-scale irrigation and mining. Fortunately, International Rivers and its partners are organizing to fight new dams, demand reparations for harm caused by old ones, save the region’s imperiled freshwater from pollution, promote permanent protection of these vital waterways, and enable a just energy transition.
Baker River, Patagonia | Photo by: International Rivers 
Ashaninka women in Tsiquireni, in the shores of Ene River (2012) | Photo by: Tomas Munita
Related Resources
Belo Monte: After the Flood
Directed by award-winning environmental documentarian Todd Southgate, and produced with International Rivers, Amazon Watch and Cultures of Resistance. The film explores the history and consequences of one of the world’s most controversial dam projects, built on the Xingu River in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.
Latest Latin America Updates
- “It will be potentially more dangerous than the mud we saw in Mariana”: International seminar held by the Federal University of Pará warns of the dangers of the Volta Grande (Belo Sun) mining project in Xingu.
By Isadora Soares Brazil, 22th October, 2021 Last week, Brazilian mining activities and their socio-environmental impacts were in the spotlight at the International Seminar on Mining, Transnational Companies and Traditional… - Event: Marañón River: Presentación de la demanda para proteger los ríos de la Amazonia
October 7th, 11am Peru time (PET) (UTC -5) Livestreamed on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/Trnskv4w - To reach the ambitious goals of the Leticia Pact, nations need to ensure the participation of Indigenous people in measures to protect the Amazon Rainforest.
After more than 25 years working to protect rainforests and now as the Amazon Program Director in International Rivers, I’m well acquainted with the Amazon Rainforest. And yet I can’t…