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
- Brazil’s Legislative Assembly approves a law draft that prohibits the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Cuiabá River
Yesterday, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Mato Grosso in Brazil approved the law draft that prohibits the construction of dams along the entire length of the Cuiabá River…. - International Rivers joins Acampamento Terra Livre, “Free Land Camp” event in Brasília
By Flavio Montiel – Interim Director International Rivers – Brazil Brasília (DF) – International Rivers is actively participating in the Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) in Brasília, which has been taking… - Civil society organizations speak out for transparency, participation and the inclusion of traditional communities in the Leticia Pact and financial initiatives for its implementation
CSOs denounce that the Leticia Pact does not include solutions that ensure the sustainability of the Amazon, one of the main ecosystems on which humanity depends. There is concern the…