Latest news with #Leticia
CTV News
5 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Extreme heat is threatening tropical birds, even in untouched forests, scientists warn
A macaw is seen at Santa Sofia Uchuma community, near Leticia, Amazonas department, Colombia, on November 19, 2020. (Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource) From the rainforests of Central and South America to the savannas of northern Australia, the world's equatorial regions are home to thousands of unique bird species, from macaws to toucans to hummingbirds, who thrive in hot and humid environments. But as climate change accelerates, tropical regions are seeing ten times the number of dangerously hot days than they did 40 years ago, threatening the survival of some of the world's most colourful birds, new research shows. Between 1950 and 2020, extreme heat events reduced tropical bird populations by 25% to 38%, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. The study shows extreme heat events are a 'primary driver of species loss' — which can explain why even bird populations in some of the most pristine corners of Earth are dwindling, said James Watson, a professor in conservation science at the University of Queensland and one of the study's authors. 'It really points to the fact that we've got to get greenhouse gas emissions sorted out, because these extreme heat scenarios are going to increase over time,' Watson said. Watson and his colleagues analyzed more than 90,000 scientific observations from more than 3,000 bird populations and matched it with daily weather records dating back to 1940, to see how bird populations responded to extreme weather events, including rainfall and heatwaves. They tested their findings against data on human industrial activity to focus specifically on impacts from climate change. Aracari toucan, tropical bird A collared aracari toucan sitting on the moss branch in the forest, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica. (Ondrej Prosicky/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The scientists found that exposure to heat extremes (temperatures which exceeded the 99th percentile) led to a reduction in bird populations at latitudes below 55 degrees north or south, with the most extreme effects felt in the tropics, meaning latitudes below 23 degrees. The authors found the increase in heat extremes was more detrimental to birds than annual average temperature increases caused by climate change. Extreme heat poses grave threat to tropical birds The notion that bird populations are steeply declining is not new – a 2019 study found bird populations in the US and Canada have dropped by 30% since 1970, signifying a loss of almost 3 billion birds. However, much of this loss has been attributed to more direct human impacts, such as habitat loss from farming, logging and mining, or even building collisions. The study underscores the threat extreme heat poses to birds in tropical regions and helps explain why birds are dying even in remote and protected areas, typically considered havens of biodiversity. In two undisturbed rainforests in Panama and the Amazon, bird populations declined by more than 50% for the majority of species between 1977 and 2020, and between 2003 and 2022, respectively, according to the study. When birds are exposed to extreme heat, they can become hyperthermic, where their body temperature is elevated to a dangerous level. Since birds can't sweat, under these conditions, they may start to pant or expose more of their skin to try to release the heat. Golden bowerbird, tropical bird A golden bowerbird in Queensland, Australia. (sohnjoo c 2013/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The bird may become dehydrated or disoriented, and in some cases, lose consciousness and fall from their perches. Exposure to extreme heat can also cause organ damage in birds and hinder their reproductive capacity. Part of what makes the tropics such important areas for biodiversity is also what makes them particularly fragile to climate change. 'It's almost the perfect storm,' said Golo Maurer, the director of bird conservation strategy at Birdlife Australia. In tropical areas, you find species with small populations that have found their niche in a very narrow band of temperatures, said Maurer, who was not involved in the study. 'This, in turn, drives amazing diversity.' But when temperatures increase beyond these comfortable bands, tropical birds struggle to adapt, Watson said. 'They've got far smaller populations, and their evolutionary capacity is much, much smaller,' Watson said. 'Another wake-up call' Maurer said the study shows 'we can't just sit back' and assume species will be safe because they are in protected areas. 'Climate change is so pervasive that it will affect those areas as well,' he said. Maurer said he has noticed how climate change is affecting birds in his tropical home of north Queensland, Australia, an area known for its biodiversity with a large number of endemic birds. For example, BirdLife's volunteer observers have been having to go to higher elevations to spot golden bowerbirds, small yellow birds which have a small range and live in the rainforest in Queensland, Maurer said. Watson said the study should serve as 'another wake-up call that greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are a major problem for biodiversity.' 'We have to abate climate change as a primary strategy, because we will lose vast numbers of species in the tropics if we don't.' By Lex Harvey, CNN
Al Jazeera
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Colombia's President Petro accuses Peru of annexing disputed Amazon island
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the neighbouring country of Peru of annexing a disputed island on the Amazon River, resuscitating a longstanding disagreement between the two nations. In a social media post on Tuesday, Petro said that Peru had acted to 'unilaterally' assert control over the small island of Santa Rosa in a recent congressional vote. 'The Peruvian government has just appropriated it by law,' Petro wrote on the social media platform X. He added that Peru's actions could block the Colombian city of Leticia from accessing the Amazon River. 'Our government will resort to diplomacy to defend our national sovereignty.' Petro's comments appeared to be a response to a vote in June, whereby Peru's Congress designated the island of Santa Rosa a district in its Loreto province. Who controls the island has been a subject of debate between Peru and Colombia for nearly a century. Peru has claimed ownership based on treaties from 1922 and 1929, and it has administered Santa Rosa for decades. But Colombia maintains that the island of Santa Rosa had not emerged from the Amazon River at the time of the treaties and therefore is not subject to them. It has also argued that the treaties set the boundary between the two countries at the deepest point of the Amazon River, and that islands like Santa Rosa have emerged on the Colombian side of that dividing line. 'Islands have appeared north of the current deepest line, and the Peruvian government has just appropriated them by law and placed the capital of a municipality on land that, by treaty, should belong to Colombia,' Petro wrote. He warned that Peru's claims to Santa Rosa could inhibit travel and trade to nearby Leticia, which boasts a population of nearly 60,000. 'This unilateral action', Petro wrote on Tuesday, 'could make Leticia disappear as an Amazonian port, taking away its commercial life'. Petro said he would hold celebrations commemorating Colombian independence from Spain in Leticia on Thursday, framing the island's status as a symbol of national sovereignty. The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a social media post that it would push for further diplomacy in determining the nationality of newly emerged islands. 'For years, Colombia has maintained the need to carry out bilateral work for the allocation of islands,' the ministry wrote. Colombia, it added, 'has reiterated the position that 'Santa Rosa Island' has not been allocated to Peru'. The Amazon River is one of the longest waterways in the world, with the most water discharged of any river. But those powerful currents deposit and rearrange sediment throughout the river basin, forming – and sometimes erasing – islands. Santa Rosa is one of those newer islands. The land now contains forest and farmland, as well as the village of Santa Rosa de Yavari. That town is home to a population of fewer than 1,000 people, according to Peru's latest census, and is largely reliant on tourism, based on its proximity to the Amazon. The Peruvian government has argued that making Santa Rosa a district was necessary to ensure it received federal funds and could collect taxes. 'Peru is complying firmly with its obligations under international law and with valid bilateral treaties,' the Peruvian government said in a statement.
The Independent
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Colombia accuses Peru of fully annexing a disputed island in the Amazon river
Colombian President Gustavo Petro stirred up a decades-old border controversy with Peru on Tuesday when he accused it of fully annexing an Amazon river island that has been administered by Peru for decades, but whose legal status is in dispute. Peru maintains it owns Santa Rosa Island based on treaties about a century old, but Colombia disputes that ownership because the island had not yet emerged from the river at the time. In a message on X, Petro said that Peru acted 'unilaterally' in June when its congress passed a law that upgraded Santa Rosa's legal status by converting it into a district within Peru's Loreto province. The island faces Leticia, a Colombian city of about 60,000 people located in one of the most well-preserved swaths of the Amazon. It is used by many tourists as the launching point for trips into the world's largest rainforest. 'The Peruvian government has just appropriated it by law,' Petro wrote on X, adding that Peru's actions could block Leticia's access to the Amazon river. 'Our government will resort to diplomacy to defend our national sovereignty." In his message, the president was explaining why he plans to hold a celebration in Leticia on Thursday to mark one of the national holidays that commemorates Colombia's independence from Spain. The Colombian goverment usually celebrates the Aug. 7 holiday in the province of Boyaca in central Colombia, but farmers are currently blocking roads in that part of the country to protest environmental regulations that prohibit agriculture in high-altitude areas. Peru's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that treaties signed by both countries in 1922 and 1929 granted Peru control of Santa Rosa and other nearby islets. 'Peru is complying firmly with its obligations under international law and with valid bilaterial treaties' the statement said. Colombia says that the treaties could not assign ownership of Santa Rosa because in the 1920s the island had not yet emerged from the world's largest river. Instead, Colombia says that the treaties determine that the border between both countries should be set along a line that follows the deepest points along the river bed. Like many rivers, the Amazon changes its course slowly over time, and erosion or changes in the weather can create or submerge islands. Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Tuesday that 'for years' it has insisted on the need to create a bilateral commission that will assign ownership of islands that have emerged between the South American countries over the past century. The island is made up mostly of forest, farmland and a small village known as Santa Rosa de Yavari, which has a population of less than 1,000 people, according to Peru's latest census. Santa Rosa was previously classified as a community within the Yavari District of Peru's Loreto Province. In June, Peru's congress voted to turn Santa Rosa into its own district, a move that could facilitate the transfer of funds for education and healthcare, and also enable the modest village to raise its own property taxes. 'We have a diverse economy that relies on commerce and tourism' Santa Rosa's Mayor Jack Yovera told Peruvian network RPP in June, when the law to turn his community into a district was being debated by congress. 'But there are many basic needs that have not been met' said Yovera, who explained that as a young man he had to go to high school in the Colombian city of Leticia, on the other side of the Amazon River, due to the lack of a proper high school in Santa Rosa. The border dispute also surfaced last summer, when an official from Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry attended a meeting between political leaders from Leticia and Santa Rosa and said that Peru had occupied the island 'irregularly." Yovera left the meeting in protest. Later, Colombia's Foreign Affairs ministry issued a statement saying it 'regretted' the incident and that the situation of Santa Rosa Island should be discussed only by high-level officials from both governments.
Associated Press
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Colombia accuses Peru of fully annexing a disputed island in the Amazon river
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro stirred up a decades-old border controversy with Peru on Tuesday when he accused it of fully annexing an Amazon river island that has been administered by Peru for decades, but whose legal status is in dispute. Peru maintains it owns Santa Rosa Island based on treaties about a century old, but Colombia disputes that ownership because the island had not yet emerged from the river at the time. In a message on X, Petro said that Peru acted 'unilaterally' in June when its congress passed a law that upgraded Santa Rosa's legal status by converting it into a district within Peru's Loreto province. The island faces Leticia, a Colombian city of about 60,000 people located in one of the most well-preserved swaths of the Amazon. It is used by many tourists as the launching point for trips into the world's largest rainforest. 'The Peruvian government has just appropriated it by law,' Petro wrote on X, adding that Peru's actions could block Leticia's access to the Amazon river. 'Our government will resort to diplomacy to defend our national sovereignty.' In his message, the president was explaining why he plans to hold a celebration in Leticia on Thursday to mark one of the national holidays that commemorates Colombia's independence from Spain. The Colombian goverment usually celebrates the Aug. 7 holiday in the province of Boyaca in central Colombia, but farmers are currently blocking roads in that part of the country to protest environmental regulations that prohibit agriculture in high-altitude areas. Peru's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that treaties signed by both countries in 1922 and 1929 granted Peru control of Santa Rosa and other nearby islets. 'Peru is complying firmly with its obligations under international law and with valid bilaterial treaties' the statement said. Colombia says that the treaties could not assign ownership of Santa Rosa because in the 1920s the island had not yet emerged from the world's largest river. Instead, Colombia says that the treaties determine that the border between both countries should be set along a line that follows the deepest points along the river bed. Like many rivers, the Amazon changes its course slowly over time, and erosion or changes in the weather can create or submerge islands. Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Tuesday that 'for years' it has insisted on the need to create a bilateral commission that will assign ownership of islands that have emerged between the South American countries over the past century. The island is made up mostly of forest, farmland and a small village known as Santa Rosa de Yavari, which has a population of less than 1,000 people, according to Peru's latest census. Santa Rosa was previously classified as a community within the Yavari District of Peru's Loreto Province. In June, Peru's congress voted to turn Santa Rosa into its own district, a move that could facilitate the transfer of funds for education and healthcare, and also enable the modest village to raise its own property taxes. 'We have a diverse economy that relies on commerce and tourism' Santa Rosa's Mayor Jack Yovera told Peruvian network RPP in June, when the law to turn his community into a district was being debated by congress. 'But there are many basic needs that have not been met' said Yovera, who explained that as a young man he had to go to high school in the Colombian city of Leticia, on the other side of the Amazon River, due to the lack of a proper high school in Santa Rosa. The border dispute also surfaced last summer, when an official from Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry attended a meeting between political leaders from Leticia and Santa Rosa and said that Peru had occupied the island 'irregularly.' Yovera left the meeting in protest. Later, Colombia's Foreign Affairs ministry issued a statement saying it 'regretted' the incident and that the situation of Santa Rosa Island should be discussed only by high-level officials from both governments.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The curious career of Malcom – Barcelona, Russia and now a Club World Cup star for Al Hilal
After helping to send Manchester City home from the Club World Cup in a spin, Al Hilal winger Malcom joined his wife Leticia, two sons and wider family for a trip to Walt Disney World on Wednesday. Having walked off the pitch in the 64th minute looking exhausted after his quick-fire goal and de facto assist stunned City, the player's recovery came in the form of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Cinderella. Advertisement For the 28-year-old Brazilian, the latter's story arc is perhaps rather fitting. Al Hilal certainly seem the perfect fit for him at this stage in his career, anyway. Named after his father's hero Malcolm X, a prominent figure during the civil rights movement in the U.S., Malcom has excelled in the same land at this tournament. He performed well against Real Madrid, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg, going close to scoring with his left foot from the edge of the box in the latter two group games, but it was against City, in the 4-3 victory that sealed a place in the quarter-finals, where Malcom found top gear. In the 20 minutes after half-time, Malcom almost single-handedly changed the game. Within 30 seconds of the restart, he turned Rayan Ait-Nour on the halfway line and drove past another two players before playing the ball wide for a cross. The ball fell to him and his shot was parried straight to Marcos Leonardo to equalise. Less than five minutes later, he spotted City's openness at their own corner and won a 60-yard sprint against Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders before sliding the ball under Ederson. Although he had to come off just after the hour mark, Malcom's conviction to drive towards goal with every dribble spread belief to his team-mates and the thousands of Saudis in the stadium. It was a reminder of the ability he possesses, the talent that won him a €41million (£35m/$48m at current exchange rates) move to Barcelona in 2018. His year there can be viewed as a misstep, a brief spell that was unmemorable from the off. Barcelona's manager at the time, Ernesto Valverde, was having breakfast one day with his assistants when they read in the newspaper Sport that a deal to sign the Brazilian from Bordeaux was practically done. When the club confirmed, Valverde was shocked and inquired what the plan was. They had stolen in on Sevilla and Monchi at the eleventh hour and Malcom had jumped at the chance to play at the Camp Nou alongside Lionel Messi. He scored four goals in 24 appearances in all competitions, starting only six times in La Liga. Malcom's potential was clear as a 16-year-old at the 2014 Copinha, the biggest youth tournament in Brazil. He shone for his hometown club Corinthians, winning admirers among the scouts in attendance — and, he later revealed, from hundreds of school girls who were messaging him after his name became known. He broke into the first team soon after he turned 17 and became a regular the next season. Advertisement His Corinthians under-20s manager Osmar Loss described him as a 'responsible irresponsible' character, whose desire to improve saw him study clips of Romario as he worked on how to become more efficient in the final third. Malcom helped Corinthians win the league in 2015 but, after just 70 games, he was destined for Europe. He chose to move to France with Bordeaux, who acquired half of his player rights for €5million. It represented guaranteed regular football in a top-five league while still a teenager and he adapted quickly, scoring long-range strikes against Lyon, Toulouse, Saint-Etienne and Dijon. However, the player showed some naivety when he and his family posed for a photo with Neymar immediately after Bordeaux had conceded six goals against Neymar's Pari Saint-Germain. Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal were credited with interest in him but Barcelona won the race and Brazil honours arrived a few months later. After his first goal for Barcelona against Inter Milan in the Champions League in November 2018, he declared his story as just getting started. Valverde hoped it would be a 'launchpad'. In reality, it was to be a premature exit from Europe's main stage at the age of 22. Since 2019, his career has been spent in the petrostates of Russia and Saudi Arabia, playing for the dominant clubs in both leagues — Zenit Saint Petersburg and Al Hilal. Malcom saw it as a 'bridge', an experience at one of the world's biggest clubs which automatically inflated his status when he arrived at Russia's richest club Zenit for a fee of €40m. It was a productive time in Russia, winning four league titles in a row and being named the league's player of the year in 2022-23, when he scored 23 goals in 27 games. As Al Hilal strategised where to splash the cash handed to them by the Saudi state's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Malcom's exploits and Russia's invasion of Ukraine made him a realistic target. It reunited him with Neymar, the idol he had once been too eager to get close to back in France, but Brazil's record scorer suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture to his knee which meant they barely shared the pitch together. Instead, Malcom is the Brazilian forward who has gone on to lead the club's revolution, scoring in the last 16, quarter-final and semi-final in the Asia Champions League. He won the Saudi Pro League with Al Hilal, for whom he scored a hat-trick on his debut, signalling that he was going to be one of the top players at that level. But many saw it as an unambitious move, a sign he may have given up on earning a regular spot in the Brazil squad despite scoring the winning goal in the final against Spain to win gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Malcom has certainly not been taking it easy in Saudi. He has taken his personal physiotherapist, Igor, with him to live full-time there and help ensure he is in the best shape possible. Advertisement 'Malcom is truly a big-hearted guy, very family-oriented,' says Igor. 'He truly believes in the project, which is ambitious and involves some of the biggest names in world football. Malcom would never have taken on this challenge if he didn't see real purpose and commitment in the mission to strengthen the league. 'Financial considerations are certainly part of any high-performance career. But beyond that, the opportunity to be part of a growing league, one that's undergoing a remarkable transformation, was also a strong motivator. 'We've seen clear evidence of that in the high-level matches being played, including the game against Manchester City. This is a new era for football in the region, and Malcom is playing an active role in shaping that future.' If Malcom can inspire Al Hilal to victory against Fluminense on Friday in Orlando, Florida, they will be just two wins from staging the kind of upset that could make some people think differently about those big-name players who joined the Saudi project in the early stages.
