Several small studies have shown that some fish in the Madre de Dios region in southeastern Peru contain dangerous levels of mercury. A larger study of mercury in fish and in people will soon get under way under the direction of Luis Fernández, a tropical ecologist from the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University.
It's been one dam story after another in South America in the past week or so.
The 2,750 Mw HidroAysén dam in southern Chile got the green light from an appeals court after a three-month suspension to review objections from environmentalists.
The on-again-off-again Belo Monte dam in Brazil is off again, at least for the moment. A judge suspended construction because of the likely impact on fish stocks and local communities that depend on fisheries. The dam would also flood an area occupied by indigenous people.
How would you like a T. rex up the nose?
A new species of leech, called Tyrannobdella rex, which was found attached to the nasal mucous membrane of a 9-year-old girl in the central Peruvian region of Chanchamayo, made the International Institute for Species Explorations list of the top 10 new species described in 2010.
Read more: Tyrant leech and other new species make Top 10 list
SuPer(u)Natural
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Natural PeruThe great diversity of regional cultures and cuisines in Peru reflects the country's natural and agricultural biodiversity. Millennia of geological and...Read More...
Coastal Desert
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Pacific coast Peru's coast is a long strip of desert cut in more than 50 places by seasonal rivers that flow from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. But the coast has not always been arid. After South America broke away...Read More... -
Coastal current The coastal ecosystems and the civilizations that flourished on the Peruvian coast have been shaped by Pacific currents. The Peruvian or Humboldt Current flowing northward along the coast of South America,...Read More...
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Andes Mountains
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Andes Mountains The uplift of the Andes mountains over millions of years has been due to a combination of Read More...
Tropical glaciers The Andes are topped by the largest concentration of ice anywhere in the Earth’s tropics (the belt around the middle...Read More...- 1
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Amazon Basin
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Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the largest watershed on Earth. It provides about 20 percent of all fresh water...Read More... -
Water and winds The Amazon watershed lies in the tropics, the band around the equator from...Read More...
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Barbara Fraser is a freelance journalist based in Lima, Peru. With 20 years of experience in Latin America, she puts a human face on current events and public policy. She offers research, writing, editing and photography services, with particular expertise in Latin American, environmental, public health and social issues.