![Claudia Maribel Vera Pech, left, 38, and Regina Laudalina Valle Chim, 47, of the award-winning Chelemeras group trek through a wetland toward the beginnings of a new forest, planted by hand](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/C26A7302-300x200.jpg)
Meet the Chelemeras: The Maya Women Who Restore Mangroves in Mexico’s Yucatán
Internationally hailed, the reforestation project run by 14 women targets these life-sheltering, shoreline-protecting ecosystems.
![Chile's Torres del Paine National Park in Magallanes](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Torres-del-Paine-Eduardo-Hernandez-300x234.jpg)
Q&A: Chile’s Ambitious Environmental Fund
Restoring the national botanical garden, which burned down in this year’s wildfires, is just one project for the relatively new national fund.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AQPodcast_Maloney061824-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast | Our Mid-Year Update on Latin America’s Economies
A big-picture overview of Latin America’s economies, including the question of how much nearshoring is really happening.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1243408266-300x200.jpg)
The Caribbean’s Economic Future Depends on Building Climate Resilience
Uniquely vulnerable to extreme weather, island nations are seeking funding for projects to drive development while boosting resilience.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-1814915908-300x200.jpg)
Petro’s Environmental Record Is Full of Contradictions
As this October’s COP16 summit approaches, is Colombia ready to set real commitments to protect biodiversity?
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/AQPodcast_Escobar020124-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast | Ecuador’s Crossroads: Can Noboa Succeed?
An overview of the Americas’ latest front in the battle against organized crime.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AQPodcast_Mandle_062524-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast: Guyana, Oil and the Resource Curse
An overview of the past, present and future of Guyana’s economy as it deals with the discovery of massive oil reserves.
![](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-1252023798-300x169.jpg)
Mexico’s Water Crisis Is Spilling Over Into Politics
Drought across much of the country’s landmass is affecting economic activity and the upcoming presidential election.
![Protests against the Canadian First Quantum Minerals mine in Panama continue in Panama City, Panama, as President Laurentino Cortizo defended a new contract with the copper mining giant.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Panama-Protests-300x200.jpg)
Panama’s Protests Are About More Than a Mine
A mining dispute has tapped into greater frustration over corruption and environmental policy.
![Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addresses the press during the Amazon summit in Belém on August 9.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/LulaSummitAmazon-300x200.jpg)
Successes and Shortfalls in the Amazon Summit
Lula’s climate diplomacy now faces a viability test.
![President of Colombia Gustavo Petro delivers remarks during a joint press conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa (not seen) at the end of their bilateral meeting in which they discussed cooperation on energy and drug trafficking combat at the PM official residence in Sao Bento, on May 06](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GettyImages-1487952175-300x199.jpeg)
Letter to the Editor: It Is Too Soon to Dismiss Petro’s Environment Hopes
A response from AQ readers
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Photo Essay: Inside Vanilla’s All-Natural Comeback
Synthetic vanilla dominates the market—but in Mexico, in the vanilla orchid’s native range, this tasty cash crop is enjoying a resurgence.
![Malene Alleyne is a Jamaican lawyer and activist hoping to change the way the international community views development in the Caribbean region.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AQ0323_PROFILELEDE-300x183.jpg)
Malene Alleyne Wants Faster Change for the Caribbean
Part of a generation gaining institutional strength, the Jamaican human rights lawyer wants to topple extractivism on behalf of the marginalized.
![Cândido Rondon, Brazilian explorer and general, pictured in 1930.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Marechal_Rondon-scaled-e1681506014402-300x198.jpeg)
The Complex Legacy of Brazilian Explorer Cândido Rondon
The general was an early advocate for Indigenous people—but reality has fallen brutally short of his ideals.
![Sign for oil company Pemex at a plant in the state of San Luis Potosi.](https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1239192829-300x200.jpeg)
Mexico Has a Path to Meet Its Climate Pledges
Fulfilling the country’s commitments to reduce emissions will be a critical task for the next administration.