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The report highlights that disaster risk in Latin America and the Caribbean is increasing due to heightened exposure and vulnerability, even independent of climate change. It details observed and projected trends in temperature and precipitation extremes across the region and argues for the integration of disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA) to build long-term resilience.

The document is a practical guide for creating biocultural community protocols—instruments that document a community's customary laws, values, and decision-making processes to manage interactions with external actors. It emphasizes an endogenous development approach, where change is initiated and controlled from within the community. The toolkit provides a wide array of participatory tools for mapping resources, analyzing power dynamics, and engaging in legal advocacy. It outlines a four-part process: understanding the community and facilitator's role, documenting the community's foundations, implementing the protocol through engagement and negotiation, and continuously reflecting on and revising the instrument.

This report by Friends of the Earth International highlights the 'ecological war' waged by extractive industries, detailing the deaths and repression of activists in countries such as Nigeria, the Philippines, and Colombia. It argues that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a myth used to mask systemic abuses and calls for an end to fossil fuel addiction and the protection of indigenous territories.

The paper examines the conflict between the AmaDiba community, the South African government, and Mineral Commodities Limited (MRC) over a proposed ilmenite mine. It highlights failures in community consultation, contradictions between the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs (DWEA), and the misuse of black economic empowerment (BEE) legislation via the Xolobeni Empowerment Company (XolCo). The author argues for the adoption of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocol to ensure a 'social licence' for mining.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has issued a call for proposals from member countries to host its Executive Directorate. Proposals must be submitted by November 15, 2011, and will be evaluated by an ad hoc commission based on criteria including facilities, legal status, fiscal exemptions, and personnel support. A final report will be issued by January 15, 2012, with a final vote by the Conference of the Parties in February 2012.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has established a process for member countries to submit proposals to host its Directorate. Proposals must be submitted by November 15, 2011, and will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee based on criteria including facilities, tax status, legal immunities, and staff support. A final report will be issued by January 15, 2012, with a final vote by the Conference of the Parties in February 2012.

The report presents a series of case studies from FOE member groups in Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the United States, Guatemala, and Switzerland. It highlights the conflict between industrial agricultural models—characterized by monocultures, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and land grabbing—and community-led efforts to maintain agroecological practices, preserve native seeds, and secure land rights. The document argues that food sovereignty is inextricably linked to the protection of forests and biodiversity, and it showcases various strategies for resistance, including community-based conservation, the creation of alternative markets, and legal initiatives to prevent urban sprawl and industrial land use.

This report by Friends of the Earth International compiles experiences from Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the USA, Guatemala, and Switzerland. It argues that food sovereignty is inseparable from the protection of biodiversity and forests, and it documents how local communities—including indigenous peoples and peasant farmers—resist monocultures, land grabbing, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through agroecology, seed conservation, and community-based land management.

The document presents a collection of case studies from Friends of the Earth International member groups, highlighting the intrinsic link between biodiversity and food sovereignty. It examines the negative impacts of industrial monocultures, land grabbing, and genetic modification in countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the USA, Guatemala, and Switzerland. Each case study emphasizes the role of local and indigenous knowledge, the importance of seed saving, and the necessity of community-led land management to resist corporate-driven agricultural systems and environmental degradation.

The document argues that the dominant agro-industrial model, driven by profit and export, marginalizes rural women by ignoring their role in social reproduction and denying them land rights. Through testimonies from the Global South, it illustrates how corporate land grabbing and state complicity lead to economic displacement and environmental degradation. In response, rural women are organizing through movements like La Via Campesina to promote food sovereignty, preserve ancestral seeds, and implement agro-ecological alternatives to ensure the sustainability of life and biodiversity.

The document argues that rural women in the Global South face severe gender-based inequality, including restricted land access and economic exploitation, which is exacerbated by a corporate-led agribusiness model. It highlights how this model causes environmental destruction and social displacement, disproportionately affecting women who are often the primary preservers of biodiversity and traditional seeds. Through testimonies from regions such as Nigeria, Indonesia, and Latin America, the report details the 'work overload' women face as they manage both social reproduction and agricultural production, often without recognition or fair pay. It advocates for 'food sovereignty'—the right of peoples to control their own seeds, lands, and food production—as a political and practical alternative to the industrial model. The report concludes that rural women are leading resistance through agro-ecological practices, political self-organisation, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge to ensure the sustainability of human life.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is a global federation of 76 autonomous environmental groups with over 2 million members. Founded in 1971, the organization has evolved from a small group of activists into a decentralized network that prioritizes environmental and social justice. FoEI's current strategy, 'mobilise, resist, transform', focuses on challenging the neoliberal economic model, which it identifies as the driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. The federation advocates for key concepts such as 'environmental space', 'ecological debt', and 'food sovereignty' to create sustainable societies. Its work spans several core areas, including climate and energy justice, forest protection, food sovereignty, and resisting extractive industries like mining, oil, and gas.

The report details the outcomes of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) programs, specifically the Cooperative Research Networks (CRN II), Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and an IDRC-funded project on the Río de la Plata basin. Key findings highlight the vulnerability of Andean cloud forests, the impact of land-use changes on hydrology in the Río de la Plata basin, and the increasing frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean. The document emphasizes the 'value added' by integrating social and economic sciences (Human Dimensions) to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy implementation, citing specific influences on forest protection laws in Brazil and glacier protection legislation in Argentina.

The IAI is transitioning toward a 'Center of Excellence' model for water security, headquartered at the University of Arizona and the Universidad Católica de Santiago, to better integrate transdisciplinary research on hydrology and climate. Scientific synthesis has highlighted that biophysical changes in land use, such as albedo and evapotranspiration, are as critical as biogeochemical effects. The Institute has expanded its capacity-building through training institutes in Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay, focusing on seasonal climate predictions and urban responses to climate change. Administratively, the IAI faces significant instability due to personnel contracting issues in Brazil and a lack of official response from the Brazilian government regarding host country agreement amendments, leading the Executive Board to seek alternative host countries.

The report argues for a 'symbiosis' of indigenous wisdom and scientific data to build community resilience in Central America. It details the holistic worldview of indigenous peoples, who view climate change as a result of human imbalance with 'Mother Earth'. The study provides a synergy model linking biodiversity, DRR, and CC, and documents success stories where traditional knowledge—such as interpreting natural indicators or using ancestral seeds—effectively mitigated disaster impacts. It concludes that indigenous peoples must be treated as active stakeholders and decision-makers in public policy rather than mere objects of projects.

The 30th IAI Executive Council meeting focused on governance, strategic planning, and member engagement. Key outcomes included the election of a new Board, the establishment of a working group for a new Strategic Plan, and efforts to revitalize relationships with non-participatory member countries. The Council also discussed the synthesis of the CRN Program, balancing the continuity of established research networks with the need to recruit new scientific groups, and coordinated potential activities at the UNFCCC in Cancún.

This report by Friends of the Earth International documents community struggles and successes in maintaining food sovereignty and biodiversity across diverse geographic contexts. It examines the negative impacts of industrial monocultures, corporate land grabs, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) while promoting agroecology, seed saving, and community-based forest management as sustainable alternatives. The text emphasizes the role of women and indigenous peoples in protecting ecosystems and argues that food sovereignty is unattainable without the preservation of biological diversity.

The report documents the negative impacts of Holcim's cement and mining activities in Latin America, focusing on the destruction of aquifers and landscapes, air pollution, and health crises. It highlights the use of 'co-processing' to incinerate hazardous waste and criticizes the role of Free Trade Agreements and international arbitration (CIADI) in protecting corporate interests over community rights. Specific cases include the criminalization of Maya Kaqchikel communities in Guatemala, the degradation of the Tunjuelo River in Bogotá, and neurotoxic acrylates emissions in Mexico. The document concludes by detailing a 2010 complaint filed against Holcim at the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal in Madrid.

The report argues that the GM crop industry is built on unsubstantiated claims and that the technology primarily benefits biotech corporations rather than farmers or consumers. It documents rising public and legal opposition in Europe, the US, and Asia, while highlighting the environmental and health risks associated with herbicide-tolerant crops and the emergence of 'superweeds'. The document also examines the push for GM animals and the influence of the US government and the Gates Foundation in promoting GMOs in Africa and Latin America, often at the expense of local food sovereignty.

The report argues that the GM crop industry exaggerates benefits and suppresses evidence of harm. It documents a global trend of public and legal rejection, including the reduction of GM acreage in Europe and court rulings against Monsanto in the US. The text highlights the increased use of agrotóxicos, specifically glyphosate, and the risks of new GM animals like salmon and pigs. It further criticizes the influence of the US government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in promoting GM technologies in Africa and Latin America, which the authors claim threatens traditional agricultural practices and food sovereignty.