The New York Times released a feature piece yesterday about the struggles of the indigenous Ashaninka communities of Peru in the face of the Pakitzapango Dam, a plight we have been attempting to publically highlight for some time with our Peruvian partner organisation CARE. The piece entitled 'Dam Project Threatens a Way of Life in Peru' examines the peril set to devastate communities with the proposed 2,200-megawatt Pakitzapango hydroelectric dam, which would flood much of the Ene River valley, and belong to a proposed five dam network that under a 2010 energy agreement would generate more than 6,500 megawatts, primarily for export to neighboring Brazil. The dams would displace thousands of people in the process.

You can read the article in full from The New York Times website by clicking here.

Last week, Rainforest Foundation UK Executive Director Simon Counsell (pictured second from left) participated in a lively and fascinating rainforest debate entitled ‘Are the rainforests for sale?', held at The Eden Project in Cornwall, as chaired by journalist and news presenter George Alagiah, and alongside a panel of experts. The debate sparked discussion on solutions to deforestation, ranging from global financial incentives to sustainable palm oil to ecotourism. A blog post regarding the event can be found on The Eden Project's website by thinking here.

Congratulation and Thank you to Anne, Alex, Kyara, Lila, Nicola and Sei Yon who yesterday completed the 2012 London Marathon in support of the Rainforest Foundation UK. Your efforts in training and fundraising have been hugely appreciated; together you have raised vital funding for our projects and we are extremely grateful for that. A second huge thank you is due to Tomas and Sheona, who provided massages for our weary runners and to our team of volunteers who did a brilliant job as usual.

We have a number of Gold Bond places for the 2013 Virgin London Marathon.
If you want to register early for next year to secure your place, email events@rainforestuk.org give us a call on +44 (0) 207 485 0193 and we will send you an application form and info pack to get you off and running!