Articles on environmental and social justice

Bolivian activists push back against mining industry

Written by Bethan John. Published by Al Jazeera

Indigenous communities in several national parks say their way of life is threatened by the encroachment of gold mining. Read more

Corrupt police caught in bust of Peruvian Amazon drug gang

Written by Bethan John. Published by Mongabay

Three policemen were arrested after a year-long investigation into narco-trafficking in Peru’s Manú Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and top global biodiversity hotspot. Read more

Narcos threaten Peru’s indigenous communities

Produced by Bethan John. Published by Mongabay

Manu Biosphere Reserve, in the Peruvian Amazon, is home to a diversity of indigenous cultures, including native communities that are living in voluntary isolation. But narco trafficking is widespread in this remote corner of the jungle. Watch video

Voices on the Road – Indigenous rights film

Written by Bethan John. Published by The Ecologist

A controversial new road is tearing through the most biodiverse place in Peru’s Amazon rainforest, bringing conflict and destruction. For one indigenous group, desperate for change, it also brings hope. Read more

Storytelling in the face of Amazon destruction

Written by Bethan John. Published by The Ecologist.

New documentary, Second Chances, shows how even the most unlikely people can become environmental defenders. Watch the film by Eilidh Munro

Peligro en el Manu: las vías que podrían conectar a un parque nacional con la minería ilegal y el narcotráfico

Written by Bethan John. Published by Mongabay.

La construcción reciente del camino hacia Boca Manu y la proyectada ampliación de la carretera a Boca Colorado pone en riesgo dos áreas protegidas importantes de la Amazonía peruana: el Parque Nacional del Manu y la Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri.

Podcast: conservation careers stories

Produced by Rosalie Wright. Published by BES Conservation SIG

Award-winning conservation storytellers Bethan John and Eilidh Munro share their key advice for creating on-the-ground impact and their experiences working together to produce the documentary, Voices on the Road. Listen to the podcast

New road cutting into Manu Biosphere Reserve in Peruvian Amazon sparks debate, fears and a film

Q&A interview with Bethan John. Published by Mongabay

A new documentary film about a road project in the Manu Biosphere Reserve in Peru’s southeastern Amazon chronicles an Indigenous community’s debate about its future. Read more