Steven Grattan

My first feature for @AP global climate team. Great to be out reporting again. Colombia's river guardians risk their lives to help protect the Atrato from illegal gold mining - an increasingly hopeless battle in this violent and forgotten region. apnews.com/article/atrato…

“Thanks to the strong rejection by national and international public opinion, the government revoked the reduction of the area of the Nazca Archaeological Reserve,” @marianocastro, Peru’s former vice minister of the environment, told @AP apnews.com/article/nazca-…

Peru just seized a record 4 tons of mercury hidden in gravel—enough to fuel $170M+ in illegal Amazon gold mining. Trafficked from Mexico, destined for Bolivia. Mercury poisons rivers, forests, & Indigenous lives. Full @AP story: apnews.com/article/e0e605…

indigenous Wampis guards were ambushed while confronting illegal gold miners in Peru’s Amazon, days after the govt pulled out of a joint patrol. No injuries, but shots were fired. The Wampis say they’re being left to defend their territory alone. 🔗 apnews.com/article/peru-i…

🇨🇴🇨🇴 #Colombia 🇨🇴🇨🇴 @dickinsonbeth, experta de @CrisisGroup conversó con @sjgrattan sobre la organización de la comunidades indígenas en el Cauca y la importancia de los movimientos juveniles para resistir el reclutamiento de los grupos armados. apnews.com/article/colomb…

From Cauca, Colombia: Indigenous youth are organizing to defend their land amid rising violence. I spoke with young leaders at the 39th Youth Assembly about culture, resistance & survival. 📍 Full story via @AP: apnews.com/article/84c45d…

Ecuador passed a new law this evening allowing private & foreign control of protected areas. Indigenous groups call it unconstitutional & a threat to land rights. Govt says it's to boost oversight, not extraction. Legal battles loom. 📎 apnews.com/article/d160b1…

Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador & Peru just wrapped up Operation Green Shield, a rare joint Amazon crackdown on illegal mining, logging & wildlife trafficking — with support from the UAE. apnews.com/article/amazon…

Big moment for climate + human rights: Latin America’s top rights court says states have a legal duty to act on the climate crisis — and recognizes the right to a healthy climate. My latest for @AP ahead of #COP30 in Brazil 🌎⚖️👇 apnews.com/article/latin-…

Illegal gold mining is contaminating rivers in Peru’s northern Amazon with mercury — poisoning fish, water, and the communities who depend on them. Now, Indigenous and rural residents along the Nanay River are taking the Peruvian state to task. apnews.com/article/peru-m…

What's the connection between oil extracted from Ecuador's Amazon rain forest and California? @AP colleague Steven Grattan reports on a story that shows how interconnected the world is. apnews.com/article/califo…

California is the top buyer of oil from the Amazon, with Chevron’s Richmond refinery playing a key role. I spoke to Indigenous leaders who traveled from Ecuador to demand the state cut ties with rainforest crude. My latest for @AP: apnews.com/article/califo…

Yesterday, @AP published a deep look at the potential costs of reversing several EPA regulations. As a follow, we look at how air quality improved markedly when companies were obligated to report emissions. The EPA wants to end that program. apnews.com/article/epa-gr…

Colombia saw a 33% drop in deforestation in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, the environment ministry said Thursday, citing stronger community coordination and a crackdown on environmental crime. apnews.com/article/defore…

Out tomorrow: the first episodes of our six-part @guardian podcast series about Dom and Bruno and the Amazon. Listen wherever you get your podcasts theguardian.com/technology/aud…

First byline by new @AP reporter Caleigh Wells, on how to keep healthy amid wildfire smoke (coming from Canada). Engaging video by Kiki Sideris apnews.com/article/wildfi…

apnews.com/article/peru-n… “You’re fully illegal when you operate in a place where mining is banned ... but since that cultural heritage restriction no longer exists, they’re no longer in violation — they’ll need to formalize their operations,” Energy and Mines Minister said.

As multinationals move away from wind projects in Colombia, state run oil company @ECOPETROL_SA is buying them up. In May, Ecopetrol acquired nine solar and wind energy projects from Norway’s Statkraft. apnews.com/article/colomb…

@AP_Noticias @sjgrattan Peru reduces Nazca Lines park by 42%, raising concerns over environmental and heritage risks Perú reduce en 42% el parque de las Líneas de Nazca, lo que genera preocupación por riesgos ambientales y patrimoniales @MinCulturaPe apnews.com/article/peru-n…

apnews.com/article/peru-n… Peru’s decision to shrink its archeological park home to the famous Nazca Lines by around 42% — an area roughly the size of 1,400 soccer fields — has sparked alarm among conservationists, archaeologists and environmental advocates.

Colombia lost nearly 88,900 hectares of forest — an area larger than New York City — in just six months, driven by the rapid spread of illegal roads, coca cultivation, and unregulated mining, according to a report by Colombia’s procurator’s office. apnews.com/article/defore…