South America - Environmental Paper Network

Suzano, Stora Enso: the making of corporate land

Veracel, Suzano and Stora Enso, the trajectory from land grabbing to corporate property A recent scientific study sheds new light on the pulp & paper industry expansion in the far south of Bahia, Brazil. The research examines not only questions surrounding the origin and validity of land titles associated with the company, but also […]

Dry Streams in an Ocean of Eucalyptus: new report calls for Aperam expansion to be halted

A new investigation into Aperam BioEnergia’s eucalyptus plantations, charcoal and biochar production in Brazil’s Upper Jequitinhonha Valley documents decades of land dispossession, water depletion, Cerrado destruction and conflict, challenging the idea that this industrial model represents a genuine climate solution. The Global Forest Coalition (GFC), together with Biofuelwatch, EPN’s Biomass Action Network and the Hands […]

“Green steel”, “sustainable charcoal”, and the criminalisation of rural communities in Brazil

Photo: Meeting with the Formiga People’s Association regarding the land and environmental dispute with the company Aço Verde do Brasil (AVB) in the municipality of Anapurus (MA). © Fórum Carajás This blog was a collaboration between the Environmental Paper Network, Fórum Carajás, and the Global Forest Coalition. The promise of “green steel” has become […]

Argentina: the Hidden Costs of Paper

What a Case in Corrientes reveals about industrial tree plantations Paper is everywhere. It wraps our food, fills our offices, and packages our online purchases. When we think of paper, we picture books and notepads, not single use packaging and waste. And we don’t see the vast industrial plantation landscape that feeds the global pulp […]

Silenced Lands

Escalating Violence in Rural Conflicts in Brazil In 2025, there have been fewer conflicts, if you count them. However, violence is rising, including land disputes. In short, this is the conclusion of the report released last week by Brazil’s Pastoral Land Commission. The report paints a troubling picture of rural life in 2025. While […]

Forests, Profits, and Displacement: The Brazil Land Disputes Shadowing Stora Enso

Protesters rally outside Finlandia Hall during Stora Enso AGM Helsinki, Finland — Activists gathered outside Finlandia Hall in central Helsinki to raise awareness about alleged environmental and human rights violations linked to the Nordic forestry giant Stora Enso, as the company’s annual general meeting and shareholders’ assembly took place inside. Demonstrators distributed leaflets to attendees […]

Under Fire: Defending Ancestral Territory Amid Violence and Agribusiness Expansion

Amid escalating land conflicts in southern Bahia, the Pataxó indigenous people are raising urgent alarm over what they describe as intensifying violence, criminalization, and corporate-driven pressures threatening their ancestral territories and fundamental rights. On February 24, 2026, the Council of Pataxó Chiefs from the Barra Velha and Comexatibá territories in Bahia, Brazil, issued a […]

From Argentina to Chile: Southern Forests in Flames

More than 50,000 people have been evacuated in Chile’s Ñuble and Biobío regions, where wildfires have destroyed at least 250 homes and claimed a minimum of 18 lives. Authorities warn that the death toll is likely to rise as fires continue to spread. This disaster is neither sudden nor unexpected. Just two years ago, in […]

We Had Everything: How the Forest Was Taken in the Land of Drums and Resistance

This is Part 2 of a story documenting EPN International Program Coordinator, Sergio Baffoni, during his month-long journey across Brazil, where he met with communities defending their customary rights and seeking support to make their struggles visible. The road stretches on for miles, hemmed in by two dense walls of sickly-looking trees. Endlessly. These are […]