Steven Grattan | Associated Press

Authorities from five Amazon countries have arrested hundreds in a major crackdown on environmental crime. Operation Green Shield 2026, which ran from July 15 to July 31, involved over 3,600 officers targeting illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking. Officials from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru coordinated the effort.

More than a month after Venezuela's devastating earthquakes, public health experts tell The Associated Press the coming weeks are critical to prevent secondary crises from contaminants. Dust from collapsed buildings fills the air, and garbage piles up. Some people are reporting respiratory illnesses.

From Brazil's expansion of firefighting brigades and aircraft to contingency plans for water, energy and agriculture in countries including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, authorities are preparing for potentially severe impacts.

The upcoming Colombian presidential election between Sen. Iván Cepeda, an ally of President Gustavo Petro, and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella is shaping up as a stark choice that could impact the future of the Amazon rainforest, fossil fuel development and the rights of Indigenous communities.

Living with fear can come with activism in Colombia, where one group recorded 48 killings of activists last year. Watchdog groups say the state should do more to prosecute anyone behind threats and attacks.

Interpol and partners have launched a global law enforcement effort to fight illegal deforestation in tropical areas. Wednesday's announcement says it's aimed at dismantling criminal networks behind illegal logging, timber trafficking and gold mining.

The Indigenous Guard of the Nasa people formed in Colombia in 2001 to protect Indigenous territories from armed groups and from environmental destruction such as deforestation and illegal mining. In the last few years, they have been forced to confront a growing problem with those armed groups recruiting children into operations that include growing coca for cocaine.