Environmental journalism in Latin America will face significant challenges in the near future, including the advance of organized crime, increasing violence against journalists and their sources, a financial crisis for independent media, and the rapid increase of climate change effects.
In response, nearly 100 environmental journalists from the region who have been collaborating under the coordination of the independent environmental news outlet Mongabay Latam have decided to formalize their alliance. They’ve created the Network of Journalists United for the Environment, or PUMA for its initials in Spanish.
“We felt that working as a network was essential. We already had a vibrant network with which we have conducted cross-border investigations and collaborations,” María Isabel Torres, director of Mongabay Latam, told LJR. “The idea is precisely to strengthen the network, continue doing journalism together, and enhance all our capabilities—not only in terms of journalism but also in terms of resources and protection when working in the field in dangerous areas.”
Nearly a hundred environmental journalists from Latin America decided to formalize their alliance and created the Journalists United for the Environment Network (PUMA). (Photo: Screenshot of Mongabay Latam's website)
Among the expectations of journalists joining this new alliance are continuing to work on collaborative projects, finding training opportunities, and working together to improve security protocols, both for field reporting and legal protection.
Mongabay Latam was launched in 2016 as the Spanish-language edition of Mongabay, an independent media outlet specializing in environmental issues, based in California. Founded in 1999 by journalist Rhett A. Butler, who remains its director, the outlet has operated as a nonprofit since 2012, primarily funded by grants and donations.
Mongabay Latam was created to expand environmental coverage in Latin America and bring Spanish-speaking audiences investigations and reports on conservation, biodiversity, and climate change. The Spanish-language edition was followed by others, including Mongabay India, Mongabay Brazil, and Mongabay Africa.
Since its launch, Mongabay Latam has collaborated with independent journalists and local media in 14 countries, forming a network that now includes more than 90 journalists. This network has published more than 120 series and investigations on environmental issues with a global perspective while also highlighting local particularities.
“It is impossible to fully understand environmental issues without considering them from a global, regional, and local perspective,” Torres said. “We have been using our best abilities, each in their own country, in terms of environmental journalism expertise to create these special reports.”
One of the first projects of the PUMA Network was the publication of a series of profiles titled “Women Who Protect the Land: Defenders in Colombia Live on the Edge of Death,” featuring stories of Indigenous women leaders who face serious threats due to their fight to protect their land and resources.
Stories like these show how Latin America is one of the most dangerous regions in the world for environmental defenders, said Laila Abu Shihab, co-founder and project director of Vorágine, a Colombian investigative journalism outlet, and one of the authors of the series.
It is not uncommon for those behind the threats, murders, and harassment of environmental defenders to also pose a danger to the journalists reporting these stories, Shihab said. These perpetrators range from organized crime organizations to politicians and powerful businesspeople.
For this reason, security is one of the top priorities on the agenda of the newly formed PUMA Network.
“Investigating crimes and environmental issues is dangerous. Traveling to Putumayo, Guainía, or the Amazon to investigate the relationship between an oil multinational and illegal mining is dangerous,” Shihab told LJR. “The PUMA Network is considering, for example, creating a much more robust security protocol for all of us in Latin America who cover these issues. And that helps us all.”
Shihab said that working within a network also helps assess security risks more effectively. Thanks to Vorágine’s collaboration with Mongabay Latam, the outlet has been able to cover sensitive topics with greater depth and security for its reporters.
Shihab cited as an example a collaborative investigation published in 2023 that uncovered the links between transnational criminal organizations, armed groups, and illegal gold mining in Colombia.
Journalist Diego Cazar Baquero (center), director of the Ecuadorian media La Barra Espaciadora, hopes that the PUMA Network will help design joint security protocols for environmental coverage. (Photo: Courtesy of Mongabay Latam)
“We probably would not have been able to investigate that topic at such a level and with the security we had to go there if it had not been for the alliance with Mongabay,” Shihab said. “Vorágine may have its own security protocol, but having the backing and a much stronger security protocol from an international organization like Mongabay is even better.”
Joining forces in an alliance like the PUMA Network will help design joint security protocols, said Diego Cazar Baquero, director and editor-in-chief of the Ecuadorian digital magazine La Barra Espaciadora, another member of the new network.
Cazar Baquero said that environmental crimes linked to organized crime have increased in the Amazon over the past five years, making coverage in that region even riskier. Journalists at La Barra Espaciadora have found that collaborating with colleagues in the network who have more experience covering the Amazon helps them identify more reliable sources, safer routes, and more efficient logistics.
“Many times, conducting parallel reporting or connecting sources so we can be forewarned of any risks is another benefit we’ve discovered,” Cazar Baquero told LJR. “What we are doing is turning this network into an instrument that ensures more journalism and safer journalism.”
Shihab said another security challenge PUMA Network members face is finding effective ways to continue reporting on the dangers faced by environmental defenders, who are often key sources for investigative stories, without putting them at risk.
“It is an enormous challenge to write a story about these environmental defenders. It requires even greater care and rigor than other areas of journalism,” she said.
PUMA Network members hope this initiative will help independent media covering environmental issues in Latin America navigate the financial crisis caused by the suspension of U.S. funding ordered by President Donald Trump in January.
“We know we are experiencing a global crisis in international cooperation, journalism funding, and even journalism's public image, which also become obstacles we must address,” Cazar Baquero said.
At a time when dozens of media outlets in the region are being forced to rethink their business models, the emergence of an alliance like the PUMA Network is highly timely, Shihab said.
For the journalist, a business model is not only about funding but also includes other elements that contribute to a media outlet's sustainability, such as alliances and collaborations with other outlets and the human and material resources available. In these aspects, networks like PUMA provide significant support.
“For small outlets that may not have equipment like cameras, microphones, or video production materials, partnering with other media that do helps solve a problem to investigate and tell a specific story,” Shihab said. “Sometimes, for certain investigations, Mongabay may not have personnel available. We have the human resources but lack the funding, so Mongabay provides the money, and we help each other.”
Laila Shihab (left), co-founder of the Colombian media outlet Vorágine, said that her team has been able to investigate sensitive issues more safely thanks to collaborative work. (Photo: Luis Ángel / Vorágine)
Typically, Mongabay Latam secures funding for specific stories or topics, while partner media contribute personnel, equipment, or travel expenses, Torres explained. This way, they can produce journalistic pieces that would otherwise be too costly for a single outlet.
“What Mongabay does with us, in particular, is pay the fees for specific coverage agreed upon in advance,” Cazar Baquero said. “This ensures that journalists receive fair and dignified compensation.”
The work produced by the media outlets in the PUMA Network often fills a gap traditional media do not explore in depth, said Mary Triny Zea, an independent investigative journalist and member.
“The stories we have covered with Mongabay have taken very different and novel approaches compared to what is usually on the local media agenda,” Zea told LJR. She has collaborated with Mongabay Latam since 2022. “[Working in a network] has allowed us to tackle important, revealing stories from an international perspective.”
Zea said that environmental journalism often takes a backseat in traditional media due to the daily news cycle—not because it is unimportant, but because it requires specialized reporting. A network like PUMA also allows access to experts in different fields to provide that expertise.
She cited the case of Latin America’s first mass relocation of climate refugees in 2024, a story widely covered by Panamanian media. However, a specialized investigation by Zea in collaboration with Mongabay revealed the relocation was putting one of Panama’s most important protected areas at risk.
“This shows us that environmental journalism is important and necessary, but also a specialized field. That’s why we train, prepare, and study,” Zea said. “Journalists are not experts, but we must reach out to those who are in order to guide us and ensure the best possible coverage.”
The PUMA Network plans to develop a series of training initiatives. One of the first workshops Mongabay has scheduled is on satellite monitoring tools. Additionally, the network is preparing spaces for discussion and reflection on safety and well-being, Torres said.
Zea added that one of the advantages of working in a network with Mongabay is the ability to combat censorship more effectively. Reports produced in collaboration are published both on Mongabay’s site and on the sites of participating media outlets, providing protection against censorship.
In Latin America, transnational corporations involved in environmental disasters often wield enough power to try to suppress a story, whether by intimidating journalists or threatening them with lawsuits, Zea said.
“They may try to censor a story in one country, but if we work as a network, they won’t be able to, because the story will be published in multiple countries at the same time,” Zea said. “The risk of censorship or legal threats is lower when working in a network because we all collaborate and protect each other as a journalistic community.”
The PUMA Network plans to carry out training initiatives on topics such as satellite monitoring tools and safety and well-being for journalists. (Photo: Courtesy of Mongabay Latam)
Publishing stories simultaneously in several countries also increases their reach and impact. With more than 90 journalists in the PUMA Network, members hope this alliance will strengthen investigative reporting on environmental issues across the region.
“We can organize and investigate much more deeply if we unite, if we work as a network,” Shihab said. “This significantly expands the reach and impact of our stories. They can travel much farther and reach audiences they otherwise wouldn’t.”
