• Aluminum companies abandon Santa Isabel dam

Brazilian environmentalists, local communities in the Araguaia River area of Brazil's Amazon and BioGems Defenders won a resounding victory when Alcoa and a consortium of aluminum companies abandoned a massive dam proposed for the Araguaia.

The Santa Isabel dam would have submerged a large stretch of rainforest -- home to black saki monkeys and rare pink dolphins -- and displaced 7,000 people. Alcoa and other companies pulled out of the project after the Brazilian government informed the consortium that the dam failed to meet Brazil's basic environmental standards. Kudos to the Brazilian government, and many thanks to BioGems Defenders, who sent more than 21,000 messages opposing the dam!