Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Blow Dealt Against Bird Trafficking

- The Argentine Wildlife Directorate stepped up operations last week against the illegal sales of wild bird species that are endangered or whose populations are very reduced.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: New Steps Against Pollution

eginning May 30, the Bogotá municipal government will implement traffic restrictions in three sectors of the city, affecting public service vehicles that run on diesel and that are older than 10 years.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: 10 Years in Prison for Water Contamination

A new regulation on discharge of wastewater took effect May 11 in Guatemala, and includes penalties of up to 10 years in prison for contamination of major water sources.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Business Sector Rejects New Solar Law

Opposition has emerged amongst entrepreneurs in the Mexican capital against a law that would require the use of solar energy by any new business that has more than 51 employees and uses hot water. Their argument is that it is an expensive source of energy and adequate technology is not available.

Now the Spotlight Turns to Argentina's Pulp Mills

Paraguay is filing complaints against Argentina for the contamination of the border Paraná River. The operations of at least 12 pulp mills are being challenged.

Clean Air Plan for Santiago Fails

According to business leaders, the year's first declaration of "pre-emergency" for air pollution meant 3.9 million dollars in losses. They urge President Bachelet to take action.

Conservation of Fauna Is a Titanic Task”

Tierramérica spoke with Gerardo Ceballos, winner of the Whitley Award for his work to create a habitat reserve to protect the prairie dogs in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

State Oil Companies with a Nationalist Boost

Several Latin American countries are reclaiming control of a precious natural resource: hydrocarbons. How are state-run oil companies -- many of them weak and politicized -- confronting the challenge?

U.S. in Pursuit of Canada's Prince of Pot”

The United States is requesting extradition of Canadian Marc Emery, who sold marijuana seeds over the Internet for 11 years. "I am not a dealer, but a political activist in favor of legalization," Emery told Tierramérica.

Environmentalists Challenge Garbage Burning

The "Usina Verde" project aims to help curb climate change through a different approach to waste management, but it could be a source of other contaminants.

Ecobreves – ITALY: Aspartame Controversy Continues

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) upheld the safety of the artificial sweetener aspartame after evaluating the study by the European Ramazzini Foundation based in the Italian city of Bologna, which concluded that the widely used substance could have carcinogenic effects.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Parakeets Endangered on Margarita Island

Fewer than 20 blue-crowned parakeets (Aratinga acuticaudata neoxena) survive in the mangroves of La Restinga Park, on Venezuela's Margarita Island, in the Caribbean. The species is in grave danger of extinction, biologist Marialejandra Faría, of the environmental group Provita, told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Youths to Live an Amazon Adventure

Some 45 students from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela and French Guiana will retrace the same route followed by Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana along the Amazon River in 1541 and 1542

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Legislators Halt Forestry Law

Honduran lawmakers are resisting approval of a new forestry law, and have agreed to start a new dialogue that overrules the one initiated more than eight years ago by civil society groups, politicians, labor unions and business organizations.

Ecobreves – CHILE: No to Pulp Mill Waste in the Sea

Environmentalists, artisanal fisherfolk, community leaders and marine sport enthusiasts have told the Chilean government that the pulp mill plants must improve their technology and prevent discharge of their industrial waste into rivers, lakes and the Pacific Ocean.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Demands for Better Control of Chemical Spills

An inter-ministerial committee in Brazil has proposed a system that would obligate companies, ports and entities that handle chemical products to notify authorities about spills, given their serious threats to local populations.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Forest Fire Alert

Guatemala declared an "orange alert" due to 18 fires in the northern department of El Petén, which threaten the archeological sites of Tikal and Piedras Negras, as well as the protected area Laguna del Tigre.

Telescope Could Reveal Origin of Universe

The gigantic array, whose 66 antennas will be erected in Chile's Atacama desert, is expected to produce crucial data about the cosmos beginning in 2012.

Ignorance Is Hurting the Amazon”

Brazilian activist Tarcisio Feitosa da Silva, a winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize -- known widely as the "Green Nobel" -- spoke with Tierramérica about his efforts to protect the Amazon.

Eco-Fashions Find a Place in Shop Windows

Clothing made from organic fibers and recycled materials is gaining ground in Italy. The giants of fashion design, like Giorgio Armani, are joining the trend.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: Ban on Shrimping Decreed

Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador have decreed a ban on fishing for shrimp during the entire month of May, reported the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food.