Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Communities Against Mining Exploration

Residents of the southern Honduran department of Valle oppose the permit that the government granted mining companies to explore and exploit some 5,000 hectares in the area.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Electrical Energy from Hydrogen

With support from the Argentine government, experts at an experimental hydrogen factory are studying the technical-economic possibilities of producing large quantities of electrical energy through turbines fed by this clean fuel.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: World Forum on Sustainable Tourism

Tourism that is not seasonal or destructive, that preserves biodiversity and has cultural and social content is the aim of the World Forum on Tourism for Peace and Sustainable Development, whose second annual meeting, DestiNations 2005, takes place Oct. 24-26 in this Brazilian city.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: War on Invasive Species

Of the 204 exotic land species recorded to date in Brazil, 130 have become invasive, spreading rapidly because they had no predators, and destroying the local biodiversity.

Ecobreves – CHILE: “Smart” Traffic Signals

Four computer science students at the Federico Santa María Technical University in Valparaíso, 120 km west of the Chilean capital, have developed the "Smart Traffic" program, which will modernize the coordination of traffic signals along urban vehicle circulation routes.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Protest Against Ban on Scrap Exports

Hundreds of workers at recycling companies protested Oct. 3 outside the Venezuelan Parliament against a government decree that banned the export of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Re-investing in Sustainable Heritage

Declared Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations in 1982, the historic center of Havana in 10 years generated 160 million dollars in tourism, services and taxes, most of which was reinvested in rehabilitating the district itself.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Misquitos Challenge World Bank Project

The indigenous Misquito peoples of Honduras and Nicaragua have expressed their doubts about the World Bank's Mesoamerican Corazon Biosphere project, saying it is exclusive and an attack on the preservation of their population and culture.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Recycling Vehicle Air Conditioners

By the end of the year the Brazilian government will deliver most of the 335 machines used for recycling the gases used in the air conditioning units of cars, trucks and other vehicles.

Article distributed on the occasion of upcoming anniversary of the of the ‘discovery’ of America, 12 October 1492.: FACES AND MASKS

Did Christopher Columbus discover America in 1492? Or was it the Vikings before him? And before the Vikings, what about the people who lived there? Didn\'t they exist? writes Eduardo Galeano, a Uruguayan writer and journalist, is the author of \'\'The Open Veins of Latin America\'\' and \'\'Memories of Fire\'\'. In this article, Galeano writes: We have been told, and still are, that it was the pilgrims of the Mayflower that populated America? Was it empty before? Because Columbus didn\'t understand what they were saying, he concluded the Indians didn\'t know how to speak. Because they wore no clothes, were gentle, and gave away everything they had, he concluded they lacked the capacity for reason. And because he was certain of having discovered the Orient by the back door, he believed they were Indians from India. After, during the second voyage, the admiral promulgated an act establishing that Cuba was part of Asia. The document of 14 June 1494 stated as evidence that the crew of their three ships recognised it such. Whoever said otherwise was given thirty lashes, fined 10,000 maravedies, and had his tongue cut out.

FIGHT BIRD FLU IN ANIMALS FIRST SO IT DOESN

The current bird flu scenario should not cause panic and fear but spur rational and immediate action to fight the disease at its origin: in animals, writes Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. In this article, Diouf writes that avian influenza is first of all an animal disease that requires a veterinary response. The virus can be defeated and contained if countries and the international community work closely together and set up efficient surveillance and disease control programmes. Virus outbreaks in animals need to be detected at a very early stage; infected poultry has to be slaughtered, and animals at risk have to be vaccinated. Affected countries and the international community urgently need to invest more in support of veterinarians and animal health workers, because they represent the first line of defence against the virus. We cannot afford to wait to battle the disease in pharmacies and hospitals, but need to get rid of the virus in infected farmers\' backyards. Investing in prevention will be cheaper in the longer run than the cure.

Venice Doesn't Want to Be Another New Orleans

A gigantic engineering project, slated for completion in 2010, aims to save the mystical Italian city of canals from the encroaching sea. Environmental groups sound the alarm on the work's potential environmental impact.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Forests Produce More Intact than Cleared for Farming

The Amazon forests that remain intact are more ''competitive'' than farming in this globalized economy, according to a doctoral thesis recently approved by the University of Brasilia.

Childhood in the Pit

More than 13,500 children and adolescents work in small mining operations in Bolivia, exposed to toxic gases, accidents and explosions. Their life expectancy is just 45 years.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Christmas Threatens the Pinabete

The situation of the pinabete (Abies guatemalensis R), an endangered tree in Guatemala, worsens every Christmas season due to the widespread use of its branches as decoration by the mostly Roman Catholic population.

Health Authorities Silent on Dangers of Sun's Rays

The hole in the ozone layer reached record size over southern Argentina in September. But there were no special measures by the government to alert the population about the dangers of ultraviolet radiation.

Thousands of Kilometers with Camera in Hand

Photographer Mauricio Ramos will cross Mexico on foot, from the United States border in the north, to Guatemala in the south, in a challenging five-month adventure covering 3,100 km. Ramos hopes for an abundant harvest of images of nature and of the people he encounters.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Invention for Saving Wash Water

A mechanism for re-using nearly all of the water utilized in the clothes washing machine reduces water consumption of 6,000 liters to just 15, and is very inexpensive, the president of Brazil's National Association of Inventors, Carlos Mazzei, told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Maradona Defends Wichí Indigenous Peoples

On his television program "La noche del 10", the most watched show in Argentina, former soccer star Diego Maradona asked the government to prevent the clearing of the Pizarro reserve, in the northeastern province of Salta, where a community of Wichí Indians lives.

Ecobreves – PERU: Denunciations of Mining Pollution

Community leaders in the mining province of Oyón, 160 km northeast of Lima, are demanding that the government take immediate steps to prevent the contamination caused by the company Buenaventura, world leader in silver production.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Companies for Cleaner Production

From May 3 to May 6, 2006, in Bento Goncalves, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the second International Ecological and Environmental Fair (FIEMA) will promote new technologies for sustainable development.