Colombia's Bid to Save Its National Flower

The cattleya trianae orchid is in danger of extinction. But using both traditional and modern techniques, experts are fighting to keep this emblematic flower from disappearing.

Free Zone for Paraquat

Paraquat is used without restrictions in Central America, where the herbicide is believed to cause some 400,000 poisonings each year. Each country of the region spends an estimated seven million dollars annually on medical treatment for those affected.

Ecobreves – NORTH AMERICA: Dangerous Air for Kids

The 12o million children living in Canada, Mexico and United States are exposed to the annual emissions of more than four million tons of dangerous substances that are proven or suspected to be carcinogens, toxic to fetal development or neurotoxins.

Ecobreves – PERU: Coca Growers Deforest the Amazon

Illegal coca plantations have caused environmental damage to the Peruvian Amazon of an estimated 1.5 billion dollars, due to clearing of forest and logging, says an official report from the Peruvian government.

Ecobreves – ANTARCTICA: Fish and Birds in Danger

The bird and fish species of Antarctica are threatened by excessive fishing, says a study by Argentine scientists.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Medicinal Plants to Fight Malaria

Some 160 plants used to treat malaria by black healers and indigenous shamans in Colombia have been targeted by the Malaria Research Group at the local University of Antioquia with the intention of developing new medications.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Green News in Mosquitia

In the Mosquitia region of Honduras, in the northeast, a group of rural communicators is promoting a radio news program focused on sustainable development and cultural preservation among the Misquita, Tawakhas and Pech indigenous communities.

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA:: Still No Compensation for Poisoning Victims

There are 2,800 Costa Rican farm workers affected by the insecticide nemagon (dibromochloropropane) are demanding payment of the compensation that was agreed with the National Insurance Institute (INS), which so far has failed to issue checks on time.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: NASA Backs Satellite Monitoring of Resources

Guatemala will soon have a satellite monitoring system for its natural resources as part of a program of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which in two year will provide 350,000 dollars in infrastructure and training.

UN CONVENTION TARGETS KLEPTOCRAT RULERS

In election campaigns this year in Indonesia and the Philippines --countries that have been impoverished by the greed of successive corrupt leaders-- the presidential candidates have battled one another for the anti-corruption mantle, writes Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International. In this analysis for IPS, Eigen writes that both countries are case studies in how corrupt leaders who take advantage of immense personal power and immunity from prosecution can devastate their populations by systematically plundering their wealth. The recent adoption of the United Nations Convention against Corruption is an important step towards the repatriation of money siphoned off by nefarious leaders. The first-ever UN International Anti-Corruption Day will be held on 9 December to pressure governments to ratify the Convention so that stolen assets can be returned to their rightful owners. Thirty ratifications are needed before the Convention comes into force. Citizens have a right to know what happens to the money managed by public officials in the developed and developing worlds, and to insist that donor and other government funds reach the intended recipients - the people.

MAKE IT OR BREAK IT TIME FOR LATEST WTO NEGOTIATIONS

2004 is a crucial year for the Doha negotiations of the World Trade Organisation and the multilateral trading system in general, writes Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director-General of the World Trade Organization. In this article, the author writes that since the beginning of this year, starting with the instrumental efforts by US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, we have witnessed a number of very important initiatives and inputs to help move the process forward. I personally saw a much- needed new level of political commitment at important ministerial gatherings such as the Paris Ministerial Conference of the OECD and the Less Developed Countries (LDC) Ministerial Conference in Senegal. WTO Members are showing a remarkable sense of political urgency and realism, combined with the willingness to negotiate substance, and they are determined to reach framework agreements by July. The WTO and the multilateral system are under pressure again to deliver results. I have consistently argued that if governments and their constituents lose faith in the ability of the Doha negotiations to deliver results, we can expect to see a growing imbalance between multilateral and bilateral deal-making, widening the gap between stronger and weaker countries. The foundations upon which the multilateral trading system is built -- non-discrimination and transparency -- are at stake here. These core principles make the international trading environment more predictable and less complex. If we don\'t make sufficient progress in these negotiations and conclude them successfully, it is the poorest countries that will lose the most.

Clean Water Access Far Short of Millennium Goal

Two years after the World Summit on Sustainable Development, progress in access to water and sanitation is alarmingly slow, say experts. It would take double the current expenditures of 16 billion dollars a year to halve the population lacking access to clean water by 2015.

Investment in Development Is a 'Moral Duty'

The World Bank's environmental and social requirements for approval of infrastructure projects are among the strictest in the world, says Ian Johnson, the institution's vice-president for sustainable development.

IS THERE STILL HOPE?

Generalised terrorism, whether that of Al Qaeda, of Sharon in Israel, or of US President Bush, arouses very real fears of calamity in the near future, writes Leonardo Boff, a writer and theologian. At times it seems we haven\'t yet seen the worst that could befall us. This situation raises a philosophical question: can we still place any hope in human beings? Are we capable of improving our social behaviour, our sense of humanity and morality, or are we condemned to live this tragedy to the very end until we destroy ourselves? It is always possible to improve, Boff writes, but humanity will improve only if the majority of its members do so. If this does not happen, we are finished. We will increase our destructive capabilities until tragedy is inevitable. But for this not to happen, one must assume the existence of a second factor: a philosophy of hope.

Impossible to Cut Hunger in Half by 2015

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization realizes that it will not be able to meet the 2015 goal of relieving half of the 54.8 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean from the hunger they suffer. Between 1990 and 2000, public sector resources for development assistance have fallen off 50 percent, FAO director-general Jacques Diouf told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – MERCOSUR: Invasion of the Golden Mussel

Brazil announced an emergency plan to fight the invasion of the golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei), a plague throughout the entire Rio de la Plata river basin. Brasilia has asked its Mercosur (Southern Common Market) partners, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, to join in controlling invasive aquatic species.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Forest Coverage Expands

Cuba increased the portion of its territory covered in forests from 13.4 to 23 percent through a strategy that incorporated the creation of forestry farms. Official figures show that forests today hold more than 130 million cubic meters of usable lumber and have potential to grow 7.5 million cubic meters annually.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Once Parched, Now Flooded

Yearned for during months of intense drought, Venezuela's rainy season, which normally lasts from May to October, has arrived -- and in a most frightening way.

BEYOND THE SPANISH THRONE

On May 22, Prince Felipe de Borbon, heir to Spanish throne, will marry television news anchorwoman Letizia Ortiz. While the pomp and publicity of this royal event are sure to draw attention away from the crucial institutional dimensions of the monarchy, it is important to remember that it occupies a central place in the Spanish political system, writes Joaquin Roy, \'Jean Monnet\' Professor and Director of the European Union Centre of the University of Miami. The king is both the highest representative of the state to other countries and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. It is the king who appoints the prime minister, prior to the recommendation by Congress (according to the results of elections or post-electoral arrangements), and who has the prerogative to declare war and make peace (with proper authorisation of Congress). Less fascinated with the monarchy than the British, Spaniards have less patience with it. For only a fraction of the bad behaviour of the Windsors, the Spanish monarchy would end in a few weeks. Felipe and Letizia know this very well. They will have to work every day to keep their jobs.

COCA PROHIBITION A MISERABLE FAILURE: END IT

Efforts to eradicate coca production through \'\'supply reduction\'\' and \'\'alternative development\'\' have failed miserably, writes Emma Bonino, Member of the European Parliament and founding member of the International Anti-prohibitionist League. In this analysis, Bonino writes that the situation in the Andes has become unbearable for local communities, threatening the general development of their countries while providing a source of easy and big money for all sorts of illegal groups, from the narcos to terrorist and paramilitary networks. Comprehensive alternative development projects should address the broader economic situation of farmers, who cultivate \'\'drug crops\'\' not only because of to \'\'rural poverty\'\', \'\'lack of access to markets for legal products\'\', and \'\'unsuitable soil for many other crops\'\' as the UN claims, but also because the plants are an integral part of the cultures, traditions, and religions of the indigenous peoples living in those regions. The Permanent Forum should look into the possibility of reflecting coca-related issues in its annual report, where it issues recommendations to the ECOSOC. Ending the prohibition on coca should become a priority for all those that genuinely struggle for freedom and human rights and that are working towards the establishment of a system that functions on the force of law and not the law of force, a law that does not prohibit, but facilitates, the cohabitation of peaceful peculiarities including, ultimately, indigenous issues.

Ecobreves – SOUTH AMERICA: Lawmakers and Activists for Renewable Energy

Members of the Latin American Parliament and leaders of civil society organizations gathered in the Chilean capital to promote development in South America of public policies that incorporate renewable and sustainable sources into the energy matrix.