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Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Ecologists Get Ready for National Meet

The first National Environment Conference, Nov. 28-30 in Brasilia, will be an opportunity to strengthen the positions of Minister Marina Silva and the ecological movement, which have suffered blows from several recent governmental measures.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Bikeway for the Alameda

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Environmentalists are applauding the project of the capital's municipal government to build a bicycle route along the famous Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, better known as the Alameda.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Monitoring Mahogany Trade

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Guatemala stepped up controls on mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in mid-November, just as the tree species is added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA:: People Take Part in Environmental Management

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Costa Rican civil society will play an active role in managing natural resources with the launch of regional councils in the country's 11 conservation areas.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Soldiers Protect Sea Turtles

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Some 60,000 Olive Ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea) are on the Pacific beaches of Nicaragua to lay eggs -- and under the close watch of the army

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Eco-Houses for Farmers

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Organizations of small farmers in the departments of Cortés and Yoro, in northern Honduras, are to present a proposal to the government to build ecological housing as a means to reduce the deficit of 750,000 homes.

Ecobreves – CUBA:: Recovering Lands Hurt by Nickel Mining

By IPS Correspondents and - -

More than 10,000 hectares leveled by nickel exploitation have been reforested in the Moa municipality in the eastern Cuban province of Holguín.

No Green in Trade Treaty of the Americas

By Stephen Leahy and - -

The environment is notably absent from the negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The costs of this omission could be enormous, but analysts say there is little chance that effective "green clauses" will be included in the hemisphere-wide treaty.

Ecobreves – PERU:: Autonomy Sought for Amazon Institute

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Indigenous and environmental groups, universities and officials in the eastern Peruvian region of Selva are asking Congress to restore the autonomy of the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP), which in July was made into an agency of the Ministry of Production.

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA: Vast Marine Biodiversity Discovered

By IPS Correspondents and - -

An inventory of mollusk species in the reef of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, on the Costa Rican Caribbean coast, has allowed the site to be declared unique in the world for its great biological diversity.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: 100,000 Students in Clean-up Project

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has launched a pilot program, "Cleaning up my village, my town, my city", involving 100,000 students in 10 of Guatemala's 22 departments.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Indians to Fight Deforestation

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Indigenous communities in western Honduras will take part in an initiative to conserve natural resources, halt deforestation and reduce poverty.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Anti-Pesticide Education

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) is supporting a campaign in Nicaragua's cities and rural areas to eliminate the use of industrial pesticides in the production of maize, vegetables and other crops.

Brazil's Cow Clones 'a la Natural'

By Mario Osava and - -

Tierramérica visited the home of the two cows cloned in Brazil. So far, Vitoria and Lenda are healthy. The lessons learned from their cloning could contribute to the use of embryos in human regenerative therapy, say scientists.

Caura River Basin Remains Out of Harm's Way

By Humberto Márquez and - -

Venezuela authorities assured Tierramérica that there are no grand plans to build a hydroelectric dam on the Caura River. But ecologists are keeping a close eye on this pristine, natural treasure.

Sustainable Development an Uphill Climb

By IPS Correspondents and - -

For the first time since the Johannesburg Summit, also known as Rio+10, the environment ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean are meeting this month for five days in Panama to evaluate the region's progress in sustainable development.

Free Trade Area of the Americas

By IPS Correspondents and - -

In the middle of a tug-of-war between the United States and Brazil, the co-chairs of the negotiations, the 8th ministerial meeting of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) will take place Nov. 20-21 in the U.S. city of Miami.

China's Space Program Intrigues the West

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Following the successful flight of Shenzhou V, U.S. aerospace experts are wondering: What comes next for China? Asia specialist Dean Cheng told Tierramérica he thinks China is capable of carrying out a moon mission in the next decade.

Ecobreves – PERU: Rules Against Noise

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The national standards for environmental quality that the Peruvian congress is preparing include rules against noise pollution.

'Natural gas is our hope, our future'

By Diego Cevallos and - -

"We are not looking for a coup. We are defending our fossil fuels," Evo Morales, a lawmaker and indigenous and peasant leader, said in dialogue with Tierramérica about the recent unrest in Bolivia.

Ecobreves – URUGUAY: Protest Against Private Lumber Port

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Environmental and workers' groups in Uruguay will launch further protests against the activities of the National Cellulose Enterprise of Spain (ENCE), which on Nov. 10 inaugurated the private port of M'Bopicuá, on the Uruguay River for the processing and export of lumber.