Can the Law Prevent Extinction?

In Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica talk is under way about the effectiveness of the ban on trade in rare animals.

Weapons for Sale

The weapons market evokes the dark side of world trade because it is ultimately a deadly business that moves billions of dollars each year. Some of the consequences are predictable: conflict, death, devastation.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Howling Monkeys Revive Jungle

The howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) that inhabit the northeastern subtropical forest of Argentina play an important role in the regeneration of the jungle as they move back and forth across the Paraná River, says a new study by the University of Buenos Aires school of natural science.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Promoting a New Government Ministry

Colombian authorities are holding regional forums through mid-March to inform the public about the structure, functioning and responsibilities of the new Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development.

Ecobreves – PERU: Mining Conflict Goes to Court

The Constitutional Tribunal of Peru is to issue a ruling in late March on the case involving the municipal government of Cajamarca and the Yanacocha mining company about a city regulation that bans the exploitation of the gold and copper ore of Quillish hill.

Ecobreves – GLOBAL: Transgenic Soy Depresses Prices

International soy prices fell 67 percent since the biotech giant Monsanto began commercial production of genetically modified seeds seven years ago, says Peter Rosset, co-director of the U.S.-based Food First and participant in the World Social Forum here last week.

Ecobreves – CUBA: More Organic Coffee

Cuba hopes to achieve annual organic coffee yields of 800 tons within a few years in the eastern region of Guantánamo, the product of agro-chemical-free growing techniques and in high demand in Europe.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Strike Heightens Threat of Oil Spills

An environmental organization is blaming the strike leaders of the state-run Petróleos de Venezuela for the oil spills occurred since Dec 2, when the massive work stoppage began in protest against President Hugo Chávez

Ecobreves – EL SALVADOR: Water Festival

The public will join activists, authorities and business leaders in celebrating at the Festival of Water, Mar 17-23, in El Salvador, where they will also have the chance to express their concerns about this vital resource.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Food for Garbage

- The "Garbage is not garbage" campaign for the collection and recycling of waste in exchange for food vouchers reaches the one-year mark this month, a success in this northwestern Venezuelan city.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Business under Control

The Guatemalan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will enact a regulation requiring environmental impact studies prior to construction of factories or other productive installations.

Transgenics will not save the banana”

In the wake of the storm caused by an article in New Scientist magazine, which predicts the disappearance within 10 years of a leading variety of the banana, the international organization tracking this fruit clarifies its stance in an exclusive dialogue with Tierramérica.

Specter of Usumacinta Dam Lingers

The hydroelectric dam mega-project on the river dividing Mexico and Guatemala is keeping environmental groups on edge, despite reassurances from authorities that it has been canceled.

Bananas and Plantains

Bananas and plantains are fruits thousands of years old that have become an important food for humans. The banana trade is a dynamic market and has led to scientific delving into its genetics and its possibilities for ecological production.

BRAZIL CAN WIN THE WAR AGAINST HUNGER

Brazil has set itself the goal of eliminating hunger within four years and, in President Lula\'s first week in office, decided to postpone the 700-plus million-dollar purchase of jet fighters to help pay for it, writes Jacques Diouf, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). In this article for IPS, Diouf writes that Brazil\'s greatest enemies are the poverty and hunger within its borders, not military threats from its neighbours. It is in everyone\'s interest, rich and poor, to eliminate hunger. In the view of the FAO, hunger is as much a cause as an effect of poverty. As long as large numbers of the population are hungry -- and thus unable to study or work properly and likely to die young -- it is fanciful to assume that it will reach its full potential for economic growth. Getting rid of hunger is not simply a moral obligation but also an investment that is bound to generate very high returns on the relatively modest sums involved. In the global war against hunger, everyone will be a winner. Brazil is now showing the world that if you are really determined to eliminate hunger, it is both possible and not excessively costly.

Unprotected Nature Reserves

Mesoamerica has a total of 597 nature reserves, with stunning tropical landscapes. But is that enough to protect the subregion’s biodiversity in the long-term?

Environmentalists Complain that Coca Cola is Hogging Water

The El Salvador subsidiary of Coca Cola is accused of hogging scarce water resources in a region where the rivers that have not dried up or totally disappeared under urban areas are polluted. But the soft drink company maintains that it lives up to international environmental standards.

Forests and Deforestation

Forests cover 3.87 billion hectares of the earth’s surface, according to the latest report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on the State of the World’s Forests

Ecobreves – AMERICAS: Conference to Discuss Environmental Impact of Trade

Experts from a number of countries of the Americas will meet in Mexico Mar. 25-26 to discuss the impact of trade on the environment and on the quality of life of indigenous communities.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Complete Database on Native Bird Species

A government initiative in Colombia that has the support of international institutions aims to set up a complete database of Colombian bird species that are held in ornithological collections around the world, in order to contribute to environmental controls and conservation programmes.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA:: Native Forests Shrinking

Argentina has 33 million hectares of native forests, just one-third of the total registered less than a century ago, according to a study by the Secretariat of the Environment and Sustainable Development