Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Eco-Learning at the Zoo

Students from 30 Venezuelan schools have taken part in the conservation and ecology education activities at Chorros de Milla zoological park, in the western state of Mérida, in the first weeks of the program.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Eco-Vaccine for Livestock

The Cuban-made recombinant vaccine Gavac, which immunizes cows against tick bites, has reduced the need to use chemical substances to fight the insect, thus improving the quality of milk and protecting the environment.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: Seeking Funds for Biological Corridor

The inter-governmental Central American Environment and Development Commission (CCAD) and the World Bank will hold an international donors meeting Dec 12-13 in Paris in search of resources to finance the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (CBM).

Specter of Pesticide Returns

Nearly 40 years later, workers on banana plantations in Central America are mobilizing for reparations for the problems caused by the pesticide Nemagon, including cancer and sterility.

“The loggers offer me bullets”

Deforestation claims 80,000 hectares of trees annually in Honduras. The fight to save this resource means confronting death, depredation and destruction, says activist Bertha Oliva in an exclusive conversation with Tierramérica.

The Sea's Inhabitants Will Not Forget the 'Prestige'

Bird, fish, mollusk and crustacean populations have been devastated by the "black tide" caused by the massive oil spill off the coast of northwest Spain and will take years to recover, say experts.

Pesticides

Chemical pesticides represent an age-old human desire to live free of the plagues that complicate daily life. But in contemporary times, we are aware of the other face of these substances: they are dangerous to human health and the environment.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Indigenous Women's Summit

Indian women from across the Americas are meeting in Mexico to share experiences, set up information networks and hammer out strategies for defending their rights.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Rampant Parasitosis

Eighty percent of the children in northwest Argentina suffer intestinal parasitosis, an illness related to the lack of clean water and sanitation, and hits poorly nourished children the hardest, reports the Ministry of Health.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Seismology Network Planned

A network for determining the intensity and location of tremors and earthquakes, based on cutting-edge technology, is slated for set up in June 2003 in Honduras, the only Central American country that lacks a system for monitoring this source of natural disasters.

Reclaiming Antarctica's Frozen Heritage

Experts are restoring cabins, shelters and science stations used by intrepid explorers on the white continent dating back to the 19th century.

Voracious Tourism Threatens Damas Island

Environmentalists warn that nutria, penguins and dolphins, as well as other species populating this natural Chilean paradise, are in danger.

Wind Energy Promoted in Central America

With a 66-megawatt production available, Costa Rica is the leading Latin American wind energy producer.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Hiking Route Advances

By March 2003 more than 200 km of the Path of Chile will be complete. The hiking route will ultimately extend the length of the country's varied geography along the Andes mountains, running from Collacagua, in the extreme north, to Cerro Bandera, near Strait of Magellan in the south, say officials.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: Protecting Wetlands

Central America is the first region in the world to adopt a unified policy for the conservation and sustainable use of its rich wetland ecosystems.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Funds to Eradicate Landmines

The Italian government will donate 250,000 dollars to an Organization of American States (OAS) program to detect and destroy anti-personnel mines in Guatemala and other Central American countries.

The Environment as Military Target

Officials and activists are demanding an end to war practices that harm the environment, such as the burning of oil wells, bombing of factories, placing of landmines and the use of depleted uranium in weapons.

Crocodiles Are Better Off than Ever

The populations of two endangered species of this reptile are expanding in Cuba thanks to crocodile farms, conservation policies and the control of exports, although poaching continues, motivated by domestic demand.

Central American-Caribbean Games Shun the Environment

The organizers of the regional sports competition will not take responsibility for gathering the tons of garbage that will be left behind by 6,500 athletes and 20,000 spectators.

Cod Caught on a Snag

The Antarctic cod, or icefish, is victim of its own popularity. The high demand for this fish in kitchens and restaurants around the world maintains intense fishing activity that could threaten the species very survival. But this argument has not been enough to win greater international legal protections for the cod.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Debate on Border Waters

Some 100 scientists and academics from around the world are meeting in Monterrey, Mexico this week to study the challenges of managing water resources along the borders of 50 countries.