Guaraní Effort to Strengthen Culture Through Tourism

In a jungle enclave in northeastern Argentina, a handful of indigenous peoples have set out to study their own Guaraní culture to test its tourism potential.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Four-Wheeling Vandals Damage Great Savannah

In the period of late December 2010 to early January 2011, all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts caused severe damage in the Canaima National Park, an area of 30,000 square kilometers in southeast Venezuela.

Ecobreves – BRASIL: Ethanol Also Comes from Eucalyptus Bark

The great volume of industrial waste from the paper pulp industry -- eucalyptus bark -- can be made into raw material for ethanol, according to a study by the Luiz de Queiroz Agricultural School at Brazil's University of São Paulo.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Migratory Birds Studied in Guanahacabibes

Cuban scientists will delve deeper this year into the characteristics and provenance of the birds they find on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, one of the major corridors for migratory species in Cuba.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Plans for Law on Garbage Incineration

The Honduran authorities are seeking legislation on different approaches to solid waste management. Of the country's 298 municipalities, 260 do not have any waste treatment system, and the other 38 utilize incineration -- and most are poorly managed.

SUDAN REFERENDUM AND THE FUTURE FOR SUDANESE WOMEN

Southern Sudanese are at the polls to decide whether they want to remain part of a united Sudan or to break away and become Africa's newest country. The referendum is taking place from 9 to 15 January, but official turnout figures are not expected until the beginning of February. The outcome, which is largely expected to result in an independent South, will have an enormous impact in both the South and the North.

WIKIPROMISES

In 2010, Wikileaks caught the world's attention and contributed to greater openness. The new year is a traditional time to make wishes and promises. Here is a list of promises that I wish would be made -and kept!

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Glacier Protection Law Suspended

Environmental organizations in Argentina are protesting the delays in the application of the law to protect glaciers passed in late September 2010.

Climate Change Could Be Worsening Effects of El Niño and La Niña

Scientists believe that global warming could be affecting the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle, whose cold phase, La Niña, is already taking a toll on food production.

Local Communities Protect Their Amazon

Residents and authorities of a Peruvian Amazon region take rainforest conservation into their own hands.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Stock Exchange Joins Fight Against Climate Change

The São Paulo Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange and the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) have launched the Carbon Efficient Index (ICO2) to encourage companies to measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions.

Ecobreves – CHILE: New Actions Planned Against Mine Tailings Deposit

Residents of the northern Chilean community of Caimanes are planning new actions to fight for the closure of the mine tailings deposit operated by the Chilean-Japanese mining company Los Pelambres.

EUROPE: IMMIGRANTS SCAPEGOATED FOR ECONOMIC CRISIS

On November 28, a referendum in Switzerland was approved by 53 percent of voters authorising the expulsion of all foreigners convicted of serious crimes (homicide, burglary, procuring, drug trafficking, armed robbery) after serving their sentences. The measure was organised by the country's main party, the Democratic Union of the Centre (also known as the Swiss People's Party), which in 2009 succeeded in banning by referendum the building of minarets in mosques. Elsewhere in Europe there has been a rise in xenophobia as the economic crisis has grown more intense.

Climate Change Means New Crop Health Concerns

Phytosanitary problems could see dramatic changes in the coming decades as a result of climate change. A Brazilian project is dedicated to researching the possibilities and providing solutions.

“This Time There Will Be No Noah's Ark”

The collective duty of humanity is to seek a balance with nature. Everyone has to do their part; be more with less. The problem is not money, says Brazilian Leonardo Boff in this exclusive Tierramérica interview.

Threats Churn in the San Juan River

The conflict between Costa Rica and Nicaragua over the San Juan River masks a series of endeavors with the potential to damage this valuable natural resource.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Innovative Octopus Farm Expands

The Mexican Mayab Mollusk Cooperative will expand its production of baby four-eyed octopus (Octopus maya) in order to expand its sales.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Free Bicycles in Buenos Aires

To encourage the use of bicycles, the Buenos Aires city government this month made about 100 two-wheelers available to anyone interested.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Renewed Permit for Gas del Caribe

After eight months of hearings, the Honduran Secretariat (ministry) of Environment and Natural Resources announced the two-year permit renewal for the controversial Mexican company Gas del Caribe, which operates in the Atlantic region of Omoa, in the Honduran northwest.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Shell of Amazon Fruit Replaces Flour in Bread

A bread made from the shell of the cupuaçú (Theobroma grandiflorum), a typical fruit of the Amazon forest, was widely approved in a consumer test. This alternative product, developed by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP), achieved a favorable rating from more than 90 percent of those surveyed.

MEXICO AT WAR, THE US IS TO BLAME

November 20 was the hundredth anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, the first major social revolution of the 20th century: a heroic deed carried out by two legendary popular figures, Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, whose victory was a victory for workers and peasant farmers: rights, agrarian reform, free, non-religious public education, and social security.