Ecobreves – BRAZIL: City Beaches Could Disappear

Rising sea levels and the lack of sedimentation are leading to the disappearance of many of Brazil's beaches, according to geographer Dieter Muehe, who authored a study of the problem.

Brazilian Biofuels Run into EU Obstacles

Brazil leads the world in biofuel production, and now has to deal with European certifications that could end up creating new trade barriers.

Uruguay Tries to Solve Its Forestry Puzzle

Industrial forestry is a solid productive sector in Uruguay, but activists say that its extensive monoculture plantations are harmful to water sources and soils, as well as workers.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Southern Plains Devastated and Neglected

The Pampa, the biome of prairies in Brazil's far south, has already lost 54 percent of its original vegetation, according to figures from the Ministry of Environment, which show that 2,183 square kilometers were destroyed between 2002 and 2008.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Cleaning Up the Malecón

Residents of Havana have begun to gather along the Cuban capital's Malecón, an eight-kilometer esplanade and roadway, to clean up the garbage left by pedestrians.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Warning Against Tourism on Protected Islands

Venezuelan environmentalists are on alert after President Hugo Chávez proposed organizing massive tourism to Los Roques archipelago, an idyllic group of Caribbean islands with white sands and turquoise waters, 180 kilometers north of Caracas.

HAS THE EUROPEAN UNION LOST ITS WAY ?

The two main political-ideological families that contributed most to the unity of Europe were without question social democracy (labour, socialists, and social-democrats) and Christian democracy. These two strains are, and have long been, in decline, the former since the collapse of the communist universe (1989-1990) and their submission to neoliberal "colonisation"; the latter since the changes that occurred after Vatican II in the 1970s.

THE CORRUPTION OF DEMOCRACY

The "Bettencourt Case", which is rattling France with its storm of arrests, family feuds, suspicious checks, secret recordings, fiscal misdemeanours, and illegal donations to the party of French premier Nicolas Sarkozy, is plunging the country into a profound crisis.

CUBA: SPECULATION

One of the most thankless and complicated exercises required of Cuba specialists is having to divine what lies behind -or beneath- developments in the country.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Bacteria Inventory of the Atlantic Forest

A study by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation produced the Collection of Bacteria from the Atlantic Forest, Brazil's most deforested ecosystem. The collection marks the beginning of a project to record all of the forest's biodiversity.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: National Park Expropriated

An Argentine environmental group is challenging a decision by the central province of San Luis, which in late July expropriated a protected area to turn it over to an indigenous community.

Salmon Industry Won't Give Up

The unregulated farming of exotic salmon species in Chile generated a chain reaction that has cast a cloud over this industry -- but now salmon operations are attempting to turn things around.

Extreme Weather Focuses Attention on Cancún Climate Conference

The world's climate is undergoing serious disturbances as talks aimed at a global pact to fight global warming have been cast adrift, warn experts

An Ocean of Crustaceans

Fish represent just 12 percent of all ocean species, according to the Census of Marine Life, to be published in October.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: A Boost to Oil-Producing Crops

The Mexican government's plan to promote oil-producing crops like canola is being challenged by experts.

OBLIGATORY NEOLIBERALISM

"Lower your head, fierce Sicambrian; love what you have burned, and burn what you have loved." So Bishop Remigius commanded the barbarian Clovis, converting him to Christianity so he could become the king of France, about 1500 years ago. The same command might have been addressed to social democrat Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero by the heads of state of the Europgroup in Brussels last May 7 when they joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the financial markets to make the Spanish premier abjure any social whims and swear allegiance to the neoliberal creed.

Private Environmental Protection Gaining Ground in Mexico

Privately managed protected areas cover 34 million hectares in Mexico, more than 17 percent of the country's territory, compared to 25 million hectares of federally protected lands.

Transparency a Challenge for Peru Mining and Oil

Peru, with its vast mining and petroleum wealth, is progressing slowly in its adherence to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Identifying Geological Faults in Tegucigalpa

A mission of experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency is in Honduras to identify the main geological faults in the capital and propose actions to reduce the city's vulnerabilities, which have been revealed over the last two months of heavy rains

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Small Grants Program Arrives

The Small Grants Program of the United Nations will provide support at a maximum of 50,000 dollars to initiatives from non-governmental organizations, academic groups and communities in Venezuela for mitigating climate change and promoting the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Ecobreves – LATIN AMERICA: First Ethics Tribunal for Border Mining

The First Ethics Tribunal on Border Mining in Latin America will hear cases involving Argentina and Chile, Bolivia and Brazil, and Ecuador and Peru in its Sep. 30 sessions in the Chilean capital.