Ecobreves – CHILE: Unprecedented Campaign for Reforestation in Patagonia

A campaign jointly organized by public and private agencies aims to plant one million trees in the Chilean region of Patagonia, which has lost more than three million hectares of native forest in the last 100 years through fires and logging.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Caracas Residents Affected by Cement Plants

Residents of Chuao, a neighborhood in southeast Caracas, are protesting against a cement plant installed near their homes which releases large amounts of harmful particulates into the air they breathe.

Bomb Hits Syrian Truck Escorting U.N. Convoy

A roadside bomb struck a Syrian military truck near Deraa, wounding six soldiers just seconds after a convoy carrying the head of the U.N. observer mission passed by.

Q&A: Skipping Lunch to Afford a Mobile Phone in Africa

On a continent of over one billion people, where half the population have mobile phones, the use of mobile communication and internet technologies is crucial to boost development in Africa.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Heat Enhances Biomass Energy Generation

The Luiz de Queiroz School of Higher Studies in Agriculture at the University of São Paulo has developed a technique to increase the energy production capacity of sugar cane and eucalyptus waste.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Moringa Trees for Reforestation and Nutrition

The moringa tree (Moringa oleifera), native to India, is being used in Honduras to reforest the area around the Nacaome River dam, in the southern department of Valle, as well as to provide a nutritious source of food for local communities.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Chaco Forests Threatened by Cattle Ranching

The Argentine branch of the environmental organization Greenpeace has denounced the alleged deforestation of an area of forest where logging is restricted in the northeastern province of Chaco.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Partnership to Protect Environmental Rights

The non-governmental Mexican Center of Environmental Law (CEMDA) and the public but autonomous National Human Rights Commission have signed an agreement for the protection of human rights guarantees.

U.S. Corporations Sponsor Carbon Scam in Europe

The Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change ended up creating a perverse incentive that gave rise to an emissions reduction scam in Europe.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Fundraising to Protect Sea Turtles

A lack of funds has forced the Centre for Sea Turtle Research and Conservation (CICTMAR) to cut back its patrolling of Cipara and Querepere beaches on the northeastern Venezuelan pensinsula of Paria, where female leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are laying their eggs.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Community Works to Rescue Coastal Sand Dunes

The community of Santa Rosa de Aguán, in the northern Honduran department of Colón, is preparing to implement a plan to rehabilitate coastal sand dunes as a means of reducing its vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: New Technology Lowers Cost of Biodegradable Plastic

The Federal University of São Carlos is developing a new technology that will lower the cost of producing biodegradable plastics.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Campaign for Communities Blighted by Pollution

The Chilean environmental organization Oceana has launched a campaign to support the communities of Ventanas and Puchuncaví, which face severe impacts from the pollution created by a nearby copper foundry and three coal-fired thermoelectric power plants.

Q&A: How to Empower Youths to Take Charge of Their Health and Sexuality

Young people aged 15-24 make up a quarter of sexually active individuals, yet they comprise half of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) infections each year.

Pakistan PM Found Guilty in Contempt Case

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been convicted by the country's Supreme Court of having committed contempt of court in a case that could see him expelled from office.

KYRGYZSTAN: Moscow Vexed by Bishkek’s Efforts to Play the Field

The Kremlin is getting cranky over Kyrgyzstan's efforts to obtain aid without any diplomatic payback. To convey their displeasure, Russian officials are now delaying cooperation agreements and demanding an expanded share of a Kyrgyz military facility.

Cameroonian Farmer Won’t Let Low Rainfall Defeat Him

Olivier Forgha Koumbou washes some freshly picked carrots in a small brook and eats them with relish. His thriving farm in Santa, in Cameroon’s North West region, looks like a miracle in the midst of surrounding farms where carrots, lettuce, potatoes and leeks have withered and died.

Suu Kyi’s Party “Boycotts” Assembly Over Oath

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, and newly elected MPs from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party have refused to attend the opening session of parliament over a dispute regarding the wording of the parliamentary oath.

Sudan’s President Rules Out Talks with South

Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has pledged not to negotiate with South Sudan amid reports of fresh air attacks on his country's southern neighbour.

Civil Society Determined to Have an Impact on Río+20

An online platform to which up to 400,000 people can be connected at the same time will make it possible to propose recommendations to the leaders gathered at Rio+20.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Work of Local Water Boards to be Recognized at Rio+20

The Association of Water Administration Boards of the South Sector of Pico Bonito Park, in Honduras, will be recognized at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) for conserving water resources and the habitat of a species of hummingbird endemic to this Central American nation.