Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Environmentalists Call for Urgent Adoption of E-Waste Law

The environmental organization Greenpeace Argentina is calling for the swift approval of a proposed law on the collection and management of electronic waste, which was tabled in the country’s legislature four years ago.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Deforestation Endangers Northeastern Macaw

Deforestation of the caatinga, a semi-arid biome in northeastern Brazil, could place the blue-winged macaw (Ara maracana) in danger of extinction, according to a new study from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Ghanaian Fisherfolk Blasting Their Way to Finding Fish

Explosives, high-watt light bulbs, monofilament nets, and poison: these are a few methods fisherfolk are using to catch ever-dwindling fish stocks off Ghana’s shores.

Gulf of Mexico Seafood Deformities Alarm Scientists

"The fishermen have never seen anything like this," Jim Cowan told Al Jazeera. "And in my 20 years working on red snapper, looking at somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 fish, I've never seen anything like this either."

U.N. Chief Says Syria Has Broken Ceasefire

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon the has called for a U.N. observer mission in Syria to be expanded, even though he says Damascus has failed to adhere to a ceasefire central to an agreed peace plan.

Western Ghana’s Fisherfolk Starve Amid Algae Infestation

Sam Kojo stands in a thigh-high pile of brown seaweed that blankets a beach in western Ghana. Behind him, a decomposing mound of Sargassum stretches down the shore past the fishing village of Beyin.

Q&A: Increasing Investment Opportunities in Africa

More than three years after the start of the global economic crisis, which has had a considerable impact on African trade, investments and gross domestic product, investment prospects on the continent are increasing.

‘The Land is Never Wrong’, Says Togolese Farmer

Awuissa Walla has no regrets over choosing farming as a profession. He earned a degree in agronomy a decade ago, and borrowing money from friends, set himself up on an 18-hectare plot at Badja, some 50 kilometres from Lomé, the Togolese capital.

Iran/Israel: What the West can and should do

The overall picture has turned much worse over the last few months. In particular, the Western demands to Iran made public prior to the Istanbul consultations on April 14, bodes ill for the next round of talks in Baghdad. Everyone has stated views, used rhetoric and taken concrete steps that bring us all closer to the abyss called ‘War on Iran’. While it is easy and dangerous to escalate a conflict, it is difficult ­without losing face­ to de-escalate and make peace.

Tired of Odd Jobs in the City, He Is Farming in His Old Guinean Village

Like many rural youth, Abdoulaye Soumah spent a few years in Conakry, trying his hand at various jobs in the big city. But he has since returned to his home village, transforming a seven-hectare plot of land inherited from his parents into a model of success.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Public Officials Charged for Violating Environmental Law

Over the past year, the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of Honduras has issued 19 injunctions against an equal number of individuals, including a number of public officials, for violations of the General Law on the Environment.

Buenos Aires Unprepared for Normally Extraordinary Storms

In Buenos Aires, damage to real estate from flooding is projected to total 80 million dollars per year by 2030 and 300 million dollars per year by 2050.

Project to Regularize Rural Land Tenure in Northeast Brazilian State of Piauí

The Brazilian state of Piauí will receive a major injection of funds to regularize land titles for family farmers and promote sustainable agricultural growth.

Ecobreves – CUBA: “Greener” Cement Developed

Cuban scientists have developed a type of cement that is cheaper to produce and less polluting than conventional cement, with the support of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Studying Manatee Reproduction Through Feces

The analysis of feces could be the key to better understanding the reproductive cycle of the Amazonian manatee in its natural habitat, according to the Conservation of Amazonian Aquatic Vertebrates Project at the Mamirauá Institute in Brazil.

Protests in Syria Continue as Truce ‘Partly Observed’

An internationally brokered ceasefire in Syria is only being "partially observed," the opposition says, as state television reported that a roadside bomb had killed an army officer.

Annan: Iran Can Be Part of Syria “Solution”

Kofi Annan, the joint United Nations-Arab League envoy on Syria, has welcomed Iranian support for his efforts to secure peace in the country, telling Tehran that it can be "part of the solution".

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Call to Ban Transgenic Soybeans

An alliance of civil society organizations, academics and citizens has called on the Mexican government not to grant authorization for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified soybeans in the southeastern state of Yucatán, because of the potential impact on local honey production.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Bees as Indicators of Air Quality

A research study by the School of Higher Agricultural Studies at the University of São Paulo found that bees can act as bioindicators of air pollution and air quality.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Latin American Forum to Prepare for Rio+20

The city of Rosario in the eastern Argentine province of Santa Fe will host the Latin American Forum on Sustainable Development: Rosario, Towards Rio+20, which will bring together representatives of governments, international agencies and civil society organizations.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Fires Destroy 5,000 Hectares of Forest

In the last two months, 5,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed by fire in Honduras, particularly in the jungle region of La Mosquitia, on the Atlantic coast.