Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: US Proposes Fining Polluters

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The United States has suggested that five Central American countries should include in the provisions of the free trade agreement under negotiation economic penalties for companies that pollute.

Ecobreves – PANAMA:: Opposition to Environmental Bill

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The environmental protection bill that for the fourth consecutive year is attempting to make it through the Panamanian parliament has watered-down penalties for violators so much that it is meaningless, say environmental groups.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Kids' Environment Manifesto

By IPS Correspondents and - -
In Colombia, 3,500 children, parents and teachers took part in drafting the "Children's Manifesto for a Healthy Environment", a document that establishes actions and commitments to promote the well being of kids at home, at school and in their natural surroundings.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: The Return of Tuberculosis

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Tuberculosis, a disease that was on the decline in Argentina throughout the 1980s and 1990s, has been on the upswing since 2000, with more than 13,000 new cases each year, reports the Argentine Health Ministry's epidemiology department.

Ecobreves – IRAQ: Assessing the War's Environmental Impact

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Five teams of biologists from the non-governmental alliance BirdLife International will spend 30 days in Iraq to evaluate the effects of the war on the environment, with particular attention to the situation of the country's bird populations.

Ecobreves – PERU: Bio-Trade under Scrutiny

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Peruvian Bio-Trade Committee, created through a 1996 initiative of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to promote sustainable use of biodiversity, is drawing up an assessment of the private and community enterprises that are involved in such activity.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Promoting Renewable Energy

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Cuba seeks to boost the use of renewable energy sources, hand in hand with its programs for industrial re-conversion to reduce reliance on petroleum-based electrical plants.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: 15,000 Turtles Released

By IPS Correspondents and - -
More than 15,000 young turtles, of the 'arrau' or South American river turtle (Podocnemis expansa) species, were released Apr 26 along the banks of the middle Orinoco River in Venezuela as part of a preservation program of the governmental wildlife service Profauna.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Poverty Spurs Recycling

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Brazil remains the leader in recycling metal containers, reclaiming 87 percent of all beer and soft drink cans used in 2002, reports the Brazilian Aluminum Association. The recyclable waste collection sector provides income for 150,000 people.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Schools Seek Environmental Certification

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A hundred primary and secondary schools in Chile are applying to obtain environmental certification through a government project launched Apr 22, in honor of Earth Day.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Citizens to Participate in Environmental Council

By IPS Correspondents and - -
- The recently created Consultive Council on Environment in Guatemala will include the participation of 16 entities, governmental and non-governmental alike, with the aim of regulating environmental policies and natural resources, conservation and sustainable development strategies.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Festival for the Great Green Macaw

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Hundreds of people from Nicaragua and Costa Rica will take part in the binational Festival for the 'lapa verde', the great green macaw, an event in the Nicaraguan town of El Castillo, Apr 25-27, aimed at raising awareness about this endangered bird species.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Health Impacts of Polluted Riachuelo

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Argentina's Ombudsman Eduardo Mondino has asked the Health Ministry to conduct a study to determine whether the contaminated Riachuelo, a river marking the capital's southern boundary, causes illness among the population living along its banks.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Debate on Wetlands

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Experts from numerous countries are to meet in the Colombian capital May 28-30 to assess experiences in wetlands recovery, particularly such areas that are degraded by human activities in urban areas.

Ecobreves – PERU: Proviso for Gas Plant

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Under pressure from environmental groups, the Peruvian government decided to set conditions for the construction of a gas fractionation plant along the Ica coast, near the Paracas National Reserve, in the south.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Giant Cross-Border Forest Reserve

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, the world’s largest tropical forest conservation area, covers 38,000 square km in northern Brazil, and will soon add another 30,000 in neighboring French Guiana.

Ecobreves – CHILE: ‘Where Muck Goes’

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The popular children’s show “31 Minutes”, of the state-run Televisión Nacional de Chile, is hosted by puppets and includes a segment on the environment, the first broadcast of which will track “where muck goes”.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Forest Inventory

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Venezuela will conduct an inventory of its forestry resources over the next six year, with help from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announced environment and natural resources minister Ana Elisa Osorio.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Biosphere Could Lose Its Title

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The biosphere reserve of the Plátano River, in northeast Honduras, could lose its “heritage of humanity” status, granted by the United Nations, due to the environmental deterioration of the area, official sources told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Trials for Illegal Logging

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The environmental prosecutor of Guatemala is pursuing more than 20 lawsuits against companies and individuals for the illegal logging and trade of the country’s forest resources, the aim being to halt deforestation, legal assistant José Luis Rivera told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Effects of Solar Radiation Studied

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Ten years of investigations into the impact of solar radiation on life and on human health have been compiled in the book “Tropical Solar Radiation”, written in Spanish, and published in Nicaragua by the Jesuit Central American University (UCA).
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