Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Private Ecological Reserves

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Brazil has 317 Natural Heritage Private Reserves, evidence of the growing participation of individuals in conserving the country's biodiversity.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Nuclear Power Plant in Trouble

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The temporary shutdown of a unit at Mexico's Laguna Verde nuclear power plant is the latest indication of the serious safety problems at the site, says environmental watchdog Greenpeace International.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Dangerous Intruders

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Some 350 exotic species introduced into Argentina's ecosystems at different times are causing serious changes to the environment, warns the local affiliate of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Butterflies Poisoned

By IPS Correspondents and - -
For decades, the monarch butterfly has been faced with the progressive destruction of the forests in Mexico that serve as its wintering and mating grounds, but now it confronts a fatal threat: loggers have begun spraying pesticides.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Birds Benefit Rice Paddies

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Herons, ducks and 'yaguasas,' among other aquatic birds, are aiding - not damaging - the rice paddies where they seek food, concluded Cuban researchers, who promote the protection and conservation of these species.

Ecobreves – PERU: Neutralizing Mercury

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Peru's National Mining Society will make a presentation in May at the Fifth International Gold Symposium a new technology for neutralizing the contamination caused by the use of mercury in separating gold from its ore.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Radioactive Waste

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Sixty environmental organizations in Argentina are urging President Eduardo Duhalde not to authorize a cooperation agreement with Australia that they say would turn Argentina into a radioactive waste-processing center.

Ecobreves – ECUADOR: Oil for Soccer Balls

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The conditions accepted by Huaorani leaders in Ecuador for the exploitation of petroleum in their territory "are an insult to the collective rights of this indigenous nationality," says the local environmental group Acción Ecológica.

Ecobreves – War on Locusts

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has joined the war in Peru against a plague of locusts that last year destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forests and cropland.

Ecobreves – Green Theater

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The amount of garbage on the streets of downtown Macaé, in Brazil, dropped 60 percent thanks to the Eco-Citizen project that uses theater as its primary method for raising environmental awareness.

Ecobreves – Ban on Cars Benefits City

By IPS Correspondents and - -
- The second annual ''Day without Cars,'' held Feb 1, produced a sharp drop in air pollution in the Colombian capital, and allowed drivers to explore their city through other modes of transportation. Individual vehicles were replaced on city streets by public transportation and nearly 1.3 million bicycles.

Ecobreves – Subway Line Puts on Breaks

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Argentina's justice authorities ordered the closing of a line of the Metrovías' subway service in the capital until the company finds a way to curb the noise produced when the underground train is operating.

Ecobreves – Recycling Plastics

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Cuba will put its first plastic waste recycling plant into operation this year as part of an official campaign to reduce pollution and encourage what is known as clean production.

Ecobreves – Protecting Biodiversity

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A plan for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the Orinoco River region gets underway in March, promoted by the Venezuelan government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Ecobreves – National Park at Risk

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A project to extract underground water in northern Chile is threatening the Lauca National Park, one of the world's major biosphere reserves, located on the Bolivian border.

Ecobreves – Expansion of Environmental Services

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Costa Rica government is to reinforce its Environmental Services Program with the help of a donation from Germany totaling nine million dollars, earmarked for 43,000 hectares that are currently in private hands, announced Elizabeth Odio, minister of environment.

Ecobreves – More Radioactive Ships

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The environmental watchdog Greenpeace said that departure is imminent of two plutonium-carrying ships from France that will head to Japan, most likely via the Cape Horn route, just as the Pacific Swan did in January with its 192 cylinders of radioactive waste.

Ecobreves – Support for the U'wa

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Italian environmentalists have thrown their support behind Colombia's U'wa Indians in their fight against oil giant Occidental Petroleum in ''defense of their territory and their culture.''

Ecobreves – Fox Prepares Crusade

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Mexican government will begin a pro-environment ''crusade'' in March, when it plans to announce special measures and programs and to officially acknowledge the country's dramatic ecological problems.

Ecobreves – Endangered Burros

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The burro, or donkey, the faithful beast of burden associated with the biblical image of the Christian Holy Family, or with Sancho Panza in 'Don Quixote,' or which served as the inspiration for 'Platero and I' by Spanish author Juan Ramón Jiménez, is at risk of extinction in Chile.

Ecobreves – Rivers to be Rescued

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Saving Brazil's rivers is a top priority this year, says Environment minister Jose Sarney Filho. With that goal in mind, a program is underway to clean up the river basins under the authority of the National Water Agency (ANA).
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