Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Measuring the Impact of Lightning

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Every year, there are 61 million lightning strikes in Brazil, killing an average of 100 people and causing economic losses, according to a study by the atmospheric electricity group at the National Institute of Space Research.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Legume to Counter El Niño

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Cratylia argentea, a legume that is resistant to prolonged drought and highly nutritious for cattle, could be cultivated by Colombian ranchers to counter the effects of the climate phenomenon known as El Niño, according to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Soldiers to Look After Maya Parks

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Cratylia argentea, a legume that is resistant to prolonged drought and highly nutritious for cattle, could be cultivated by Colombian ranchers to counter the effects of the climate phenomenon known as El Niño, according to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Sábalo Threatened by Overfishing

By - - and IPS Correspondents
The non-governmental Proteger Foundation revealed on Oct. 30 a nearly secret report by Argentina's fisheries agency which admits that the fish known as the sábalo (Prochilodus lineatus) is at risk of population collapse due to overexploitation.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Super-Maize to the Rescue!

By - - and IPS Correspondents
In November and December, the first harvest will take place of the "super-maize" planted three months ago on 32 farms in Guatemala as part of a pilot project.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Watery and Salty Chicken

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Chile's consumer protection organization ODECU charged on Oct. 23 that chicken meat sold domestically had high quantities of water and too much salt, an ingredient that is harmful to the health of the two million Chileans who suffer hypertension.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Eco-Fuel for Urban Transport

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Some 1,800 buses of a public transportation system in Sao Paulo will be on the streets in an experiment involving the fuel B30, which is less polluting.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Bird-a-thon Rediscovers Capital Species

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Team Paují (named for the Pauxi pauxi, an endangered bird) won first place in the 10th Bird-a-thon, a birdwatching marathon, held Oct. 22 in the Caracas metropolitan area, sponsored by the Venezuelan chapter of the Audobon Society.

Ecobreves – URUGUAY: Phonebooks Are for Recycling

By - - and IPS Correspondents
From Oct. 23 to Nov. 12, the campaign "Your Pages Are Re-Usable" is collecting old telephone books for recycling in the Uruguayan capital.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Organic Coffee for Japan

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Beginning in February, the indigenous Arhuacos of Colombia's northern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, will export annually 15 containers to Japan with 289 tons of Tiwun coffee, which the community grows using environmentally sustainable methods.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Plant Fibers to Replace Asbestos

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Research at the University of Campina Grande, in the eastern Brazilian state of Paraíba, explores the potential uses of sisal (Agave sisalana) as a substitute for asbestos, a toxin and carcinogen, as a construction material.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Plastic Bricks Certified for Building

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Argentina's Housing Secretariat this month granted certification of technical fitness to a prototype of a brick made from plastic bottles for use in construction of houses and buildings of up to two stories.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: UNEP Wins Communication Prize

By - - and IPS Correspondents
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) received the Silver Shell award in Mexico on Oct. 16. The award recognizes Ibero-American initiatives in communications about issues of social responsibility.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Delay in Law to Limit Eucalyptus

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Far past the 45 days predicted, the delay continues for the parliamentary vote on a bill that aims to stop the expansion of eucalyptus in the Brazilian municipality of Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, 170 km from Sao Paulo.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Ban on Leatherback Turtle Sales

By - - and IPS Correspondents
From Oct. 15 to Apr. 15, 2007, a ban is in place on collecting and selling the eggs of the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), imposed by the Guatemalan government's National Council on Protected Areas (CONAP).

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: El Tigre Hydroelectric Dam Loses Support

By - - and IPS Correspondents
The Honduran Parliament voted last week to ask the Executive Branch to "detain" construction of El Tigre hydroelectric dam, on the Honduras-El Salvador border, until the diplomatic conflict between the two countries is resolved.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Cultivating 'Clean' Tomatoes

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Brazil can already produce tomatoes without agro-chemical residues, through Tomatec, a production technique that was tested in the planting of 12,000 tomato plants in Sao José do Ubá, near Rio de Janeiro.

Ecobreves – CHILE: No' to Road Through Pumalín Park

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Ecologists and residents oppose the Chilean government’s decision to build a 60-kilometer road through the center of Pumalín Park nature sanctuary, in the country's 10th region, instead of along its coastal border -- which is the cheaper option and would have lesser environmental impacts.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Veto Continues Against DDT

By - - and IPS Correspondents
Venezuela rejects use of the insecticide DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) that was used to fight malaria-carrying mosquitoes a half-century ago, "adopting the criteria that it is toxic, non-biodegradable and accumulates in animal tissue," said Jesús Toro, director of environmental health at the Ministry of Health.

Ecobreves – URUGUAY: A Push for Biotech

By - - and IPS Correspondents
The Pasteur Institute of Montevideo, which will officially open its doors Dec. 8, is trying to give a boost to biotechnology in the countries of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) and Chile, says executive director Guillermo Dighiero.

Ecobreves – CARIBBEAN: Fewer Hurricanes Predicted, But Risk Persists

By - - and IPS Correspondents
The influence of the climate phenomenon known as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) makes it less likely that tropical cyclones will form in the North Atlantic, but the risk is not eliminated, warn Cuban meteorologists.
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