Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Fisherfolk Clean Contaminated Lake

By IPS Correspondents and - -
- Dozens of artisanal fisherfolk have been working since early May on a project to clean up the northern Guatemalan lake of Petén Itzá, overrun with waterlilies (Nymphaea) and contaminated with other solid waste.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Mining Law Grinds to a Halt

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Honduran Mining Law, whose passage was expected by mid-May, was suspended because mining companies don't want to stop strip mining in the mountains, saying it would discourage investment.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Blow Dealt Against Bird Trafficking

By IPS Correspondents and - -
- The Argentine Wildlife Directorate stepped up operations last week against the illegal sales of wild bird species that are endangered or whose populations are very reduced.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: New Steps Against Pollution

By IPS Correspondents and - -
eginning May 30, the Bogotá municipal government will implement traffic restrictions in three sectors of the city, affecting public service vehicles that run on diesel and that are older than 10 years.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: 10 Years in Prison for Water Contamination

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A new regulation on discharge of wastewater took effect May 11 in Guatemala, and includes penalties of up to 10 years in prison for contamination of major water sources.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Business Sector Rejects New Solar Law

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Opposition has emerged amongst entrepreneurs in the Mexican capital against a law that would require the use of solar energy by any new business that has more than 51 employees and uses hot water. Their argument is that it is an expensive source of energy and adequate technology is not available.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Parakeets Endangered on Margarita Island

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Fewer than 20 blue-crowned parakeets (Aratinga acuticaudata neoxena) survive in the mangroves of La Restinga Park, on Venezuela's Margarita Island, in the Caribbean. The species is in grave danger of extinction, biologist Marialejandra Faría, of the environmental group Provita, told Tierramérica.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Youths to Live an Amazon Adventure

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Some 45 students from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela and French Guiana will retrace the same route followed by Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana along the Amazon River in 1541 and 1542

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Legislators Halt Forestry Law

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Honduran lawmakers are resisting approval of a new forestry law, and have agreed to start a new dialogue that overrules the one initiated more than eight years ago by civil society groups, politicians, labor unions and business organizations.

Ecobreves – CHILE: No to Pulp Mill Waste in the Sea

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Environmentalists, artisanal fisherfolk, community leaders and marine sport enthusiasts have told the Chilean government that the pulp mill plants must improve their technology and prevent discharge of their industrial waste into rivers, lakes and the Pacific Ocean.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Demands for Better Control of Chemical Spills

By IPS Correspondents and - -
An inter-ministerial committee in Brazil has proposed a system that would obligate companies, ports and entities that handle chemical products to notify authorities about spills, given their serious threats to local populations.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Forest Fire Alert

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Guatemala declared an "orange alert" due to 18 fires in the northern department of El Petén, which threaten the archeological sites of Tikal and Piedras Negras, as well as the protected area Laguna del Tigre.
- Photo Stoc

Ecobreves – ITALY: Aspartame Controversy Continues

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) upheld the safety of the artificial sweetener aspartame after evaluating the study by the European Ramazzini Foundation based in the Italian city of Bologna, which concluded that the widely used substance could have carcinogenic effects.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA: Ban on Shrimping Decreed

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador have decreed a ban on fishing for shrimp during the entire month of May, reported the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Plans Made Against Invading Species

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Brazil has identified 543 invasive exotic species, 155 of which directly affect agricultural production and 97 affect human health, according to a study published earlier this month by the Ministry of Environment as a first step towards a broader plan of combat against this problem nationwide.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Garbage Collectors Recycle Too

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Argentine capital inaugurated on May 2 its first recycling plant, for separating out recyclable materials, employing former informal garbage collectors in the city.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Expanded Market for Ecological Goods

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Small producers in 17 associations from Colombia's Andean region will be able to market their ecological merchandise through a chain of supermarkets in the capital, thanks to an agreement established under the Ministry of Environment's National Plan for Green Markets.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: A Space Agency Is Born

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The creation of a space agency in Mexico, approved by the Chamber of Deputies in April, is a laudable goal, but difficult to achieve in the short term, say experts.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Fuel from Sugarcane Juice

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Cuba has started manufacturing alcohol from sugarcane juice -- somewhat of a novelty for this island nation, which had focused on producing sugar from the juice, and only used the byproducts to make alcohol.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Soldiers Guard the Forests

By IPS Correspondents and - -
For the past three months, some 2,000 soldiers from the Honduran army have been guarding the principal ecological preserve locations around the country to prevent illegal logging. They also have been dismantling illegal sawmills and starting a program of reforestation.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Protection for Flora and Fauna Names

By IPS Correspondents and - -
In the next few days Brazil will be sending to foreign patent and trademark offices a list of the traditional names of Brazilian flora and fauna so that they cannot be registered as commercial trademarks.
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