Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – International Year of Rice

By IPS Correspondents and - -
In an effort to attend to the problems of hunger and malnutrition, among others, the United Nations General Assembly on Oct. 31 declared 2004 the International Year of Rice. Sixty percent of the world's 1.3 billion poor live in Asia, and rice is their principal sustenance.

Ecobreves – UNITED STATES: Greens Seek Commitment from Schwarzenegger

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Ecologist groups say the environmental proposals of the governor-elect of the U.S. state of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, are vague -- and they are going to demand concrete answers.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Protecting Wetlands and Aquatic Birds

By IPS Correspondents and - -
An internationally backed project for the western Cuban province of Pinar del Río aims to protect the area's wetlands and waterfowl.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Cyber-Indians

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Several groups of Brazilian Indians are beginning to use the Internet, thanks to the Peoples of the Forest Network, a project of the non-governmental Committee for the Democratization of Information Technologies (CDI)

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Battle Against Tree Trafficking

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The environmental investigative office in Guatemala will launch a campaign at the end of October to fight the illegal trafficking in 'pinabete' branches, which Guatemalans traditionally use as Christmas decorations.

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA: Botanical Info for the Public

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Central Americans will have access to information on the region's plants, as well as their uses, thanks to an agreement between the Network of Central American Herbalists, the Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute (INBio) and the Norwegian Agency for Development.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Eco-Ovens Get a Boost

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Pro-Leña, a Honduran non-governmental organization, has launched a campaign in Nicaragua to increase sales of the so-called eco-ovens, which reduce the consumption of firewood and air pollution from fires.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Fique Plant for Medicinal Use

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The fique plant (Furcraea macrophilla), utilized in Colombia in making crafts and packaging material, contains a high concentration of two substances in high demand by the pharmaceutical industry, according to a university study.

Ecobreves – PERU: Environmentalists Want to Monitor Camisea

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Ecologists have asked the Peruvian government to give them a place on the Environmental Control Commission that will monitor operations at the gas liquefaction plant being built in Paracas Bay, a nature reserve on the Pacific coast.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Officials Join Wetlands Campaign

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Local and national authorities in Argentina signed a commitment in late September to advance a petition for the country's wetlands corridor to be declared a Ramsar site, granting it international protections.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Tilapia Threatens Other Fish

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Nicaraguan government's environmental attorney general warned of the risks of a tilapia fish farm project, saying it would aggravate ecological problems caused by the presence of this exotic fish in the country's waters.

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA: Cities Take Environmental Priority

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The deterioration of the urban environment in Costa Rica will be one of the central themes of the National Environmental Management System, which is setting an agenda for the priority ecological issues for the coming decade

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA:: Organic Farming Lessons

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The private University of Valle, in Guatemala, is teaching one hundred peasant farmers, most of whom are illiterate, techniques in organic farming and integrated pest management.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Alternative Energy for Remote Town

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The 400 residents of El Mamey, a village in a remote mountainous region in central Cuba, saw their living conditions improve with the implementation of hydroelectric energy.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Fruit Trees Planted in Poor Areas

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Guatemalan Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources delivered thousands of fruit and forest trees to 12 impoverished communities affected by drought in the eastern department of Chiquimula.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Antennae Regulated

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Nicaraguan authorities are drafting rules to regulate the installation of antennae for cellular telephone transmission and put an end to the disorder that has environmentalists complaining.

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA: Satellite Reveals Deforestation

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Global positioning satellite technology is being used by Costa Rica's Ministry of Environment and Energy since July to detect cases of forest mismanagement.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Genetics Reinforce Sugar Industry

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The finalization of the sugarcane genetic map by Brazilian researchers this month will help Brazil maintain leadership in sugar production and export, say experts in the sector.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Asbestos Victims Receive Aid

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Chile's governmental National Environment Commission (CONAMA) made a pledge Sep. 23 to the Asbestos Victims Association to begin a new phase of joint efforts to finalize solutions for families that have been exposed to this carcinogen in the capital's Maipú district.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA:: Squatters Take Over Protected Sites

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Homeless families have invaded 306 vacant lots, houses and buildings so far this year in Caracas, says the capital's city council vice-president Wilfredo Rodríguez.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Bacteria Eat Alkaline Batteries

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Bacteria Eat Alkaline Batteries BUENOS AIRES - Sulfur-eating bacteria may be the solution to the contamination caused by used alkaline batteries, say scientists at Argentina's National University of San Martín.
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