Tierramerica
Sugar cane plantation in the interior of the state of São Paulo. - Nico Esteves/IPS

Brazil Takes Steps to Confiscate Property of Landowners Using Slave Labor

By Clarinha Glock and - -
Decent work is an essential requirement for sustainable development, the central theme of the Rio+20 summit, taking place in a country where slave labor has yet to be eradicated.
A photographer dives near a great hammerhead shark. Credit: Jim Abernethy - Courtesy of the Pew Environment Group

Honduras Committed to Protecting Marine Treasures

By Thelma Mejía
Honduras, in the heart of Central America, normally makes headlines for its political upheavals and violence. But sometimes there is good news, too. It is one of only a few countries with a shark sanctuary off its coasts, and it has just created a protected area around a reef of a coral species formerly on the brink of extinction.
Moi Enomenga, just before boarding a bus in Quito, Ecuador, the starting point for the caravan to Rio de Janeiro. Credit: Courtesy of Moi Enomenga

Indigenous Message to Rio+20: Leave Everything Beneath Mother Earth

By Stephen Leahy
Indigenous leaders from all over South America are making their way by foot, canoe and eventually on buses to be part of the Kari-Oca Caravan to Rio de Janeiro, to talk to world leaders at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Finalists Announced for Environmental “Anti-Prize”

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Chilean branch of international environmental watchdog Greenpeace is running its annual competition for the awarding of “anti-prizes” to the government authorities, politicians and businessmen who have been responsible for the worst environmental damages in the previous year.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Thousands of Species of Fungus in the Atlantic Forest

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A study by the Luiz de Queiroz Higher School of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo has identified almost 1,840 species of fungus in the soil of the Mata Atlântica, a tropical forest biome on the eastern coast of Brazil.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: More Protection for Trees in Caracas Demanded

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Local residents and environmentalists are angry that a dozen trees were cut down to clear the way for a new mausoleum on the north side of Caracas to house the remains of Venezuela’s independence leader and founding father, Simón Bolívar.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Children Head Up Environmental Patrols

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Girls and boys from ten schools in Tegucigalpa are collecting and recycling trash and using the proceeds to pay for their own school snacks, as well as taking part in patrols that educate the public and ensure that garbage is deposited in the proper place.
A photographer dives near a great hammerhead shark. - Jim Abernethy - Courtesy of the Pew Environment Group

Honduras Committed to Protecting its Marine Treasures

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Given the abundance and variety of its corals, Honduras could serve as a gene bank for these species for the entire Mesoamerican region.
Coffee grower Lourdes Altamirano from the Nicaraguan cooperative Aldea Global, which produces Tierra Madre coffee. Credit:Courtesy of Intermón Oxfam

Fair Trade Alive and Well in Spain Despite Recession

By Inés Benítez
The economic and financial crisis afflicting the countries of the European Union (EU) has scarcely affected sales of fair trade products from Latin America, especially food products, in Spain.
Andrew Wong with Inuit children at Cape Dorset, near the southern tip of Baffin Island. Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Wong

Activists Call for Creation of High Commissioner for Future Generations at Rio+20

By Stephen Leahy
The theme of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) is "The Future We Want", but there is no official role for youth nor a spokesperson for future generations who will inherit that future.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Volcanic Ash Used to Make Bricks

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Architects from Argentina have designed bricks for housing construction made from the huge amounts of ash that fell in the southern part of the country a year ago following the eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano chain in Chile.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Communities Planting Trees

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Honduran capital and the southern city of Choluteca are leading up an environmental awareness initiative based on the reforestation of watersheds and other deforested areas.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Deforestation Continues in Mata Altȃntica

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Between May 2010 and May 2011, another 133 sq km of forests were cleared in the already devastated Mata Altȃntica (Atlantic Forest) biome of Brazil, according to data from the SOS Mata Altȃntica Foundation and the National Institute for Aerospace Research.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Climate Dialogue Forum Created

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Five civil society organizations have established a national indigenous-campesino (peasant farmer) roundtable for dialogue and decision making on climate change, deforestation and soil degradation.
Andrew Wong with Inuit children at Cape Dorset, near the southern tip of Baffin Island. - Courtesy of Andrew Wong

Activists Call for Creation of a High Commissioner for Future Generations at Rio+20

By Stephen Leahy and - -
A High Commissioner for Future Generations would act to balance the short-term nature of government electoral cycles by advocating for the interests and needs of coming generations.
Coffee grower Lourdes Altamirano from the Nicaraguan cooperative Aldea Global, which produces Tierra Madre coffee. - Courtesy of Intermón Oxfam

Fair Trade Is Alive and Well in Spain Despite Recession

By IPS Correspondents and - -
Promoters of fair trade in Spain believe that the recession is helping to reawaken critical awareness among consumers.
- Claudius/IPS

The Environmental and Economic Crises Share the Same Cause

By Maurice Strong and - -
Paradoxically, if we fail to act decisively to combat climate change, the reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions could occur through the collapse of the world economy, warns Maurice Strong in this column.
Chief Almir Suruí (left) in his village. Credit:Paiter-Suruí Indigenous People press photo

Brazilian Indigenous Community Seeks Survival Through Carbon Credits

By Fabíola Ortiz
Less than 45 years ago, the Paiter-Suruí, an indigenous people living deep inside the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, had never been in contact with the outside world. Today they hope to ensure their survival through the complex mechanisms of the carbon market.
The Temple of the Masks at the Maya archeological site of Tikal, part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Credit:Mike Vondran CC BY 2.0

Guatemala Halts Widely Praised Maya Biosphere Reserve Initiative

By Danilo Valladares
The ambitious Cuatro Balam project for the management and conservation of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in the northern department of Petén has been put on hold after the change of government in Guatemala, say environmental and other civil society organisations.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Satellite Monitoring of Natural Resources

By IPS Correspondents and - -
A satellite monitoring system donated by the government of Taiwan will enable the creation of a database of natural resources in Honduras and the damages they could suffer as a result of disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Pig Slaughterhouse Shut Down

By IPS Correspondents and - -
The Chilean government declared a health alert in the town of Freirina, 800 km north of Santiago, in response to the pollution and foul odor emanating from the nearby Agrosuper pork processing plant.
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