Tierramerica

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Free Maggie?

Venezuelan authorities are preparing to release Maggie the dolphin, a young female of the Delphinus capensis family, who beached on the coast of Margarita Island in May 2003.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Warning: Fake Sunscreens

Chile's Institute of Public Health (ISP) has appealed to consumers to help detect sunscreen lotions sold in the capital that do not meet skin protection requirements.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Training Eco-Tourism and Natural Resources Experts

The Ministry of Education of Guatemala will inaugurate 23 technology institutes to train experts in areas including ecological tourism, water resources management and forestry.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Protection for Cayos Cochinos

Honduran environmentalists hope to promote scientific research and eco-tourism in the bay of Cayos Cochinos, on the Caribbean Sea, declared a natural marine monument in December.

Ecobreves – COSTA RICA: Kids Take a Closer Look at Bats

More than 550 primary school children from the Costa Rican capital, from Sarapiquí, in the north, and from Guanacaste, in the northeast, will study the lives of bats through a program to begin in February.

Ecobreves – NICARAGUA: Producing Organic Beef

Ranchers and slaughterhouses in Nicaragua are promoting the production of organic beef, low in fat and cholesterol, from cattle that are fed only natural grasses.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: More Palm Oil, Less Coca

The presidential advisory council for Plan Colombia, an anti-drugs initiative, approved two projects for growing palm oil trees in the department of Norte de Santander, aimed at replacing illegal drug crops and to benefit 714 rural families.

Ecobreves – PERU:: Recycling Fish Waste

A Peruvian farming community on the Pacific coast, 800 km north of Lima, is manufacturing a new type of fertilizer, using fish remains and other waste, previously dumped at sea by the local fisherfolk.

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Mini-Nukes, the New Threat

The United States will begin this year to design low-power nuclear arms. Their firepower is to be less than five kilotons of TNT but, say critics, they could cause the biggest humanitarian and environmental disaster since World War II.

Ecobreves – UNITED STATES: Politics Behind Space Program

The announcement that the United States will establish a lunar space station by 2020 and use it as a base to reach Mars is seen by critics as a political move by President George W. Bush to boost his chances for re-election in November.

Salmon Producers Go on the Offensive

Chilean salmon farmers deny their fish are carcinogenic, contrary to what was reported in Science magazine. Ecologists and consumers are demanding more rigorous standards to certify salmon that is safe to eat.

Ecobreves – GLOBAL: Sea Turtle Symposium

More than 1,000 researchers from 70 countries will gather in Costa Rica from Feb 22 to 29 to debate the current state of sea turtles and the measures necessary to prevent their extinction.

To the Rescue of the Tacaná Volcano Watershed

Work has begun to rescue the watershed of a million-year-old volcano on the Mexican-Guatemalan border. Some 700,000 people, many of them descendants of the Maya, stand to benefit.

Anti-nuclear Treaties

Under suspicion of violating international rules against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, in late 2003 Iran signed a protocol that opens the doors to unrestricted inspections of its national territory. The apparently innumerable efforts to stop the global arms race have proved insufficient.

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Sovereignty Debate Surrounds Chilean Nature Park

Politicians say the declaration of protection for Pumalín Park, in southern Chile, is a violation of national security. The park is the property of a U.S. millionaire.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Historic Decision Against Cell Phone Antenna

The Chilean Supreme Court on Jan. 6 ordered the removal of the cellular telephone tower from the historic center of La Serena, a city 460 km north of Santiago. The ruling stated that the antenna is an environmental and architectonic offense.

Slow Reaction on Mad Cow Disease

Consumers charge that the Bush administration is giving in to pressure from the beef industry, opposed to instituting stricter controls at the slaughterhouse.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Cranes at Center of Study

Cuban scientists this year will study potential reproduction sites of the Cuban crane (Grus canadiensis nesiotes), considered endangered due to changes in its natural habitat.

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Mining Sets Off Wave of Protest

Hondurans are mobilizing against several mining companies accused of causing harm against the environment and against human health.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Land Handed Over to Indians

Venezuelan Indians this year will receive land property titles for the first time, although the authorities have not determined which territories will be granted to each indigenous group.

Electronic Waste

Mountains of outdated electronics are accumulating in landfills around the world. A new law in the U.S. state of California seeks to fight the problem through a recycling program to enter into force in July.

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