Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BRASILIA339
2006-02-15 19:39:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Brasilia
Cable title:  

SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 70

Tags:  SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 14 BRASILIA 000339 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV
TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: MZWEEDE
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON
USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 70

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 14 BRASILIA 000339

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV
TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: MZWEEDE
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON
USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 70


1. The following is number 70 in a series of newsletters, published
by the Brasilia Regional Environmental Hub, covering environment,
science and technology, and healh news in South America. The
information below was gathered from news sources from across the
region, and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of
the Hub office or our constituent posts. Addressees who would like
to receive a user-friendly email version of this newsletter should
contact Larissa Stoner at stonerla@state.gov. The e-mail version
also contains a calendar of upcoming ESTH events in the region.


2. Table of Contents

Agriculture
--First Case of H5N1 Bird Flu in Africa
--Brazil Will be Top Soybean Exporter by 2007
--U.S. Wants More GOB Action Against Foot And Mouth Disease

Health
--US Embassy Lima Discusses Avian Influenza
--Brazil Losing Ground in the Pharmaceutical Sector
--Brazil Initiates Avian Flu Education Campaign
--Amazon Studies Link Malaria to Deforestation
--British Medical Support for Brazil's Oil Industry

Water Issues
--South America Celebrate Wetland's Day
--Argentinean NGO Launches Publication on South American Wetlands

Forests
--Argentina: Enormous Fire Destroys 250 hectares of Forest
--Brazilian Congress Approves Forest Concession Law
--New Tropical Timber Agreement

Wildlife
--French Citizen Suspected of Illegal Coral Trafficking
--Brazil: Sights Set on Biodiversity
--Colombia: Several Ducks Poisoned
--Alien Invaders in Colombia!!!

Fishing and Marine Conservation
--Antarctic Krill Benefit Environment
--Ecuadorian Soccer Star Weighs In To Save Sharks

--Argentina: The Neglected Sea
--Chile's Blue Whale Population Recovering, Scientists Say
--Argentina: More Than 500 Patagonian Toothfish Marked For Research


Protected Areas
--Colombia: UN Oversees Manual Eradication of Coca Crops

Science and Technology
--Scientists Criticize Brazil's Space Project
--Brazil: An Astronaut Opens a Door to Space

Industrialization and Polution

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--Pulp Mills Dispute Will Be "Taken to Mercosur"

Methane to Markets
--Landfill in Manaus Will Generate Energy and Income

Energy
--Peru: Camisea Gas Pipeline, Phase II
--US Eyeing Brazil's Ethanol Market
-- "Green Fuel" Car Launched in Mexican Market
--Brazil Achieves Self-Sufficient Oil Production -And Adopts
Revolutionary Flex-Fuel Technology
--South American Mega-Pipeline Might be Pipe Dream

General
--Argentina: Heavy Rain Causes Floods
--Ecuador: Huaorani Confront Logging and Petroleum Issues
--Argentina: Pulp Mills Aren't Only Environmental Concern
--Paraguay's Natural Beauty on USG Internet Image Bank

--------------
Agriculture
--------------


3. First Case of H5N1 Bird Flu in Africa

FEB. 09, 2006 - A deadly strain of bird flu has been discovered on a
poultry farm in northern Nigeria, marking the virus's first known
appearance in Africa. A "highly pathogenic" form of the H5N1 virus
has killed 40,000 birds in the rural Nigerian state of Kaduna,
according to the World Organization for Animal Health, a United
Nations agency. No humans have been infected, the agency said. The
announcement confirmed predictions that the virus, which has turned
up in the Middle East and Eastern Europe in recent months,
eventually would land in Africa, the region that experts fear might
be the most vulnerable to a bird flu pandemic.

Source - MercoPress


4. Brazil Will be Top Soybean Exporter by 2007

FEB. 03, 2006 - Brazil is projected to surpass the U.S. and become
the number one soybean exporter by 2007 according to estimates by
the [Brazilian] Ministry of Agriculture. The 2006/2007 soybean crop
exports are expected to be about 23 million tons, versus 22.5
million tons from the U.S.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia. Original source: Folha
de Sao Paulo


5. U.S. Wants More GOB Action Against Foot And Mouth Disease

JAN. 26, 2006 - Federal capital newspaper Correio reports that U.S.
officials and business leaders are in Brazil to examine the actions
taken against recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in
Brazilian cattle. According to the report, the U.S. delegation

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offered assistance for Brazil to meet its obligations under the
Hemispheric Plan to Eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease by 2010.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia.

--------------
Health
--------------


6. US Embassy Lima Discusses Avian Influenza

FEB. 13, 2006 - The [US] Ambassador [to Peru] held a well-attended
Town Hall meeting on January 25 to discuss Avian/Pandemic Influenza
and general emergency preparedness. The Regional Medical Officer,
Security Office Disaster planner and the Community Liaison officer
briefed virtually the entire mission Amcits and FSNs at work that
day. Experts from the Mission's Avian Influenza Working Group were
on hand to answer questions. Although the presentations were in
English, the Peace Corps regional physician and USAID health experts
answered some of the questions in Spanish; separate town hall
meetings wholly in Spanish have been scheduled.

Source - US Embassy Lima


7. Brazil Losing Ground in the Pharmaceutical Sector

FEB. 02, 2006 - A widely-circulated Brazilian daily (O Estado de Sao
Paulo) reports that Brazil has been unable to overcome an only
secondary role in producing pharmaceutical products because,
according to that multinational industrial sector, the nation does
not have a patent protection policy, nor is it an attractive
environment for investment. On the other hand, another daily (O
Valor) says that Brazil may be chosen by Roche pharmaceutical
laboratory to produce Tamiflu, currently the most effective medicine
against the H5N1 virus, responsible for avian influenza.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia.


8. Brazil Initiates Avian Flu Education Campaign

FEB. 02, 2006 - Brazilian health officials began distributing
pamphlets in international flights leaving from Rio de Janeiro's
international airport with information on preventing exposure to the
avian flu, such as avoiding contact with birds and consumption of
undercooked poultry and eggs.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia. Original source:
Estadao.


9. Amazon Studies Link Malaria to Deforestation

JAN. 30, 2006 - Two studies in the Amazon rainforest have shown a
link between deforestation and an increased risk of malaria. The
findings have implications for health management and environmental
policy in the region. According to research published 30 January,

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the clearing of trees in Brazil's Amazon region to create new
settlements increases the short-term risk of malaria by creating
areas of standing water in which mosquitoes can lay their eggs. The
study comes less than a month after one in neighboring Peru showed
that malaria epidemics in the Amazon were linked to deforestation.
The findings appeared in January's issue of the American Journal of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Source - SciDev


10. British Medical Support for Brazil's Oil Industry

JAN. 31, 2006 - British Trade Minister Ian Pearson launched the
Berkeley Training Center in Macae, 182 kilometers away from Rio do
Janeiro which will be the first Medical training center aimed at the
oil and gas industry in Latin America. The center is a joint
project involving the City of Macae, Berkeley Training Center and a
consortium of UK companies led by Lancashire Ambulance service. The
training unit will be located at Macae's brand new state of the art
city hospital with its emergency and telemedicine center, meeting
the needs of the local population and the 35,000 people working in
the offshore industry. Macae, in Rio de Janeiro state is known as
Brazil's oil capital because of its proximity to the offshore fields
that account for 80 percent of the country's oil production and 45
percent of its natural gas.

Source - MercoPress

--------------
Water Issues
--------------


11. South America Celebrate Wetland's Day

FEB. 02, 2006 -February 2nd, World Wetlands Day, is a day (or in
some cases, a week) when governments at all levels, nongovernmental
organizations, wetland site managers, and citizens carry out
celebrations to raise the public's awareness about the values of
wetlands in general and about the Convention on Wetlands in
particular. In Chile, the Coorporacisn de Ambientes Acuticos de
Chile (CAACH) launched two publications: a manual for the rational
use of wetlands "Los Humedales No Pueden Esperar" ("The Wetlands
Cannot Wait"); and a practical guide for schools "Manos al Humedal"
("Joining Hands with Wetlands"). For those interested, The Wetlands
Forum is an unmoderated mailing list maintained as a service to the
public by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat in Gland, Switzerland.
To join, contact the list manager (ramsar@ramsar.org).

Source - Wetlands Forum


12. Argentinean NGO Launches Publication on South American Wetlands

JAN. 31, 2006 - NGO Fundacion Proteger has launched a publication
(in Spanish) "South American Wetlands- Moving towards Sustainable
Management." The publication includes research in ten South

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American countries and aims to help increase knowledge on South
American wetlands, and the communities and resources included in
these precious ecosystems.

Source - IUCN

--------------
Forests
--------------


13. Argentina: Enormous Fire Destroys 250 hectares of Forest

FEB. 13, 2006 - Flames consumed 250 hectares of forest and
vegetation in El Boson, 150 kilometers south of Brioche. It is
believed that the fire, considered the largest of the season, was
man-made. Authorities, however, are uncertain as to whether it was
intentional. It spread to Costa del Thermo while one-hundred twenty
firefighters worked to reduce the fire. Two planes released water on
the more crucial areas, while one plane continuously surveyed the
fire's position. Using machetes, bulldozers, and spades, the workers
cleared vegetation to prevent further proliferation. The high
temperatures (300 Celsius),low humidity (15 percent),and strong
winds from the northwest made it difficult to control the fire. The
flammability of pine trees, prominent throughout the region,
exacerbated the problem. A large amount of pine trees were destroyed
causing a huge economic and ecological losses as well as a depletion
of the landscape. The fire destroyed 10 hectares of cypress trees,
as well as, beech trees, black pine, and other vegetation including
rosemary and broom sage.

Source - Clarin


14. Brazilian Congress Approves Forest Concession Law

FEB. 02, 2006 - Brazilian Congress has approved a law for Public
Forest Management, which must now be sanctioned by president Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva. Against the will of the current government,
the Chamber of Deputies was able to add three amendments to the law:
1) Concessions of land larger than 2,500 hectares must be approved
by Congress [according to the press report Lula will veto this]; 2)
Opens the Brazilian Forest Service, which would originally be
controlled by the Ministry of the Environment, to other seven
Ministries, including the Min. of Agriculture [to the discontent of
environmentalists]; and 3) any concession in transborder areas must
be approved by the National Defense Council. According to the press
report, the Ministry of Environment hopes to commence concession
along the BR-163 highway, in Para State, by the end of this year.

Source - Folha de Sao Paulo. Please refer to BRASILIA 000265 for
more details.


15. New Tropical Timber Agreement

JAN. 27, 2006 - The text of a successor treaty to the 1994
International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) was adopted in Geneva

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on 27 January following two weeks of intense negotiations. After
knife-edge consultations and more than two years of discussions, the
objectives of the new agreement emphasize the importance of
sustainable forest management and predictable funding for the
international timber trade. The new text calls for strengthening
the capacity of member States "to improve forest law
enforcement...and address illegal logging and related trade in
tropical timber." It also encourages member States "to support and
develop tropical timber reforestation, as well as rehabilitation and
restoration of degraded forest land, with due regard for the
interests of local communities dependent on forest resources." The
Agreement also notes that "poverty alleviation" should be an
objective of tropical timber harvesting and trade.

Source - kindly shared by US Embassy Lima. Original source

--------------
Wildlife
--------------


16. French Citizen Suspected of Illegal Coral Trafficking

FEB. 8, 2006 - French citizen and airline pilot, Christof Lirin, is
under investigation for the illegal trafficking and cultivation of
coral, an internationally protected species. This is the first time
that Chilean police have investigated illegal trade of this kind.
Investigator Maria Isabel Saavedra of the Environmental Crime Squad
(BIDEMA) suspects Lirin of cultivating and trafficking Small Polip
Stoni (SPS) coral after they found the species, native to Europe, in
Lirin's home in the Chilean capital. The coral has a market value of
around USD6,000 in Chile. If found guilty, the 42-year-old
French-Chilean will be in breach of the 1974 Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
(CITES). Meanwhile Lirin insists that the marine specimens are for
decorative purposes only.

Source - Santiago Times. Original source: El Mercurio, La Tercera


17. Brazil: Sights Set on Biodiversity

JAN. 28, 2006 - Brazil's Ministry of Environment is distributing a
guide to promote participation in the eighth conference of parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mar. 20-31 in the
southern city of Curitiba. Brazil - which heads the Convention - is
pushing for an international agreement on access to genetic
resources and distribution of their benefits, which protects
mega-diverse countries, ministry advisor Tony Gross explained to
Tierramrica. The meeting in Curitiba, which is expected to draw
5,000 people from 187 countries, will see debate on international
rules on biopiracy, a program to protect forests and a new
initiative for oceanic islands, whose biodiversity is threatened by
the rising sea levels of climate change, said Gross.

Source - Tierramerica


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18. Colombia: Several Ducks Poisoned

JAN. 23, 2006 - Hundreds of Canadian ducks were poisoned after,
according to local environmentalists, consuming rice intentionally
contaminated with rat poison Monocofrox. Local authorities have
promised to investigate the water quality in the region and have
advised locals to avoid consumption of duck meat. Three people were
arrested under criminal charges. To avoid this from happening
again, Colombia's Ministry of the Environment, Police authorities
and local authorities plan on launching a campaign in the near
future, according to the press report.

Source - Vanguardia Liberal


19. Alien Invaders in Colombia!!!

JAN. 03, 2006 - A prized study on invasive species looks at the
specific example of tilapias (fresh-water fish originally from
Africa) in the Sinu and Magdalena Rivers, in Colombia. The species
was first introduced in the Magdalena River in 1977, when, following
a drop in fish catches, local authorities decided to repopulate the
river with tilapias. According to the press report, the tilapia is
considered an invasive species in 54 of the 96 countries it is found
in. This uneducated and irresponsible move is causing serious
damages to, for example, the native bocachico (Prochilodus
reticulatus) fish population, which was already threatened of
extinction. Decades ago, fishing stocks were as high as 45,000 tons
per year - today that number does not reach 3,000 tons.

Source - Vanguardia Liberal

--------------
Fishing and Marine Conservation
--------------


20. Antarctic Krill Benefit Environment

FEB. 08, 2006 - Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and the
Scarborough Center of Coastal Studies at the University of Hull,
discovered that rather than doing so once every 24 hours, Antarctic
krill drive to deeper reaches of the ocean several times during the
night.
In the process they inject more carbon into the deep sea when they
excrete their waste than had previously been understood. By
parachuting down they transport carbon, which sinks ultimately to
the ocean floor -- an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of
35 million cars -- and this makes these tiny animals much more
important than we thought." The study is published in the journal
Current Biology.

Source - MercoPress


21. Ecuadorian Soccer Star Weighs In To Save Sharks

JAN. 2006 - Ecuadorians took notice last October when Alex Aguinaga,

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the country's most widely recognized soccer star and one of its most
respected citizens-along with the coach and four other top players
of the country's World Cup-bound national team-launched a petition
drive aimed at pressing the government to curb the wholesale killing
of sharks. Sports figures here rarely lead environmental causes,
but Aguinaga has become an enthusiastic shark-protection advocate
since he watched a video showing how the animals are slaughtered by
the thousands in Ecuador to feed the lucrative shark-fin trade.
Ecuadorian shark fishing, most of which is believed to occur near
the Galapagos Islands, should in theory be in sharp decline. An
Ecuadorian executive decree issued in October 2004 prohibits all
sale and export of shark fins, which are in strong demand thanks
largely to the popularity in Asia of shark-fin soup. But proof that
a ban on paper does not ensure a prohibition in practice came soon
after, when Ecuador's Central Bank reported that during October and
November of 2004-when the ban was supposed to have been in
force-Ecuador exported 12,500 pounds (5,670 kg) of shark fins.
During the entirety of 2004, shark-fin exports totaled 156,246
pounds (70,872 kg),according to the Central Bank.

Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
article)


22. Argentina: The Neglected Sea

FEB. 02, 2006 - Although Argentina has 4,000 km of coastline, no
ocean reserves have been set up to protect the waters in its
exclusive economic zone. With this in mind, the Wildlife Foundation
(FVS),a local environmental organization, launched a nationwide
radio broadcasting campaign in an attempt to raise awareness about
the importance of looking after the sea. Argentina's neighboring
countries seem to be further ahead: Brazil has two protected ocean
areas and another in the process of being created. Chile also has a
marine reserve and a second in the works. In fact, Chile's
protected area is cited as an example in one of the publicity spots
put out by the Foundation as part of its campaign.

Source - Inter Press Service (contact Larissa Stoner for full
article)


23. Chile's Blue Whale Population Recovering, Scientists Say

FEB. 02, 2006 - Chile's blue whale population is recuperating and
growing rapidly, according to researchers studying the population
off the coasts of the country's southern islands. While blue whales
have always occupied waters along Chile's coast, worldwide whaling
operations severely diminished their numbers during the 1900s,
leaving Chile with very few of the giant mammals swimming in coastal
waters. It was only in 2003 that marine scientists discovered a
blue whale nursery in Chile's ocean waters, leading to cautious
optimism among the scientists that the population may be able to
recuperate. These whales remain in danger, however. The Canadian
company Noranda plans to build a massive aluminum smelter in Aysn,
near the Gulf of Corcovado, a project that has drawn the ire of
environmentalists. The proposed project would carve a smelter, six

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dams, three hydro-electric installations, access roads and power
lines into the heart of the region. The smelter would release 1.5
million tons of solid and gaseous waste each year into waterways and
forests. All of the smelter's raw materials would have to be brought
in on ships, dramatically increasing the traffic through the
pristine coastal habitat of the blue whales. Environmentalists are
currently promoting and proposing the establishment of a Marine and
Coastal Protected Area in the region.

Source - Santiago Times (no link)


24. Argentina: More Than 500 Patagonian Toothfish Marked For
Research

JAN. 30, 2006 - Since 2004, the [Argentine]National Institute for
Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP) has been carrying on a
capture-mark-recapture program for Patagonian toothfish
(Dissostichus eleginoides),aimed at providing relevant information
about this resource management in the South-western Atlantic ocean.
The study is jointly financed by INIDEP, the Federal Fisheries
Council (CFP),and companies participating in the Fishery Follow-up
Advisory Commission (CASPMEN). The program is aimed at studying
specific characteristics of the Patagonian toothfish reproduction
cycle, growth patterns, and feeding habits, to help fishery experts
and authorities in the adequate management of the valuable species.


Source - MercoPress

--------------
Protected Areas
--------------

25. Colombia: UN Oversees Manual Eradication of Coca Crops

JAN. 28, 2006 - The United Nations will send eleven people to
observe the manual eradication of 4,600 hectares of coca fields in
La Macarena nature reserve, located in the central Colombian
department of Meta. The objective "is to quantify the areas" where
this illegal drug crop is eradicated, "and report on the development
of the operation," explained Sandro Calvani, representative in
Colombia of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The government began
this effort on Jan. 17 -- to last three months -- in reaction to
environmentalists' complaints about aerial spraying of glyphosate
herbicide in the nature parks.

Source - Tierramerica

--------------
Science and Technology
--------------


26. Scientists Criticize Brazil's Space Project

JAN. 31, 2006 - The new director of the National Institute for Space
Research (INPE),Gilberto Camara, criticized the Brazilian space

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program, especially the preparations for the flight of astronaut
Marcos Pontes to the International Space Station aboard a Russian
spacecraft. Camara spoke before members of the Brazilian Society
for Advancement of Science (SBPC),and presented his plans as INPE's
chief. He underscored that Brazil needs a [smaller] space program
that reflects the size of the country's economy and is focused on
achieving concrete results. According to the report, the SBPC
opposes the high cost of sending an astronaut to space. See more
below.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia. Original source:
Estadao.


27. Brazil: An Astronaut Opens a Door to Space

JAN. 28, 2006 - Children at 39 municipal schools in Brazil will
conduct science experiments in space, thanks to their country's
first astronaut, Marcos Pontes. In March, when the first Brazilian
astronaut, Marcos Cesar Pontes, leaves for outer space, he will be
opening the doors to the heavens not only for some renowned
scientists in his country, but also for dozens of children at 39
municipal schools. Pontes, a lieutenant colonel in the air force,
is scheduled to leave Earth on Mar. 30 aboard the Russian spaceship
Soyuz, blasting off from Kazakhstan and heading for the
International Space Station. There, over eight days, he will conduct
various experiments, including two on the effects of microgravity,
with the long-distance participation of schoolchildren from Jos dos
Campos, located 100 km from Sao Paulo. This year, Brazil will
earmark some 200 million dollars for its space program, double the
budget it had in the 1980s.

Source - Tierramerica

--------------
Industrialization and Pollution
--------------


28. Pulp Mills Dispute Will Be "Taken to Mercosur"

FEB. 01, 2006 - The controversy over two pulp mills being built in
the Uruguayan side of the river that acts as a natural border with
Argentina, and environmentalist groups' actions blocking routes and
bridges leading to Uruguay to protest the project, will be taken to
Mercosur for consideration. Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister
Reinaldo Gargano confirmed on Wednesday his government's intention
which had been suggested the previous week by Housing and
Environment Deputy Minister Jaime Igorra. "With this decision we
want to emphasize our commitment with the region and with Mercosur",
[stated] minister Gargano thus jumping into the controversy as to
whether the dispute should be taken to regional or international
tribunals, following Argentina's announcement that it will take
Uruguay to The Hague, if the pulp mills go ahead. Uruguay's
government has given its full support to the foreign-funded plants
while Argentina and environmentalists oppose the project, citing
recent problems in Spain and Chile as a reason to halt the

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construction.

Source - MercoPress

--------------
Methane to Markets
--------------


29. Landfill in Manaus Will Generate Energy and Income

JAN. 29, 2006 - Starting September of this year, Manaus will be the
first city of the state of Amazonas to have methane gas burner in
its landfill. The methane fuel generated by landfills can be used
for heating or generating electricity - in the case of the Manaus
landfill, 18 megawatts per hour. The project is a partnership
between Canadian Conestoga Rovers and Associates (CRA) and Tumpex
(the landfill administrator). CRA is investing a total of USD47
million and hopes to profit USD5million per year, 10 percent of
which will be reverted to the city of Manaus. The project hopes to
contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions for ten years.

Source - Ambiente Brasil

--------------
Energy
--------------


30. Peru: Camisea Gas Pipeline, Phase II

FEB. 13, 2006 - The [US] Ambassador [to Peru] attended Hunt Oil
Company's groundbreaking ceremony for construction of its Liquefied
Natural Gas (LNG) plant, Camisea Phase II on January 12. Attending
also were Korean financing firm SK and Spain's Repsol, which has
contracted to buy the LNG. Construction will add 5000 direct jobs
and up to 30,000 more indirect jobs to Peru's economy. Peru LNG
(principal investor Hunt Oil) is investing USD3.3 billion, with
plans to begin exporting LNG in 2009. Mexico is not yet confirmed
as the destination for deliquified gas that would be piped to the
U.S., and LNG contract buyer Repsol has announced that it will
consider export to Chile. There are no significant environmental
problems, and a new pipeline will avoid some of the gas flow
interruptions experienced by the existing Camisea pipeline. The
groundbreaking reignited public debate whether Peru's natural gas
reserves are sufficient to cover internal needs and export
commitments; the energy minister meanwhile detailed the timeline for
drilling in Lot 56, next to the Camisea fields.

Source - US Embassy Lima


31. US Eyeing Brazil's Ethanol Market

FEB. 02, 2006 - According to the press report, the US is eyeing
Brazil's ethanol market. The report mentions Bush's praise on
Brazil's flex fuel technology and states that Google executives
recently visited one of the country's main ethanol plants, Consan,

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in Sao Paulo State. No details were provided on closing actual
deals. Pacific Ethanol, whose main stakeholder is Bill Gates, has
also commented that Brazil's ethanol market is in the company's
"future plans." To them, Brazil has a low production cost and is
one of the world's most competitive markets.

Source - O Globo


32. "Green Fuel" Car Launched in Mexican Market

JAN. 26, 2006 - A Honda hybrid sedan was launched Friday in the
Mexican market, which became the first Latin American country to
offer consumers a car that runs on both gasoline and electricity.
The Civic Hybrids, which are manufactured in Japan, have a gasoline
engine that is smaller and more efficient than that found in
conventional vehicles and an electric engine, which provides
additional horsepower when necessary. The going price for the Hybrid
in Mexico is 26,415 US dollars. Honda Mexico's head of product
planning Ricardo Chan, said he was confident the company would meet
the sales goal of 450 vehicles this year.

Source - MercoPress


33. Brazil Achieves Self-Sufficient Oil Production And Adopts
Revolutionary Flex-Fuel Technology

JAN. 31, 2006 - Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras
achieves self-sufficiency just as a new technology that allows car
engines to run on both gasoline and sugar cane ethanol becomes a
national success: last December, 73 percent of all cars sold in
Brazil already had the new "flex-fuel" technology. The press report
explains that investment in ethanol production began as a heavily
subsidized government initiative, but that recent successes are the
result of market-driven economics and technological innovation.
Accompanying feature highlights the many bureaucratic difficulties
faced by Brazilian technological innovators.

Source - Pulic Affairs US Embassy Brasilia. Original source: Veja
magazine.


34. South American Mega-Pipeline Might be Pipe Dream

JAN. 27, 2006 - The Pharonic trans-Amazon natural gas conduit whose
concept was approved amid much fanfare by the leaders of Venezuela,
Brazil and Argentina this month makes little economic or technical
sense, could cause great ecological damage and may end up being a
figment of overly ambitious political imaginations, say analysts.
The three governments must make a decision in the next few months on
the viability of the plan, which calls for a pipeline some 8,000
kilometers (nearly 5,000 miles) long with a capacity to carry 100
million cubic meters (3.5 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per
day, mostly from north to south. Venezuela's energy minister said
construction of the conduit could require an investment of as much
as USD20 billion.


BRASILIA 00000339 013 OF 014


Source - MercoPress

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35. Argentina: Heavy Rain Causes Floods

FEB. 13, 2006 - Heavy rains, damaging soy crops, moved from the
north to the center of the Santa Fe. The western region of Santa Fe
received 100 millimeters of rain while San Javier received less than
20 millimeters. The heavy rain in Santa Fe led to the closure of
streets and neighborhoods while some citizens were evacuated. The
city of Cordoba and other cities in the south also suffered from the
heavy rain and wind. The neighborhoods in the outskirts of the
Cordoba capital were greatly affected. Flooding from the Rio Cuarto
caused the closure of Route 36, between Elena and Berrotarian.

Source - Clarin


36. Ecuador: Huaorani Confront Logging and Petroleum Issues

FEB. 02, 2006 - With an agenda focusing on illegal logging, their
relationship with the petroleum industry, and institutional
corruption, the Huaorani indigenous group held a general assembly in
the jungle community of Nemonpari. While laudable in its effort to
tackle these pressing issues, the new Huaorani leadership holds
unrealistic expectations regarding its ability to shape government
policy, influence the private sector, and manage the Huaorani
population. USAID programs support the territorial integrity of the
Huaorani lands and the institutional stability of the Huaorani
leadership. However, political weakness -- in both Ecuador's
indigenous groups and the Ministry of Environment -- undermines
efforts to protect the fragile, mega-diverse ecosystem in the
rainforests of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Source -QUITO 000259


37. Argentina: Pulp Mills Aren't Only Environmental Concern

JAN. 30, 2006 - According to the press report, Argentina has several
"environmental bombs" spread throughout the country - many of even
more concern than the pulp-mill controversy. According to NGOs
Greenpeace and Vida Silvestre (FVSA),agricultural expansion - the
"soy boom" - is seriously affecting the countries ecosystems. In
Northwestern Argentina, for example, indiscriminate deforestation is
occurring in places that were already suffering other environmental
damages. According to the organizations, new [agricultural]
technology has allowed farmers to plant in otherwise infertile land
such as Santiago del Estero, Chaco, Salta, and Jujuy. Greenpeace
also highlighted more serious cases of industrial pollution in
Misiones and in Capitan Bermudez.

Source - La Gaceta


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38. Paraguay's Natural Beauty on USG Internet Image Bank

JAN. 05, 2006 - Paraguay is the first of the South American
countries to have images of its natural beauty on the National
Biological Information Infrastructure Webpage (www.nbii.gov),which
offers images related to nature and the environment. The library's
collections include photographs of plant and animal species, scenic
landscapes, wildlife management, and biological fieldwork. Submitted
by the NBII and numerous partners, most images are freely available
for general, educational, and scientific use. Paraguay NGO Guyra
Paraguay is responsible for screening the images.

Source - IUCN

CHICOLA