Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BRASILIA954
2006-05-16 17:08:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Brasilia
Cable title:  

SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 74

Tags:  SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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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 74

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 13 BRASILIA 000954

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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 74


1. The following is the seventy-fourth in a series of newsletters,
published by the Brasilia Regional Environmental Hub, covering
environment, science and technology, and health 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
--Brazil Launches Lab for Agricultural Nanotechnology
--Six South American Nations Seek Fund to Fight Foot-And-Mouth
Disease

Health
--Thorium Reserves Being Pirated In Amazon State
--Andean Countries Join in Fight Against Malaria
--Brazil and Kenya Push For Neglected-Disease Research

Water Issues
--Pleas for Bogota River Clean-Up Ignored
--Argentina: Nitrates Cited in Water-Contract Cancellation

Forests
--Brazil Shuts Down Amazon Logging Operation

Wildlife
--Venezuela Guarantees Protection of the Arrau Turtles
--'Breakthrough' Reached On Access to Biodiversity Data
--Brazil Takes Active Steps against Biopiracy

Protected Areas
--Ecuadorian Official Weighs Oil Drilling In National Park
--U.S. Shareholders Criticize Goldman Sachs for Park Deal in Chile

Science & Technology
--Chilean Science Initiative Boosts Research Output

Industrialization & Pollution
--Update on Uruguay-Argentina Pulpmill Dispute

--Other Environmental Problems to Focus on in Argentina
--How Mercury Rules Designed for Safety End up Polluting
--Nitrogen Emissions Threaten Biodiversity 'Hotspots'

Energy
--The next X-Prize: How about a 250 m.p.g. car?
--French Firm Mulling Nuclear Power Plant in Chile
--Canadian Company Might Build Dam In South Of Chile
--Argentina: The Environmental Costs of Biofuel
--Brazil Seals Biggest Carbon Credit Deal with German Bank

General

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--Chile Signs Bill to Establish Environmental Minister
--Chile-Argentina: Critics of Andean Mine Project File Complaints
--Protesters in Chile Fight Pulp Plant
--Greenpeace go Home, Say Bumper Stickers in Brazilian City
--Brazilian Receives Environmental Prize in the U.S.
--Fossils of What May Be the Latest King of the Carnivores Are Found
In Argentina

Update on Avian Influenza
--PAHO Hosts Regional Conference on Avian Influenza in Bogota
--State Department Attends USAID Avian Influenza Preparedness
Meeting in Lima

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


3. Brazil Launches Lab for Agricultural Nanotechnology

APR. 26, 2006 - Brazil is taking steps to increase the value of its
exports by developing agricultural nanotechnologies - microscopic
products intended to improve the quality of farm produce. The
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) said 17 April
that it would be building a USD 1.9 million laboratory dedicated to
the field. The National Nanotechnology Laboratory for Agribusiness
will be housed at Embrapa's agricultural instrumentation unit in Sao
Paulo. Areas of research have already been defined. They include
producing 'nanofibers' to strengthen natural fibers, for example
those from coconut and sisal, and making 'nanoparticles' that
contain pesticides and control their release. Additional funds will
support a network of researchers from Embrapa units, universities,
research institutions and the private sector to encourage research
collaborations.

Source - SciDev


4. Six South American Nations Seek Fund to Fight Foot-And-Mouth
Disease

APR. 10, 2006 - Six South American nations have asked the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for a 100-million-U.S.-dollar
loan to help fight foot-and-mouth disease. The six countries --
Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay -- discussed
the issue at the meeting of the Southern Agricultural Council, of
which the countries are members, on April 10th in Brasilia. The
loan will be used to put into action a three-year plan to fight the
disease, according to Brazil's Minister of Agriculture Roberto
Rodrigues, who added that the money was very likely to be granted,
as it had been requested by such a large number of countries. The
agricultural council meeting took place alongside the second
International Conference on Agricultural Produce Tractability.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a fast spreading virus which affects
cattle, buffalo, pigs, goats and sheep. The disease is particularly
a serious problem for Brazil, the world's largest beef producer, as
it has faced import bans following outbreaks in the north of the
country.

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


5. Thorium Reserves Being Pirated In Amazon State

MAY 09, 2006 - Brasilia's main newspaper reports that recently
discovered thorium veins located at the banks of the Araguari River,
in the Serra do Navio, Amapa State, are being illegally extracted
and sold by the local population. This creates health hazards for
the population because of the mineral's radioactivity and also a
security risk, given that enriched thorium "can be used to make
nuclear weapons," the report says.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia


6. Andean Countries Join in Fight Against Malaria

MAR. 28, 2006 - Health officials from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and
Venezuela have signed a joint agreement to control Malaria in
transborder regions between these countries. A plan of action was
put together by the Andean Health Organization and received USD 28
million from the Global Fund to Combat AIDS, TB, and Malaria. The
main objective of the plan is to reduce the number of cases by half
in five years.

Source - El Tiempo


7. Brazil and Kenya Push For Neglected-Disease Research

APR. 19, 2006 - Brazil and Kenya will call for an international fund
for research on 'neglected diseases' at a World Health Organization
meeting in May. The diseases, which include leishmaniasis, malaria
and sleeping sickness, kill more than 35,000 people each day in
developing countries but get little attention from the global
scientific community. Paulo Buss, president of the Oswaldo Cruz
Foundation (FIOCRUZ),a Brazilian research center, will propose the
fund at the World Health Organization's annual policy-setting
meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The proposal urges the 192 World
Health Organization member countries to commit funds for research on
new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic kits. It also suggests
simplifying systems for protecting intellectual property to make new
health innovations more accessible to people in developing
countries.

Source - SciDev

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


8. Pleas for Bogota River Clean-Up Ignored

APR. 2006 - Bogota's once-clean waters now receive 190,000 tons a
year of residential and industrial waste upstream of the reservoir

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of Muna, built in 1948 to impound water from the Bogota River for
two hydroelectric plants. Muna has become a haven for infection,
rats and mosquitoes-an estimated 74 million of which breed in the
water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) carpeting the reservoir's
nutrient-rich waters. For 15 years, local residents have held
demonstrations, filed lawsuits and lobbied authorities to get the
government to take action. In 2004, local residents thought relief
was at hand. A lower court ordered the city of Bogota as well as
the surrounding counties and departments, which are similar to
states, to build wastewater-treatment plants. But many parties to
the ruling, including the county and departmental governments,
appealed to a higher court, arguing everything from excessive costs
to insufficient time. With no decision yet handed down, the 32,000
inhabitants of this town are losing faith. They want Emgesa, the
operator of Muna, to stop pumping the Bogota's putrid water into the
reservoir. The scenario is not unique to Bogota. Strapped budgets
and a lack of political will hobble efforts to clean up urban rivers
throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. From Lima, Peru, where
a cholera epidemic broke out in 1991, killing thousands of people,
to the putrid waterways of the U.S-Mexico border, water management
tends to be chaotic. More than 50 million people lack access to
sewer service in urban areas of Latin America and the Caribbean,
according to 2006 World Bank figures.

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


9. Argentina: Nitrates Cited in Water-Contract Cancellation

April 2006 - Citing nitrate contamination of drinking water,
Argentina has rescinded the contract under which French- and
Spanish-owned Aguas Argentinas provided water and sewer service for
Buenos Aires and 17 nearby municipalities. Government officials said
that tests done in Lomas de Zamora, a city of 600,000 just south of
the federal capital, detected nitrate concentrations up to 40
percent higher than permitted in household drinking water and 220
percent higher than allowed in well water. Authorities charge the
findings reflect nitrate problems elsewhere in the service area,
though they say the contamination in Lomas de Zamora is the most
serious. They say Aguas Argentinas, in which Suez of France and
Spain's Aguas de Barcelona hold stakes of 40 percent and 25 percent,
respectively, has in recent years failed to make the investments
needed to ensure adequate quality of service.

Source - EcoAmericas (contact Larissa Stoner for complete article)

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


10. Brazil Shuts Down Amazon Logging Operation

APR. 10, 2006 - Environmental authorities shut down an illegal
logging operation in the Amazon on April 10th, confiscating dozens
of felled tropical hardwood trees in an area that only recently was
pristine rain forest. The Norte Wood logging company was operating

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without a license in the Amazonas state town of Novo Aripuana. The
agency seized 500 cubic meters (17,655 cubic feet) of wood and
arrested one man in the raid. It was the largest seizure of illegal
hardwood this year in Amazonas, the country's largest state. An
overflight revealed extensive logging in the region, which only
recently was largely untouched rain forest where scientists had
discovered several new monkey species. During the past three years,
loggers from the neighboring state of Para have been moving to Novo
Aripuana after having largely deforested the southern edge of their
home state.

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


11. Venezuela Guarantees Protection of the Arrau Turtles

MAY 12, 2006 - Thirty-five thousand Arrau turtles were released in
the Orinoco River after being raised in the Arrau Turtle Wildlife
Refuge and Protection Zone. According to the Minister of
Environment Jacqueline Faria, the Indigenous communities are the
best preservers of the species since they have been taught the
importance of how and why to conserve the species.

Source - kindly shared by US Embassy Caracas


12. 'Breakthrough' Reached On Access to Biodiversity Data

APR. 07, 2006 - Governments could come under pressure to make
information on biological resources openly available, following a
decision approved at the conference of parties (COP) to the
Convention on Biological Diversity in Brazil. According to its
decision, the COP "invites parties and other governments, as
appropriate, to provide free and open access to all past, present,
and future public-good research results, assessments, maps and
databases on biodiversity, in accordance with national and
international legislation". The language is vague, but according to
Donat Agosti, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural
History and the Swiss Naturmuseum, "This is breakthrough." "It
means we can talk to our governments and argue for open access to
this body of information, referring to this COP decision," he says.
"But nothing will happen unless pressure and demand can be built up
to implement it." Agosti has long pointed to the irony that
researchers in developing countries - where most biodiversity is
found - cannot access information about their nations' species.

Source - SciDev


13. Brazil Takes Active Steps against Biopiracy

APR. 19, 2006 - The GOB is concluding a list of more than 3,000
species of Brazilian plants that it will send to patents offices
throughout the world to prevent them from being appropriated by
foreign governments and companies for commercial use. Brazilian
officials note the registering of the "cupuassu" fruit by a Japanese
company in 2003 which has since been reversed.

BRASILIA 00000954 006 OF 013



Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia

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


14. Ecuadorian Official Weighs Oil Drilling In National Park

APR. 2006 - Ecuadorian Environment Minister Ana Alban says that by
mid-year she will decide whether the state-owned Brazilian company
Petrobras can resume its controversial project to drill for oil in
Yasuni National Park; a highly biodiverse portion of Ecuador's
Amazon region. Petrobras suspended preparations for the project
last August, after Alban ordered the company out of the park pending
a review of its plans. Petrobras had begun work on a road and pier
in Yasuni and planned other support infrastructure. It has indicated
that it would halt construction of the road permanently, locate its
support facilities outside the park and transport all materials to
and from its Yasuni well sites by helicopter. As of mid-April,
however, Petrobras had not submitted a revised
environmental-management plan addressing the new approach.

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


15. U.S. Shareholders Criticize Goldman Sachs for Park Deal in
Chile

APR. 17, 2006 - Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson has come under fire
from irate shareholders who say he is using company assets to
further his own personal environmental goals in Chile. In 2004,
under Paulson's leadership, Goldman Sachs donated a 2,750 square
kilometer tract of land in southern Chile to the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS),creating the Karukinka wildlife reserve.
As part of the arrangement, Goldman also put up USD6.6 million of
its own money to fund the Chile environment project. However, a
group of shareholders has charged that Paulson had no right to use
company assets in what they described a personal project, and
suggest that his commitment to environmental conservation
constitutes a conflict of interest. On April 6, a group called the
Action Fund Management LLC (AFM) requested that Paulson reimburse
the company for "any shareholder assets spent to advance his
personal interests."

Source - Santiago Times (no link)

--------------
Science & Technology
--------------


16. Chilean Science Initiative Boosts Research Output

APR. 26, 2006 - A Chilean initiative aimed at boosting the nation's
research output has substantially increased scientific publications
and trained more than 300 young researchers in its first four years.

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These are the main findings of a progress assessment for Chile's
Millennium Science Initiative (MSI),released on 19 April. The MSI
is a collaboration between Chile and the World Bank. It was
launched in 1999, creating three cutting-edge research institutes
and five smaller centers called 'nuclei'. According to the study,
the number of publications by researchers at these initial MSI
centers increased by 30 per cent compared with their outputs before
joining the centers - to an average of 3.1 per researcher per year
between 2000 and 2003. The number of undergraduate and postgraduate
scientists being trained at the centers increased eight-fold in the
same period.

Source - SciDev

--------------
Industrialization & Pollution
--------------


17. Update on Uruguay-Argentina Pulpmill Dispute

APR. 27, 2006 - In Uruguay there has been widespread dissatisfaction
over reports from Sao Paulo that Brazil and Argentina will not
support the pulpmill dispute's submission to Mercosur's conflict
resolution mechanism, as Presidents Lula da Silva and Nestor
Kirchner apparently consider the affair to be purely bi-lateral.
The reports also maintained that Argentine President Kirchner has
called for another environmental impact study on the plants. The
news came on the eve of President Vazquez' April 25 departure for a
nine-day official visit to Mexico and the U.S. Uruguay contends
that the dispute is multilateral in nature because the continued
international bridge blockades have also affected commerce with
Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia -- and indirectly involve Finland and
Spain because their private companies are building the contested
plants. Uruguay also maintains that the plants have been
sufficiently studied for environmental concerns.

Source - MONTEVIDEO 000376


18. Other Environmental Problems to Focus on in Argentina

APR. 27, 2006 - The severe pollution of the Matanza-Riachuelo
basin, which runs right through the metropolitan area of Buenos
Aires, the failure of authorities to do anything about the problem
for decades, and the indifference of most local residents stand in
sharp contrast to the recent protests led by the people of the
Argentine town of Gualeguaychu, near the Uruguayan border. For the
past few months, thousands of residents of that town in the province
of Entre Rios have held demonstrations against the construction of
two paper pulp factories on the Uruguayan side of a river that forms
the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The provincial government
and local businesses and residents in Entre Rios, worried about the
pulp mills' potential impact on the environment, have joined forces
in an attempt to get the Finnish and Spanish companies building the
plants to move them away from the border. But little fuss has been
made over the Matanza-Riachuelo basin, which has been heavily
polluted for over a century, and has never been the focus of any

BRASILIA 00000954 008 OF 013


concerted clean-up effort.

Source - Inter Press Service (kindly shared by US Embassy Buenos
Aires). Please contact Larissa Stoner for complete article


19. How Mercury Rules Designed for Safety End up Polluting

APR. 20, 2006 - Instead of being permanently removed from the
environment, recycled American mercury frequently travels through a
secretive and unregulated chain of processors and brokers that can

SIPDIS
often end with primitive African, Asian and Latin American gold
mines. These operations make up one of the world's biggest markets
for mercury. They're also one of the world's biggest sources of
mercury pollution. In the northern Brazil town of Creporizao,
miners buy flasks of recycled mercury from stores along the town's
dusty street. Later, they use it to extract gold from the gravelly
soil. The process sends the metal into the atmosphere where it can
orbit the world as many as four times before settling in distant
places, such as Maine's seemingly protected lakes.

Source - The Wall Street Journal (please contact Larissa for
complete article)


20. Nitrogen Emissions Threaten Biodiversity 'Hotspots'

APR. 10, 2006 - Researchers have warned that rising nitrogen
emissions from developing nations will soon threaten plant life in
some of the most biodiverse parts of the planet. A team led by
Gareth Phoenix of the University of Sheffield has shown that, in the
mid-1990s, the average amount of nitrogen deposited on the planet's
34 biodiversity 'hotspots' was more than 50 per cent higher than the
global average. They say this figure could more than double by
2050, at which time nitrogen levels in 17 of the 34 hotspots will
exceed critical levels that European nations have set to protect
their sensitive ecosystems. Brazil's Atlantic forest, the temperate
forests of south-west China, much of South-East Asia, Sri Lanka and
the Western Ghats mountain range in southern India are some of the
hotspots facing the greatest increase in nitrogen deposition.

Source - SciDev

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


21. The next X-Prize: How about a 250 m.p.g. car?

MAY 08, 2006 - The challenge: Build the world's most fuel-efficient
production car - one that gets maybe 250 miles per gallon and causes
little or no pollution. The payoff: prize money from the group that
awarded USD10 million for the world's first private spaceflight two
years ago. When the X-Prize Foundation unveils its new high-mileage
car contest later this year, it will join a small but growing number
of competitive prizes for energy development. Proponents say it's a
cheaper and faster way to unhook America from its oil dependency.
Several of the prize ideas are coming from the federal government.

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For example: 1)The Department of Energy (DOE) is authorized to award
up to USD10 million in incentives for next-generation technology
that could turn wood and other fiber into ethanol; 2) The DOE was
also authorized by last fall's energy legislation to offer a USD5
million "Freedom Prize" for tangible methods to cut US dependence on
imported oil. In hearings April 27, Congress weighed a proposal for
a new "H-Prize," which would dangle USD100 million in awards to
speed up development of hydrogen-powered cars.

Source - Christian Science Monitor


22. French Firm Mulling Nuclear Power Plant in Chile

APR. 25, 2006 - The largest operator of atomic reactors in the world
is considering installing power stations in Chile within 10 to 25
years. French nuclear giant Areva Group is interested in developing
nuclear energy in Chile to make an "atomic power station" (nuclear
reactor) that would connect the electrical systems of the Great
North and the central electric zone. "A thermonuclear power station
is a solution to the Chilean power problems of the coming years,"
said Richard Chopplet, representative of Areva's Chilean branch.

Source - Santiago Times (no link)


23. Canadian Company Might Build Dam In South Of Chile

APR. 2006 - The Canadian mining company Falconbridge announced March
31 that it is studying a plan to build a USD600 million
hydroelectric dam on the Cuervo River in southern Chile's Aisen
region. The 740-megawatt facility would be erected, possibly as
early as 2010, on some of the land previously intended for the
ill-fated Alumysa aluminum-plant project. Alumysa was shelved
indefinitely by the Canadian firm Noranda in Sept. 2003 after it
drew strong opposition from environmentalists, the salmon-farming
industry and, ultimately, then-President Ricardo Lagos. In June
2005, however, Noranda was acquired by Falconbridge, a top world
producer of copper, zinc and nickel. Falconbridge now appears
determined to make use of the Patagonian water rights Noranda had
held for the three hydroelectric dams it had planned to build to
power its Alumysa plant.

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


24. Argentina: The Environmental Costs of Biofuel

April 20, 2006 - After two years of debate, the Argentine Senate
approved on April 19th a bill that will grant tax incentives to the
producers of biofuels while guaranteeing them a share of the market
for 15 years. The new legislation grants tax exemptions to farmers
who use vegetable oil to produce biodiesel, sugar cane or corn to
produce ethanol, or organic waste to produce biogas. To ensure a
market for the alternative fuels, the state will guarantee that four
years after the law goes into effect, gas stations will be under the
obligation to offer gasoline that contains five percent ethanol and
diesel comprised of five percent biodiesel. A report released in

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late 2005 by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on
Agriculture (IICA) on biofuel prospects in Argentina and Brazil
warned that the development of this sector would not come without a
price for Argentina. The potential negative impacts included the
replacement of other crops, disturbance of land rotation systems and
undesired effects on the soil. As a result, the IICA stressed that a
careful estimation of these impacts should form part of the overall
evaluation of the costs and benefits of biofuel production
initiatives.

Source - Inter Press Service


25. Brazil Seals Biggest Carbon Credit Deal with German Bank

APR. 06, 2006 - A Brazilian firm sealed the world's biggest carbon
credit contract registered so far for an existing pro-environment
project. Econergy International, the New York-based clean energy
investment, management and consulting group which is responsible for
the deal, said local company Biogas's project to generate
electricity from garbage sold carbon credits is worth 1 million tons
in reduced gas emissions to German state development bank KfW. In
total, the Biogas project, which is a partnership with Sao Paulo
mayor's office, should generate 8 million tons in carbon credits
until 2012, which will be negotiated later. The project receives
half of all waste in South America's biggest megalopolis, Sao Paulo,
or about 80,000 tons per day, and uses the methane gas from the
waste to generate 22 megawatts of electric power. Out of 207 carbon
credit projects registered by the United Nations, 45 are Brazilian
and 21 are managed by Econergy. These include a wind-powered
electricity generation park and power projects based on sugar cane
bagasse.

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General
--------------


26. Chile Signs Bill To Establish Environmental Minister

APR. 10, 2006 - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet officially
proposed legislation that, if passed, will create a cabinet level
position to oversee environmental issues. The position to be created
is "president" of the National Environment Commission (Conama).
Environmentalist lauded the announcement, while Bachelet explained
that the creation of an environmental minister is part of "a
commitment that my administration and I have made." The object of
this project is to create "environmental protection institutions
that are better able to meet the challenges that we as a country are
facing," she said. "And the regions are going to have a fundamental
role in the new environmental policies." Although no names have
been mentioned, at least two leading environmentalists have been
mentioned: Sara Larrain, the head of Sustainable Chile; and Ximena
Abogabir, who leads the House of Peace. The proposed new legislation
will not change the current organizational structure of Conama.

Source - Santiago Times (no link)


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27. Chile-Argentina: Critics of Andean Mine Project File Complaints


APR. 2006 - Chilean opponents of plans for a massive gold mine
straddling the Chilean-Argentine border filed a raft of
administrative complaints last month, hoping to reverse a regional
environmental body's conditional approval of the project. Residents
of northern Chile's Huasco Valley joined the Santiago-based Latin
American Observatory for Environmental Conflicts (Olca) and the
international marine-protection group Oceana to file 70 complaints
with the country's lead environmental agency, the National
Environmental Commission (Conama). The valley residents, most of
them farmers, assert that the USD1.5 billion project by Barrick Gold
of Canada will cause water shortages and toxic pollution in the
fruit- and vegetable-producing Huasco region. In a letter to new
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who took office on March 11,
Pascua Lama opponents urged rejection of the project on grounds that
its environmental-impact statement was deficient. They also said
Barrick failed to address fully the concerns that emerged during
public consultations on the project.

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


28. Protesters in Chile Fight Pulp Plant

APR. 11, 2006 - Religious leaders, fishermen, environmentalists and
surfers joined forces to protest against the construction of a paper
plant in Ranquil, in southern Chile's Region VIII. The USD1.4
billion Nueva Aldea Forestry Complex and plant is opposed by local
residents who fear it will contaminate their surrounding environment
and strip them of their livelihoods. Residents fear there will be a
repeat of what happened in Valdivia, Region X, where Celulosa Arauco
and Constitution (Celco) - Chile's largest forestry company and the
third largest company of its kind in Latin America - built a similar
paper plant. A Nueva Aldea company spokesman assured protestors
that the plant, which is due to start construction in June, abides
by the highest environmental standards.

Source - Santiago Times (no link)


29. Greenpeace go Home, Say Bumper Stickers in Brazilian City

APR. 28, 2006 - Some 3,000 vehicles in Santarem, on the west of the
Amazon state of Para, are carrying stickers reading "Greenpeace Go
Home. The Amazon belongs to Brazilians". The protest is being
sponsored by local ranchers and timber harvesters who are unhappy
about the GOB's creation of areas for conservation and sustainable
use.

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia


30. Brazilian Receives Environmental Prize in the U.S.

APR. 25, 2006 - Brazilian environmental activist Tarciso Feitosa,
from Altamira, Para, received on April 24th in the United States the

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USD 125,000 Goldman Environmental Prize for his work to preserve
forest reserves in areas of land conflict. According to a Brazilian
daily, the Goldman Award is considered to be "the Nobel Prize of the
environmental sector."

Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia


31. Fossils of What May Be the Latest King of the Carnivores Are
Found In Argentina

APR. 18, 2006 - The fossilized remains of what may be the largest
meat-eating dinosaur has been discovered in Argentina -- a bus-sized
monster that attacked its prey in roving packs. The remains of at
least seven of the beasts, named Mapusaurus roseae, were found
clustered in 100-million-year-old rocks south of the city of Plaza
Huincul in western Patagonia. Based on a shin bone that was about 3
feet long, researchers estimate that the largest adult in the group
stretched about 41 feet and weighed about 15,000 pounds.

Source - Los Angeles Times (no link)

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Update on Avian Influenza
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32. PAHO Hosts Regional Conference on Avian Influenza in Bogota

MAY 08, 2006 - This regional conference (April 19-21),attended by
40 countries in the Western Hemisphere, focused on the provision of
health care services in the event of an Avian Influenza outbreak.
PAHO has hosted conferences on surveillance and other AI-related
topics in past. Conference attendees were people who actually
provide health care services, not ministers or national planners.
Consequently, the meeting was highly technical and focused on
diagnosis, various forms of treatment, health care protocols,
functioning of national health services, handling of cadavers, etc.
A general read out of the technical aspects of the meeting (in
Spanish) can be found on the Colombia PAHO office website.

Source - US Embassy Bogota


33. State Department Attends USAID Avian Influenza Preparedness
Meeting in Lima

May 11, 2006 - The Department of State was cordially invited by
USAID/LAC to attend a regional meeting on preparedness and response
to a possible avian influenza pandemic, May 02-05, in Lima, Peru.
Attendees included USAID/Health representatives from several Latin
American and Caribbean countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana,
Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru; representatives from several
international organizations such as FAO, IICA, OIRSA, PAHO, and OIE;
as well as USDA/APHIS, NMRCD, and State Department representatives.
The event was an opportunity to share experiences and learn about
financial and technical resources that currently exist in case of an
AI pandemic. Please contact Larissa Stoner for more information.


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CHICOLA