The environment in the news friday, 23 June 2006

ROLAC MEDIA UPDATE

• 
  Guatemala: Pollution Persists in Lake Atitlán
  
• 
  Amazon: Agro-Forest Management Agreement
  
• 
  Cuba to Host PARLATINO Meet
  
• 
  Brazil Is Opening Eyes to Conservation in Abrolhos
  

www.tierramerica.net

GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemala's Lake Atitlán, located 140 km west of the capital and considered the country's most beautiful, is contaminated with agrochemicals and human waste from nearby towns, restaurants and hotels.

Agrochemicals are used by 75 percent of the farmers with fields around the lake, whose surface covers around 130 square km, Julio Urrea, governor of the central-western department of Sololá, told Tierramérica.

The environmental authorities will launch a campaign against throwing garbage in streets and rivers, and will dredge the San Francisco River, the main source of contamination in the lake, he said.

The location of most of the irregular waste dumping sites results in contamination being carried to the lake by rain, Víctor Arriaza, delegate from the Atitlán Sustainable Management Authority, told Tierramérica.

www.tierramerica.net

LIMA - The promotion of agroforestry will be the economic strategy to improve the living standards of the population and protect the biodiversity of the Amazon and three other regions with rain forests, according to an agreement signed Jun. 24 in Washington by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and Conservation International.

ICRAF is an international farm research center and CI is an environmental organization. Both are committed to joining efforts in the Amazon, the mountain ecosystems of China, the high altitude forests of Guinea and the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

Agroforestry is the integrated management of forestry and farming or livestock production, simultaneously or in succession. In the vulnerable soils of the tropical forests, it will be beneficial to balance "human needs and biodiversity conservation," Jonathan Cornelius, representative in Peru of ICRAF, told Tierramérica.

Havana (Prensa Latina) Nearly one hundred deputies of the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) will meet in Havana on Monday to examine key issues of common concern in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Cuban National Assembly (NA).

The Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Natural and Health Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean, and commissions on Environment and Tourism, Health, Cattle Raising and Fishing will be in sessions, with the participation of representatives of regional and UN bodies.

The National Assembly said the region is frequently battered by cyclones, quakes, forest fires and other disasters so it needs public policies to reduce human and material losses.

Latin American and Caribbean readiness to COPE with bird flu -Cuba has taken major measures on this respect- health services and access to them in PARLATINO states and other issues will be discussed.

Representatives of the United Nations Environment Program, the UN Development Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization will participate in the conference.

http://www.conservation.org/xp/frontlines/protectedareas/06090602.xml

Brazil Is Opening Eyes to Conservation in Abrolhos

Clare Nielsen

"Today, we need to open our eyes to the uniqueness of this amazing place," says Rodrigo Moura, a biologist and marine protected areas specialist with Conservation International (CI) in Brazil.

Containing the biologically richest coral reefs in the South Atlantic, Abrolhos is home to many species found nowhere else. One of these, called brain coral (Mussimilia braziliensis), grows into giant mushroom-shaped pinnacles called chapeiroes. The region is also the largest breeding area for humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in the Atlantic, and a vast treasure trove of unexplored biodiversity.

A recent report by CI's Rapid Assessment Program indicates that its scientific expedition to Abrolhos uncovered many species new to science, including at least 17 mollusks and one fish.

"Unfortunately, Abrolhos is under threat," says Moura, "and we need to recognize this with clear vision, too."

Fortunately, the Brazilian government has done just that. Brazil's Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) recently created a 36,700 square mile buffer zone – an area larger than Portugal – around Abrolhos National Marine Park. Under IBAMA's declaration, the oil and gas activities that had been proposed in the region are now prohibited in 75 percent of the area, and approval for such development in the other 25 percent would require detailed studies showing no adverse impact.

CI-Brazil's assessments of the effects of oil and gas exploration and possible oil spills, conducted over nearly a decade, helped motivate IBAMA's creation of the buffer zone. The influence of the SOS Abrolhos Coalition was also instrumental. This group of diverse stakeholders, including nongovernmental organizations, scientists, artisans, and fishermen, engaged in three years of discussion with the government leading up to the declaration. Their common cause: a shared determination to ensure that any development projects in the region benefit, rather than harm, local people.


Benefits Beyond Biodiversity Conservation

The villages around Abrolhos are home to thousands of families who rely on the coast's bounty by fishing, crabbing, and oyster catching at a subsistence level. Abrolhos' new management status allows them to continue to use its resources, and the limitations on development are a positive step for their continued survival.

"It's not hard to see that, if the mangroves where reef fish reproduce are destroyed by an oil spill, the entire coastal zone is affected," says Moura. "If the sea is contaminated by heavy metals through oil and gas operations, fisheries will have to be shut down."

The sustainable tourism industry, too, will directly benefit because large-scale, potentially harmful projects will be prevented. Without the region's wildlife and beauty, it loses its tourist appeal.

"Anyone who cares about life should care about Abrolhos," adds Moura. That's why the CI-Brazil team and its partners are conducting educational programs at Abrolhos National Park, bringing school teachers to the reefs and providing educational materials. It's also why CI-Brazil is helping to foster a community-based tourism initiative in northern Abrolhos. "Once people are aware of the wonders of this place," he says, "they are compelled to help save it."

The CI marine biologist considers Abrolhos, his home, the best place in the world to live and work. And no wonder: "When you go for a short 10-minute walk from our office in Caravelas, you can still spot dolphins playing in the river. In a single day, you can see rain forests, mangroves, whales, and unique coral reefs. These are the everyday sights Abrolhos offers today – the sights we want future generations to enjoy."

____________________________________________________________________________