VZCZCXRO4148
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHBR #1803/01 2641009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211009Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0003
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
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RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0148
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 0309
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RUEHC/DOI WASHDC
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RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
RUEANAT/NASA WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDC/NOAA WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 001803 
 
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: LIZ MAHEW 
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN 
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY 
INTERIOR FOR NPS: JONATHAN PUTNAM 
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: EPA TRAININGS STRENGTHEN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IN 
SOUTH AMERICA 
 
 
BRASILIA 00001803  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Using funds from OES, three trainings on 
environmental law enforcement were carried out by EPA experts in 
August 2007 in Medellin (Colombia), Lima (Peru), and Georgetown 
(Guyana).  With support from the Regional Environmental HUB Office, 
ECON Offices in each respective country, and local environmental 
entities, a total of 87 people were trained.  The trainings served 
as a starting point for participants to work on strengthening 
environmental law enforcement principles in each country.  These 
courses help to build and strengthen the regional capacities to 
understand and enforce environmental laws.  Working with local 
partners, the HUB seeks to replicate these efforts in the region. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------ 
Medellin, Colombia 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) An EPA and OES sponsored Environmental Enforcement Training 
was carried out in the city of Medellin (Colombia) August 15-17, 
¶2007.  The training was organized by the HUB, Colombia's Ministry of 
Environment, Livelihood, and Territorial Development, Medellin's 
environmental entity Area Metropolitana del Valle Aburra, and the 
ECON Office in U.S. Embassy Bogota.  Trainers included two federal 
agents from EPA's Criminal Investigations Division - Frank Garcia 
(Atlanta) and Ozzie Romero (Miami) and two facilitators from 
Colombia - Lida Contreras, public prosecutor, and Rodrigo Negrete, 
legal adviser for the Ministry of Environment, Livelihood, and 
Territorial Development.  The public of 30 workshop participants 
included Colombian law enforcement officers, first responders, 
environmental enforcement program personnel, and related 
prosecutorial and judicial officials. 
 
¶3. (U) Regional interests were well represented at the conference, 
demonstrated by two invitees from Peru - Alicia Abanto, from the 
Defensoria del Pueblo/Environmental Division, and Luis Flores 
Zuniga, a public prosecutor from Madre de Dios.  For all 
participants, the conference enabled them to better understand how 
to prepare and respond to a broad array of environmental crime 
scenarios and officer safety issues at environmental crime scenes. 
 
---------- 
Lima, Peru 
---------- 
 
 
BRASILIA 00001803  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶4. (U) An Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Principles Course 
and Train-the-Trainer Program was held on August 20-23, 2007 in 
Lima, Peru.  The training was organized by the HUB, USAID/Peru, 
Peru's governmental environmental entities CONAM (Consejo Nacional 
de Medio Ambiente) and INRENA (Instituto Nacional de Recursos 
Naturales), ECON Office in U.S. Embassy Lima, and ILEA 
(International Law Enforcement Academy).  Trainers included two EPA 
experts - Davis Jones (DC) and Jorge Martinez (Puerto Rico) - and 
two Colombian facilitators - Gloria Valenzuela, public prosecutor, 
and Jesus Emilio Solano, from Colombia's Ministry of Environment, 
Livelihood, and Territorial Development. 
 
¶5. (U) The 34 participants were provided with a framework for 
designing effective environmental compliance strategies and 
enforcement programs.  The audience was diverse, which helped bring 
a very balanced tone to discussions and practical exercises.  The 
group included two invitees from Ecuador's Ministry of Environment - 
Robert Cazco, legal adviser, and Irma Suarez, National Coordinator 
of the Clean Production Program. 
 
¶6. (U) Among many outcomes, participants called for a virtual 
network formed by the event participants to continue communicating 
electronically on the topic of environmental crimes and principles. 
In addition, a similar training, but more focused on governance, in 
a regional context, inviting representatives from all Andean 
countries was discussed. 
 
------------------ 
Georgetown, Guyana 
------------------ 
 
¶7. (U) An Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Principles Course 
and Train-the-Trainer Program took place August 20-23, 2007 in 
Georgetown (Guyana).  The training was organized by the HUB, the 
ECON Office at U.S. Embassy Georgetown and Guyana's Forestry 
Commission and Ministry of Agriculture. The event was carried out by 
two EPA experts: Susan Bromm and Karin Leff, both from Washington, 
DC.  A total of 23 participants went over hypothetical case studies 
to examine the range of motivations to comply with or violate 
environmental laws. 
 
¶8. (U) Two university-based participants from the course are forming 
an email based collaborative support group to carry on/follow up on 
issues addressed in the training. 
 
BRASILIA 00001803  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
---------- 
CONCLUSION 
---------- 
 
¶9. (U) Trainings such as these help countries such as Peru and 
Colombia translate their relatively strong legal framework into 
better environmental protection. By providing a better understanding 
of environmental principles and improved law enforcement to key 
contacts in these and neighboring countries (i.e. Ecuador), the USG 
is helping achieve conservation and sustainable management of 
natural resources in partner countries more effectively. 
 
¶10. (U) These trainings are also a stepping-stone to creating a 
regional law enforcement network in South America. One important 
complement to these trainings would be to include experts from USFWS 
in order to bring CITES-related topics to these hypothetical case 
studies.  This way, the topic of wildlife trafficking could be 
inserted into the capacity-building courses. 
 
SOBEL