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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 16 BRASILIA 000278 
 
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: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 107 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  001.2 OF 016 
 
 
¶1.  The following is the one-hundred-seventh 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.  NOTE: THE NEWSLETTER IS NOW 
ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE BRASILIA INTRANET PAGE, BY CLICKING ON THE 
'HUB' LINK. 
 
¶2. Table of Contents 
 
South America Environment, Science &Technology, and Health 
Newsletter 
 
Agriculture 
--(3)Argentina: Danger in the Fields 
--(4)Brazil Authorizes Genetically Modified Crops 
 
Health 
--(5)Paraguay: Yellow Fever Update 
 
Industrial Wastewater Pollution 
--(6)Argentine Potassium Plan Stirs Water Worry 
--(7)Venezuela: Photocatalysis Fights Water Contamination 
--(8)Argentina's New President Pushing Sugar-Mill Cleanup 
 
Forests 
--(9)Latin America: Deforestation Still Winning 
--(10)Brazil: Pantanal Indians Threatened by Deforestation 
--(11)Peru: "For Sale" Signs in Amazon Jungle 
--(12)Colombian Court Throws Out Disputed Forestry Law 
--(13)Peru: Logging Firm Accused of Using Workers' Identities for 
Tax Fraud 
 
Wildlife 
--(14)Brazil Launches Extinction Initiative 
 
Ecology 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  002.2 OF 016 
 
 
--(15)Overfishing May Hurt Brazilian Pantanal Trees 
 
Antarctic Research 
--(16)Venezuela Helped by Uruguay Plans Antarctic Base 
--(17)Brazilian President Commits Support for Antarctic Research 
 
Mercury 
--(18)Peru: Scramble for Gold Scars Madre de Dios Region 
 
Energy 
--(19)Brazil, Argentina Launch Energy Cooperation, but Natural Gas 
Negotiation Fails 
--(20)Peru Plans Renewable Energy Investment 
--(21)Brazil, French Guiana Cooperation includes Tackling Illegal 
Mining, Biofuels 
--(22)Colombia Ignores Pledge to Indians, Plans New Sin Dam 
 
Special Report: Increase in Deforestation Rate in Brazilian Amazon 
Sparks Government Action 
--(24)Brazil to Boost Penalties to Pare Amazon Devastation 
--(25)Brazil Mob Attacks Anti-Logging Agents in Amazon Region 
--(26)Brazil Plans Fund to Help Finance Amazon Conservation 
--(27)Brazil Police Resume Crackdown on Amazon Logging 
 
----------- 
Agriculture 
----------- 
 
¶3. Argentina: Danger in the Fields 
 
FEB. 18, 2008 - The agriculture industry in Argentina is enjoying 
the boom in demand for soybeans and other commodities and the 
subsequent high prices, which are also fattening the state coffers. 
But the question of the unsafe handling of pesticides, herbicides 
and fertilizers has basically been ignored amidst the collective 
euphoria.  According to the Secretariat of Agriculture, the latest 
harvest set a new record of nearly 95 million tons of grains, half 
of which were soybeans. Private consultants estimate that 3.6 tons 
of fertilizers were used in 2007, 20 percent more than in 2006. And 
the growing demand has drawn major investments in fertilizer 
production plants run by local and international companies, which 
indicates that output will continue to rise.  A similar boom is seen 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  003.2 OF 016 
 
 
in herbicide use, with glyphosate as the leading product, used to 
control weeds in the country's vast soybean fields. Experts 
recommend campaigns to inform people about the correct handling of 
such products and the risks they pose, as well as training, both for 
farmers and workers who use them and health professionals who must 
properly diagnose the symptoms of exposure to toxic agrochemicals. 
 
Source - IPS News 
 
¶4. Brazil Authorizes Genetically Modified Crops 
 
FEB. 12, 2008 - Brazil's National Biosecurity Council has authorized 
the planting and sale of two types of genetically modified corn, 
angering some rural groups which consider these varieties 
environmentally risky.  Science and Technology Minister Sergio 
Rezende said the decision by the 11 cabinet ministers making up the 
council "is the first approval for genetically modified corn in 
Brazil," according to the state news agency Agencia Brasil.  One of 
the varieties authorized was a pest-resistant crop called MON 810 by 
its maker, the US biotech company Monsanto, and marketed under the 
names Guardian and YieldGard.  Brazil has previously approved the 
use of two other genetically modified crops engineered by Monsanto. 
In 2005, an insect-resistant cotton called Bollgard Evento 531 was 
authorized, along with a herbicide-tolerant soybean known as RR. 
 
Source - Yahoo 
 
------ 
Health 
------ 
 
¶5. Paraguay: Yellow Fever Update 
 
FEB. 15, 2008 - As of February 15, there are 46 presumed cases of 
yellow fever in Paraguay.  Twenty-six are live cases; only five 
cases have been confirmed to date.  The first case of yellow fever 
surfaced January 15 in San Estanislao, San Pedro Department. A team 
of experts dispatched to the region found five more cases between 
January 17 and 30.  A second team of experts from the Central 
Laboratory was dispatched to the region January 23 and found five 
more suspected cases.  While the investigation is ongoing, 
preliminary indications are that the disease was spread by monkeys 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  004.2 OF 016 
 
 
from Brazil into Paraguay.  Health authorities confirmed five cases 
of yellow fever February 4.  Since then, the virus spread to the 
suburbs of Asuncion and the number of suspected cases has doubled. 
The first urban case was reported in San Lorenzo, a suburb of 
Asuncion. Public fears of an epidemic are surging.  Health Minister 
Oscar Martinez declared a national epidemiological alert February 8. 
Two days later, the Health Ministry announced that it had run out of 
vaccines.  The shortage has created chaos in some communities and 
complicated the GOP's ability to manage the outbreak.  On February 
5, the day after the Health Ministry confirmed the presence of 
yellow fever, thousands of Paraguayans flooded health centers across 
the country for vaccines.  Following 13,000 vaccinations, the Health 
Minister announced February 6 that its supply was almost depleted 
and that the remaining vaccines would be used in San Pedro. 
According to February 13 press reports, thousands of people residing 
in areas with confirmed cases of yellow fever were turned away from 
clinics when supplies were exhausted.  Approximately 4,000 residents 
of San Lorenzo protested the lack of vaccines by blocking a major 
highway February 13. 
 
Source - US Embassy Asuncion, ASUNCION   00000103; 
 
------------------------------- 
Industrial Wastewater Pollution 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. Argentine Potassium Mining Plan Stirs Water Worry 
 
FEB. 2008 - Scientists and some government officials are questioning 
plans for a massive potassium-chloride mine in Argentina's Mendoza 
province, arguing salt waste from the operation would harm water 
resources.  The US$900 million mine planned by the Anglo-Australian 
company Rio Tinto would be developed in the south of Mendoza near 
the Colorado River, which flows 600 miles (1,000 kms) through five 
provinces from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. Rio Tinto says it 
will extract potassium chloride, which is used mainly for 
fertilizer, by means of a chemical-free method called solution 
extraction. A prime question about the potassium plan has to do with 
waste.  The company says that for every ton of potassium extracted, 
1.21 tons of salt will be produced.  The salt will not be sold on 
account of its scant economic value; instead, it will be deposited 
in piles three miles (5 kms) from the Colorado River.  Experts worry 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  005.2 OF 016 
 
 
that over time, the salt piles could represent a significant threat 
to downstream drinking water supplies. 
 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
¶7. Venezuela: Photocatalysis Fights Water Contamination 
 
FEB. 18, 2007 - Venezuela hopes to have ready this year the 
prototype of a lake decontamination system that uses solar rays to 
destroy the toxic substances in the water -- heterogeneous 
photocatalysis.  "Water contaminants degrade with the increase in 
the speed of the chemical reaction between the compounds involved. 
The toxic organic molecules oxidize and generate ultra-pure water," 
Juan Matos, a chemist with the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific 
Research and leader of the project that also involves Cuba, told 
Tierramrica.  While the Venezuelan experts will focus on the toxic 
chemicals, the Cubans will take on the microbiological angle -- 
bacteria and viruses.  Small reactors would operate on energy from 
solar collectors, a technology that Matos hopes to apply in 
Maracaibo Lake (polluted by industrial development). 
 
Source - Tierramerica 
 
¶8. Argentina's New President Pushing Sugar-Mill Cleanup 
 
FEB. 2008 - After a post-inaugural summer vacation, Argentine 
President Cristina Kirchner used her first official appearance of 
2008 to propose a cleanup of the Sal-Dulce basin, one of 
Argentina's most important watersheds. Kirchner announced the 
initiative last month with the governors of the five provinces that 
share the 22,000-square-mile (57,000-sq-km) watershed-Catamarca, 
Csrdoba, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumn.  The objective is 
to reduce pollution from Tucumn sugar mills and other plants blamed 
for harming water quality in Santiago del Estero's Ro Hondo 
reservoir.  It calls for a watershed commission and incentives to 
induce plants to install pollution-control equipment. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  006.2 OF 016 
 
 
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Forests 
------- 
 
 
¶9. Latin America: Deforestation Still Winning 
 
FEB. 16, 2007 - Never before have Latin America and the Caribbean 
fought so hard against deforestation, say experts and government 
officials, but logging in the region has increased to the point that 
it has the highest rate in the world.  Of every 100 hectares of 
forest lost worldwide between the years 2000 and 2005, nearly 65 
were in Latin America and the Caribbean.  In that period, the 
average annual rate was 4.7 million hectares lost -- 249,000 
hectares more than the entire decade of the 1990s.  Deforestation 
remains difficult to deal with because there are many economic 
interests in play, according to Ricardo Snchez, director for Latin 
America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Program 
(UNEP).  The "Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for 
Sustainable Development - 5 Years After Its Adoption" (ILAC) Report, 
prepared by UNEP, indicates that although forestry activity has 
maintained a positive performance in terms of improving productivity 
and advances in sustainable management and other practices, such as 
certification of sustainably harvested lumber, it has not prevented 
the loss of forests.  According to the study, in some countries the 
shrinking of forested areas continues to be associated with an 
increase in livestock-raising and the classic model of expanding 
pasture area by cutting down forests. 
 
Source - IPS News 
 
¶10. Brazil: Pantanal Indians Threatened by Deforestation 
 
FEB. 09, 2008 - The indigenous peoples of the central-western 
Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul must deal with a lack of land 
to grow crops and the destruction of the environment.  The few 
communities lucky enough to have remaining forest land, face the 
threat of losing it.  That is the case of those who live in the Mato 
Grosso Pantanal, a vast wetland ecosystem whose preservation is 
among Brazil's foremost environmental concerns.  Forests in the 
settlement area of the Kadiweu are logged to feed the growing demand 
of the steel mill in Corumb, in the heart of the Pantanal, said 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  007.2 OF 016 
 
 
Alessandro Menezes, head of Ecology and Action, a local 
non-governmental organization, in an interview with Tierramrica. 
The MMX Company, which since 2007 has been producing steel and pig 
iron in Corumb, has already faced threat of a forced closure  for 
its use of illegal plant-based charcoal, but it continues to operate 
under a temporary judicial order.  The needs of the Corumb iron and 
steel complex, made up of four large Brazilian or multi-national 
companies, far outstrip the available plant-based charcoal that can 
be produced by nearby plantation forestry initiatives, says Sonia 
Hess, professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul.  As 
a result, nearly 3,500 tons of native trees are turned into charcoal 
each day.   Let's discuss this one 
 
Source - IPS News 
 
¶11. Peru: "For Sale" Signs in Amazon Jungle 
 
 
FEB. 5, 2008 - The Peruvian Congress is debating a draft law pushed 
by the government that would authorize the sale of vast tracts of 
deforested, uncultivated land in the Amazon jungle to private 
companies that invest in "reforestation" efforts.  But critics say 
there is no land registry showing which natural areas could be sold 
off without hurting the region's rich biodiversity or affecting 
local residents who do not hold formal title to their land.  Under 
the current law, areas authorized for reforestation are granted in 
concession.  But President Alan Garca argues that if the land were 
sold to them instead, companies would enjoy greater security and 
more jobs would be created. The government's interest in selling off 
land in the Amazon jungle had already been announced by Garca in an 
op-ed piece in the local daily El Comercio.  Experts argue that the 
president is focusing on profit and investment without taking into 
account the Amazon's great natural wealth or the local inhabitants 
of these areas, many of whom are indigenous people.  Currently, 
oversight of reforestation initiatives and plantation forestry is 
carried out by the government agency Proinversisn, as if it were 
just another economic activity, instead of by a specialized body 
that could study the environmental, social and cultural aspects that 
should be taken into account when selling land in an area like the 
Amazon jungle. "The problem is that the draft law that the 
government has introduced does not clearly define what kind of land 
we are really talking about, because there is no land registry," 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  008.2 OF 016 
 
 
Luis Capella, the head of the non-governmental Peruvian Society on 
Environmental Law's forestry programme. 
 
Source - IPS News 
 
¶12. Colombian Court Throws Out Disputed Forestry Law 
 
FEB. 2008 - Ruling in one of its most important environmental cases 
in years, Colombia's highest court has overturned a forestry law 
that critics said would open vast tracts of primary forests to 
commercial logging.  The Jan. 23 decision by Colombia's 
Constitutional Court to throw out the 2006 General Law of Forestry 
marked a huge victory for a national coalition of Indian, 
Afro-Colombian and environmental organizations. The coalition had 
challenged the law, arguing it would endanger the country's 158 
million acres (64 million has) of primary forest-nearly half of 
which belongs to Afro-Colombian and Indian groups.   Ruling on 
largely procedural grounds, the court found that the government had 
violated Colombia's constitution by failing to consult with the 
affected communities about the forestry legislation. Green 
organizations, as well as Indian and Afro-Colombian advocacy groups, 
hailed the decision. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
¶13. Peru: Logging Firm Accused of Using Workers' Identities for Tax 
Fraud 
 
JAN. 30, 2008 - Impoverished local residents of the Amazon jungle 
town of Orellana in Peru have filed a complaint against a logging 
company for using their identity documents to commit tax fraud in 
illegal timber sales worth more than 200,000 dollars.  The affected 
workers say they took no part in the swindle and never saw any of 
the money, and accuse the Consorcio Maderero Company of hatching the 
entire scheme. The company holds one of the 240 logging concessions 
granted by the National Institute of National Resources' office on 
forestry and wildlife (Intendencia Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre) in 
a region which concentrates nearly half of all of the concessions 
awarded in the country.  The Pacaya Samiria Nature Reserve, the most 
extensive area of flooded forest in Peru and one of the country's 
richest areas in flora and fauna, makes up six percent of the region 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  009.2 OF 016 
 
 
of Loreto and 1.5 percent of the national territory. The chief 
economic activity in the region is logging, both legal and illegal. 
 
 
Source - Tierramerica 
 
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Wildlife 
-------- 
 
¶14. Brazil Launches Extinction Initiative 
 
FEB. 20, 2008 - In a pioneering effort to halt species extinction in 
the Brazilian Amazon, the state of Para is launching the Zero 
Extinction Program, the first of its kind in Brazil. The program, 
part of a decree signed February 20 in Belem by Para Governor Ana 
Julia Carepa identifies threatened species, key sites where they 
live and measures to protect and conserve these threatened habitats 
and species.  A key element of the Par Zero Extinction Program is 
the compilation of a "red list" or list of threatened species, which 
includes 91 vertebrates, 37 invertebrates and 53 plant species. The 
initiative also calls for the creation of a formal structure for 
coordinating the Zero Extinction Program, composed of a management 
committee, a technical committee, the state's red list, and recovery 
plans for endangered species. It also recognizes Key Biodiversity 
Areas where listed species are found as priority regions for 
conservation and recovery efforts.  "These innovative measures rank 
Para's legislation on endangered species as one of the most 
progressive and complete in the world," said Adrian Antonio Garda, 
director of the Amazon Program at Conservation International, one of 
the partners who created the Zero Extinction Program. 
 
Source - OneWorld 
 
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Ecology 
------- 
 
¶15. Overfishing May Hurt Brazilian Pantanal Trees 
 
FEB. 5, 2008 - Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed 
dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  010.2 OF 016 
 
 
research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health. 
In the Pantanal many fish species feed on fallen fruit during the 
flood season. As waters recede and fish return to their low water 
habitats, seeds are dispersed over a large area.   While scientists 
have long known that fish disperse seeds in the Amazon, the new 
research examined the importance of seed dispersal by pacu 
(Piaractus mesopotamicus), a common freshwater fish, for the tucum 
palm. The study, led by Mauro Galetti of Sao Paulo State University 
in Brazil, found that the tucum palm relies almost entirely on pacu 
services for seed dispersal. The findings hold ecological 
significance because populations of large paca are declining in the 
Pantanal due to a fisheries policy that protects pacu under 40 
centimeters, but allows fishing of larger individuals. 
 
Source - Mongabay 
 
------------------ 
Antarctic Research 
------------------ 
 
¶16. Venezuela Helped by Uruguay Plans Antarctic Base 
 
FEB. 17, 2008 - Venezuelan scientists and military officers set out 
February 15 on their country's first expedition to Antarctica, 
leaving from Uruguay's capital Montevideo aboard the Uruguayan naval 
research ship "Oyarbide".  The 45-day expedition, funded by 
Venezuela, became a controversial issue in Uruguay because the main 
opposition party claimed it was a step towards a military alliance 
with the government of President Hugo Chavez. Members of the 
opposition also objected to the presence of Venezuelan naval 
officers in a Uruguayan navy vessel and the alleged flying of the 
Venezuelan flag in Uruguay's Antarctic base once the mission 
arrives.  However, Uruguay's congress, dominated by the ruling 
coalition, approved the mission and Uruguayan president Tabare 
Vazquez aides described the trip as a gesture of friendship. 
Venezuelan scientists will join their Uruguayan counterparts to 
study a range of subjects including sea bed topography, marine 
species and the effects of climate change in Antarctica.  Uruguay, 
is a member of the Antarctic Treaty since 1980.  Venezuela aspires 
to become a consultative member and hopes to establish a research 
station on the continent. 
 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  011.2 OF 016 
 
 
HUB NOTE: Please refer to MONTEVIDEO 82 for a detailed report on 
this topic. 
 
Source - MercoPress 
 
¶17. Brazilian President Commits Support for Antarctic Research 
 
FEB. 18, 2008 - Brazilian president Lula da Silva, overcome by 
emotion during his brief visit to the country's base in Antarctica, 
promised more resources for scientific research, according to the 
Brazilian press.  According to the Brazilian news agency Globo Lula 
da Silva said it was "most important that more resources should be 
made available so as to have more possibilities of advancing 
research" such as those currently undertaken by Brazilian scientific 
and military staff.  "We definitively need a larger lab than what we 
have now so our scientists can work more and in better conditions". 
The Brazilian government "has the resources, the money and the 
political will to do so", he emphasized to the Brazilian media. 
 
Source - MercoPress 
 
------- 
Mercury 
------- 
 
¶18. Peru: Scramble for Gold Scars Madre de Dios Region 
 
FEB. 2008 - As prices of traded metals rise, small-scale "artisanal" 
mining, much of it unregulated, has grown in Peru.  In 2006, 
according to official figures, artisanal miners produced 24 metric 
tons of gold worth US$390 million.  About 15 tons came from the 
Madre de Dios region, where some 35,000 people mine and only 2,000 
possess formal title to claims.  The rest of the miners are 
"informal," meaning they pay no taxes, have no set wages, receive no 
benefits and are not subject to oversight.  Miners use mercury to 
process the gold, one-fourth of which is shared by the laborers and 
the rest of which goes to the claim holder.  Based on the official 
annual gold production figure for the region-15 metric tons-and the 
3-to-1 ratio of mercury to gold in the amalgamation process, miners 
use at least 45 tons of mercury annually in Madre de Dios.  Carlos 
Villachica, director of Consulcont, an environmental and 
metallurgical consulting firm in Lima, calculates 30% of the mercury 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  012.2 OF 016 
 
 
is lost by dumping in streams or on the ground during the first 
stage of the amalgamation.  Miners recover some mercury, but unless 
the amalgam is heated in a retort, the rest-some 30%-enters the 
atmosphere, where miners breathe it or where it precipitates out 
onto trees, soil and crops.  Heating the gold in retorts could 
recover most mercury, but many miners shun retorts, saying they 
discolor the gold.  Villachica says this could be solved by using 
stainless steel retorts, but even if every miner used a retort that 
collected 80% of the mercury, three tons of the metal would still be 
vaporized every year.  Villachica, once an artisanal miner, is 
developing a low-cost system that uses magnets to recover the gold 
and could allow the gold to be certified mercury-free. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete 
article) 
 
------ 
Energy 
------ 
 
¶19. Brazil, Argentina Launch Energy Cooperation, but Natural Gas 
Negotiation Fails 
 
FEB. 25, 2008 - President's Lula and Cristina Kirchner signed 
important agreements in the energy sector, including the 
construction of a binational hydroelectric power plant on the 
Uruguay River, the expansion of the electric transmission grid 
between the two countries, and the development of joint uranium 
enrichment and nuclear power generation technologies, reports 
correspondent Janes Rocha from Buenos Aires. Story also notes that a 
short-term problem overshadowed the important long term agreements: 
Argentina's need for more natural gas for next year's winter 
season. 
 
Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia, original source Valor 
Economico 
 
¶20. Peru Plans Renewable Energy Investment 
 
FEB. 20, 2008 - The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced February 
7 that it will present a portfolio of 35 projects in March during 
the meeting of the Energy Work Group of the Asia Pacific Economic 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  013.2 OF 016 
 
 
Cooperation Forum (APEC), in Iquitos. The projects would require the 
investment US$35 billion over 15 years.  Most are still in the 
planning stage, to be developed in partnership with governments and 
private enterprises. Deputy Minister of Energy, Pedro Gamio, stated 
that the goal is to reduce the commercial use of petroleum in Peru 
to 25 per cent of 2004 levels by 2011.  Thus far the country has 
decreased petroleum use from 70 to 55 per cent of 2004 levels, 
mainly by increasing the use of gas.  Fifteen of the projects are 
for hydropower.  One, located in the Amazon, could generate as much 
as 7,550 megawatts, says Gamio, even though Peru requires just 350 
megawatts a year.  Other projects include wind, geothermic, solar 
and tidal power, as well as the development of a national solar map. 
 A law on renewable energy - aiming to provide funding for research 
and encourage public and private companies to invest in development 
- was proposed to congress on 1 February and Gamio hopes it will be 
passed before the end of the month. 
 
Source - SciDev 
 
¶21. Brazil, French Guiana Cooperation includes Tackling Illegal 
Mining, Biofuels 
 
FEB. 12, 2008 - Forging a military alliance between France and 
Brazil and curbing illegal activity over the Brazil-French Guiana 
border was the focus of talks between their two leaders.  Presidents 
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Nicolas Sarkozy of France 
also inaugurated the construction of a bridge linking Brazil with 
French Guiana -- a key project in developing the wild jungle area. 
The bridge between Brazil's Oiapoque town and Saint-Georges will be 
the first land border crossing for French Guiana and should be ready 
by 2010.  The two leaders also discussed how to combat illegal gold 
mining and trafficking in the border region.  Brazilian wild cat 
miners, often heavily armed, smuggle gold back over the border to 
Brazil and their mining operations inflict environmental damage in 
French Guiana.  Biofuels, civilian nuclear cooperation as well as 
global trade talks were also on the agenda. 
 
Source: Reuters 
 
¶22. Colombia Ignores Pledge to Indians, Plans New Sin Dam 
 
FEB. 2008 - For years, the Ember-Kato Indians fought plans by the 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  014.2 OF 016 
 
 
Colombian government to build a 350-megawatt hydroelectric dam along 
the Sin River that would supply much-needed energy to the national 
grid, prevent winter flooding of the Sin Valley-and permanently 
inundate large expanses of farm and pastureland.  When the 
2,500-member tribe lost its battle in 1999 and the government built 
the US$750 million Urr dam on the Sin, displacing hundreds of 
Ember and killing off 80% of their fishing resources, the Ember 
tried to find comfort in a promise: The government pledged in 
writing not to build a larger dam being planned, the 860-megawatt 
Urr II.  Now the government seemingly has gone back on its word. It 
says it wants to proceed with Urr II, arguing dams not only will 
supply energy needed for the national grid, but also control winter 
rises of more than 24 feet in the Sin and flooding in the northern 
department of Csrdoba. 
 
Source - EcoAmericas (for complete article please contact Larissa 
Stoner) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Special Report: Increase in Deforestation Rate in Brazilian Amazon 
Sparks Government Action: 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
 
 
¶23. A report released January 23rd by the Brazilian Environmental 
Ministry pointed to an increase in Amazon deforestation during the 
last five months of 2007, following a declining trend observed over 
the past four years.  Preliminary figures showed that destruction 
between August and December may have reached as many as 7,000 square 
kilometers, or the equivalent of 60 percent of the deforestation in 
the 12 months through July 2007.  The following articles report on 
this disquieting news: 
 
¶24. Brazil to Boost Penalties to Pare Amazon Devastation 
 
FEB. 11, 2008 - Brazil's government plans to curb financing for 
illegal loggers and farmers and boost penalties to curtail 
deforestation of the Amazon, Environment Minister Marina Silva told 
reporters in Brasilia.  Devastation in the Brazilian portion of the 
Amazon basin accelerated in the last five months of 2007, the 
 
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ministry said last month.  "There's no intention, at this point, to 
either give amnesty to deforestation offenders or to make the 
reserve limits more flexible,'' Silva said at the ministry's 
headquarters in Brasilia. "What is needed is better enforcement, not 
an easing in the current policies to protect the Amazon." 
 
Source - Bloomberg 
 
¶25. Brazil Mob Attacks Anti-Logging Agents in Amazon Region 
 
FEB. 21, 2008 - A mob of 2,000 people burned tires, blocked roads 
and attacked federal agents who sought to crack down on illegal 
Amazon logging, but officials vowed Wednesday that riots would not 
halt law enforcement.  Brazil's Environmental Protection Agency 
abandoned efforts to audit logging companies and sawmills suspected 
of illegal logging after mobs surrounded its workers and tried to 
invade a sawmill in a "public revolt" in the Amazonian town of 
Tailandia, the agency said on its Web site.  The crackdown began 
February 14, when 130 environmental workers (from the Brazilian 
Federal Police and Brazil's environmental protection agency) began 
inspecting Tailandia's estimated 140 sawmills. Of 10 mills audited, 
five were fined for stocking lumber of unknown origin and for 
selling lumber without authorization, the environmental agency said. 
 The agency seized 13,000 cubic meters (17,003 cubic yards) of 
illegal lumber, including top Brazilian hardwoods, enough to fill 
640 trucks. 
 
Source - IHT 
 
¶26. Brazil Plans Fund to Help Finance Amazon Conservation 
 
FEB 22, 2008 - Brazil's government plans to set up a donation-based 
fund to help finance conservation of the Amazon after illegal 
logging increased last year.  The government is seeking to raise 
$200 million from Norway* and corporate sources in the first year, 
said Tasso Azevedo, director of the country's forestry services. The 
fund, to be established in May, will seek to raise as much as $1 
billion annually to help slow deforestation of the Amazon. 
"Everybody says they want to help maintain the Amazon, but nobody 
has reached into their pockets until now,'' Azevedo told reporters 
in Brasilia. The fund creates an opportunity to help preserve an 
area that represents about half the world's remaining rainforest. 
 
BRASILIA 00000278  016.2 OF 016 
 
 
 
*HUB Note:  In a special address in the COP High-Level Meeting in 
Bali (December 2007), Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg 
announced more than US$500 million annually to support efforts to 
reduce deforestation in developing countries. 
 
Source - Bloomberg 
 
¶27. Brazil Police Resume Crackdown on Amazon Logging 
 
FEB. 24, 2008 - Heavily armed federal police swarmed the Amazonian 
town of Tailandia on Saturday February 23, seizing more than 500 
truckloads of illegally cut hardwood that were previously 
confiscated but abandoned when rioting residents and loggers drove 
out environmental authorities.  About 450 officers retook the town 
of Tailandia, patrolling on horseback and in pickup trucks and 
standing guard outside sawmills. (Refer to previous article "Mob 
Attacks Anti-Logging Agents"). 
 
Source - IHT 
 
SOBEL