VZCZCXRO2658
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHBR #1066 2391626
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271626Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4940
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 4441
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 8109
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9849
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BRASILIA 001066 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI - L.SPERLING 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EINV EAGR KSCA BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: LAUNCH OF OES-FUNDED PROJECT CONCERNING LAND-BASED 
SOURCES OF MARINE POLLUTION 
 
(U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Embassy Brasilia, in conjunction with the Bureau of 
Oceans, Environment and Science (OES), has awarded a USD 75,000 
grant to support the reduction of land-based sources of marine 
pollution in Brazil.  The request for proposals was issued on 
February 20, 2009 and there were four responses submitted by the 
deadline of March 31, 2009.  The Embassy's review panel selected the 
proposal submitted by the Department of Genetics at the Federal 
University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).  The UFRJ will be responsible 
for developing the project over the next two years. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The project is focused on the land-based sources of 
pollution which affect the Abrolhos Reef Bank, located off the 
northeastern coast of Brazil.  This reef is one of the most 
important reef biomes in the world.  The region also sustains 
important fishing activity that represents the main source of food 
and employment for thousands of people.  The main reef-building 
coral species of the region are under great risk of extinction due 
to the increasing pollution and sedimentation related to pesticides 
used by the region's intensive wood farming industry.  The residues 
of these chemicals are discharged into the nearby Abrolhos Bank. 
The result is a significant decline in the coral coverage which 
corresponds to the expansion of wood related agribusiness in the 
region.  The degradation of the reef systems can be reversed, if the 
local stressors are reduced by means of better farm management 
practices. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The project consists of three phases: initial data 
collection to establish a baseline for the current health of the 
Abrolhos Reef; the screening and identification of bio-control 
agents that could replace existing pesticides and fungicides; and a 
pilot project in which these new agents will be used in a small 
scale pilot project.  By the end of the project, the grantee will 
have selected appropriate bio-control microorganisms and conducted 
field trials in cooperation with local wood farmers.  The improved 
farming practices developed by this project will be replicable and 
will have implications for the future management, protection, and 
recovery of coral reefs. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The principal investigator (PI) for this project is a 
professor at UFRJ, the largest federal university of Brazil, and his 
research team consists of highly qualified researchers who have 
managed grants from different national and international agencies 
and belong to renowned Brazilian institutions.  The grant will allow 
that a successful and previously collaborating team tackles an 
important issue related to marine pollution in Brazil. 
 
KUBISKE