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### Viewing cable 07BRASILIA1463, SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 98

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07BRASILIA1463 | 2007-08-01 14:13 | 2011-07-11 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Brasilia

`

    VZCZCXRO8219
    RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
    DE RUEHBR #1463/01 2131413
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 011413Z AUG 07
    FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9631
    INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
    RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0118
    RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0121
    RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 0281
    RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 0108
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    RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE 0114
    RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0118
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    RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 0625
    RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 0100
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    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2258
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    RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 6997
    RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 0500
    RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 4856
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
    RHEBAAA/DOE WASHDC
    RUEHC/DOI WASHDC
    RUEAWJA/DOJ WASHDC
    RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
    RUEANAT/NASA WASHINGTON DC
    RUCPDC/NOAA WASHDC
    RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
    RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC
    RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 15 BRASILIA 001463

    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 98

    BRASILIA 00001463  001.2 OF 015

    ¶1.  The following is the ninety-eighth 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

    Health
    --(3)Abbott Laboratories and Brazil Reach Agreement on Cost of AIDS
    Drug

    Forests
    --(4)Uruguay Attracts Expanding Chilean Forestry Companies
    --(5)Small Communities Key To Preserving World's Remaining Forests,
    Report Says
    --(6)Guyana Considering Modern Sawmill Proposal

    Fishing & Marine Conservation
    --(7)Brazil Fishermen Caught Killing Dolphins

    Protected Areas
    --(8)Oil Plan Casts Shadow on Bolivia Park

    Science & Technology
    --(9)Colombia: New Center of Excellence in Genomics

    Pollution
    --(10)Mercury Threat from Mining Seen In Guyana
    --(11)Argentine Ombudsman Joins Oilfield Lawsuit

    Climate Change
    --(12)Guyana Gets Climate Change Grant
    --(13)Lake Disappearance in Chile Linked to Global Warming
    --(14)Guyana: Climate Change Affecting Sea Turtle Nesting Habits

    BRASILIA 00001463  002.2 OF 015

    Energy
    --(15)Chile: Matte Creates Fund for Renewable Energy
    --(16)Brazil to Revive Nuclear Project
    --(17)Chile Focuses on Long-Term Energy Strategy
    --(18)Colombia: President Inaugurates First Biodiesel Plant; Issues
    20 Percent Blending Mandate
    --(19)Brazil Gives Preliminary OK to Amazon Dams Criticized by
    Environmentalists
    --(20)Ecuador: Biofuel Efforts Attract Organized Opposition
    --(21)Brazil to Certify Sustainable Production of Ethanol
    --(22)Brazil To Ban Sugarcane Crops In The Amazon

    General
    --(23)Green Safeguards Bolstered in Three Trade Deals
    --(24)Nazca Lines Affected by 'Informal' Gold Mining
    --(25)Colombia, Ecuador launch Regional Fundacion Natura
    --(26)WTO Decision on Retreads Buoys Both Sides in Dispute

    Update on Avian Influenza
    --(27)SOUTHCOM Preparedness Workshop for Central and South America

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

    ¶3. Abbott Laboratories and Brazil Reach Agreement on Cost of AIDS
    Drug

    JULY 4, 2007 - The Brazilian government and Abbott Laboratories have
    agreed to reduce the price of an anti-AIDS drug by nearly 30 percent
    this year, and even more next year, the Health Ministry and the
    company said.  The agreement with the U.S.-based company lowers the
    price of each Kaletra pill to US$0.73 from US$1.04 until the end of
    the year.  In 2008, each pill will cost US$0.68, or "US$1,000 per
    patient per year," the Health Ministry said.
    Kaletra, a protease inhibitor, is one of the most commonly used
    anti-AIDS drugs in Brazil, which provides free AIDS drugs to anyone
    who needs them.  Brazil manufactures generic versions of several
    drugs that were in production before the country enacted an
    intellectual property law in 1997 to join the World Trade
    Organization.

    BRASILIA 00001463  003.2 OF 015

    Source - International Herald Tribune

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

    ¶4. Uruguay Attracts Expanding Chilean Forestry Companies

    JULY 24, 2007 - Chile's relatively small concentration of fertile
    land has forced its forestry companies to look closely at other
    Latin American countries for expansion.  Forestry companies have
    started to set their sights on a host of other countries, including
    Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela.  A recent report by
    PriceWaterHouse about the world forestry industry indicated that
    Brazil was the most attractive country to invest in during 2006.
    The report also identified Uruguay as having high potential for
    planting and installing processing plants.   As a result, Chilean
    companies are seriously considering Brazil and Uruguay. "The
    governments of those countries are giving important support for
    development of the forestry sector. Because of that Arauco and CMPC
    have begun investing in those countries, and there are also many
    others who are interesting in entering," according to Ricardo
    Arrani, a consultant at PriceWaterHouse.

    Source - MercoPress

    ¶5. Small Communities Key To Preserving World's Remaining Forests,
    Report Says

    JULY 16, 2007 - Supporting communities who earn their livelihoods
    from forests, rather than creating national parks, may represent the
    best hope for preserving the world's remaining wilderness.  That's
    according to Andy White, a coordinator of the Washington D.C. -based
    Rights and Resources Initiative, who presented a review of
    forest-based businesses from around the world to a conference in the
    Amazon.  Some 110 million people around the world are involved in
    forest enterprises harvesting wood, bamboo, rattan, fibers, nuts,
    resins, medicinal herbs, honey and other natural products, White
    said, and granting land rights to these small communities working in
    sustainable forest industries is especially urgent now as a boom in
    biofuels drives land speculation.  "The evidence from around the

    BRASILIA 00001463  004.2 OF 015

    world, not only here in the Amazon, is that once their rights are
    recognized, forest communities are more effective at protecting
    forests than national parks," White said.  White spoke by telephone
    from Rio Branco, capital of the western Amazon state of Acre, which
    hosted a weeklong conference uniting 250 community forest
    entrepreneurs and policy makers from Africa, Asia, Central and South
    America.

    Source - International Herald Tribune

    NOTE FROM THE HUB: A member of the HUB staff was present at this
    event.  Please refer to BRASILIA 1425.

    ¶6. Guyana Considering Modern Sawmill Proposal

    JULY 11, 2007 - A cabinet sub-committee is currently reviewing the
    proposal of a US company seeking approval to begin value adding in
    the wood sector and which says that there is too much wastage in the
    sawmilling process in Guyana.  Simon and Shock International Inc
    (SSI) is promising a modern sawmill operation unlike anything seen
    in any of the tropical forests in the world.  The company said that
    it would have a recovery rate of close to 70 per cent and over and
    the little waste it produces will be used to power its kiln-drying
    plant.  This means that logs will be 100 percent utilized.  The
    company plans to invest over US$26M in three years.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    -----------------------------
    Fishing & Marine Conservation
    -----------------------------

    ¶7. Brazil Fishermen Caugt Killing Dolphins

    JULY 17, 2007 - A crew of Brzilian fishermen was captured on video
    killing 8 dolphins and joking about their illegal haul, accrding
    to Brazil's Ibama environmental protection agency.
    The video obtained by an Ibama researcherand broadcast by Globo TV
    showed the fishermen ntting the dolphins, which suffocated because
    the could not surface to breathe.  The dead dolphins ere then
    hauled from the sea and piled on the boat's deck. Fishermen on board
    are seen laughing after someone said, ''Everyone's going to jail

    BRASILIA 00001463  005.3 OF 015

    after this filming!'' International dolphin advocates who saw the
    video said they were appalled and Ibama announced it will try to
    impose fishing restrictions along parts of Brazil's coast where
    dolphins are common.  The researcher had been contracted by the
    agency to monitor catches of other fish in the area where the
    dolphin kill took place off the coast of Amapa state, near where the
    Amazon River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. No one has been charged
    or fined because authorities were still trying to identify the
    fishermen on video, Ibama said in a statement.

    Source - New York Times

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

    ¶8. Oil Plan Casts Shadow on Bolivia Park

    JULY 11, 2007 - Despite being a symbol of biodiversity in Bolivia,
    some feel that protected areas like Madidi [National Park] could
    deliver more for the country's poor.  In May, 80 farmers armed
    themselves and seized a part of the national park.  They wanted land
    to cultivate crops, a road to run through Madidi and the immediate
    exploitation of its oil. The farmers have now drawn back and the
    government is promising a military post to defend Madidi and its
    resources.  But Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, recently
    visited Madidi to highlight the existence of natural resources in
    traditionally less productive regions.  The government agrees that
    ecotourism has potential; but it does not see it as a panacea.  "The
    protected areas belong to the people. There is no logic in having
    protected areas that marginalize the population," says Juan Pablo
    Ramos Morales, the vice-minister who has been leading discussions on
    Madidi.  "The protected areas should provide opportunities for local
    communities.  Conservation makes no sense if it does not generate
    benefits for society as a whole.  We need more analysis.  It may be
    that some areas allow for this kind of hydrocarbons activity and
    others do not."

    Source - BBC

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

    BRASILIA 00001463  006.2 OF 015

    --------------------

    ¶9. Colombia: New Center of Excellence in Genomics

    JULY 14, 2007 - Colombia has a new center for research on genomics
    and bioinformatics, launched on June 27.  The Colombian Center for
    Genomics and Bioinformatics in Extreme Environments (GeBiX) will
    receive funding from Colombian Institute for Science and Technology
    Development (Colciencias) and the National Learning Service (Sena),
    which will allocate USD1.5 million for research over the next two
    years.  GeBiX will work on the elaboration of a metagenomics and
    bioinformatics platform in order to identify and use genetic
    resources in extreme environments.  The Center will carry out
    bioprospection of microorganisms in the Nevados National Park, which
    has an area of 58,300 hectares, and altitudes ranging from 400 up to
    5,300 meters above sea level.

    Source - SciDev

    ---------
    Pollution
    ---------

    ¶10. Mercury Threat from Mining Seen In Guyana

    JULY 12, 2007 - There is a threat of mercury contamination from
    mining in three villages in the North West District, a study has
    found, and many persons in those communities are unaware of the
    risks.  According to results of the assessment, which was conducted
    in 2005, there were "significant levels of mercury contamination
    among the population examined in the three communities since many
    individuals had mercury levels within them that were above the
    guideline value for mercury levels in humans". The study utilized
    the guideline value set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for
    humans stated as 10 parts per million (ppm).  The results were
    presented at an Institute of Applied Science and Technology
    (IAST)/World Wildlife Fund (WWF) workshop held at the Demerara
    Mutual Insurance Company boardroom on the Mercury Impact Assessment
    on Gold Mining Activities. The objectives of the study were to
    determine the level of mercury poisoning and contamination within
    the human population and the environment and also to improve
    educational awareness among the population as it regards mercury

    BRASILIA 00001463  007.2 OF 015

    pollution. It was conducted in three communities namely Arakaka,
    Port Kaituma and Matthew's Ridge in the North West District.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    ¶11. Argentine Ombudsman Joins Oilfield Lawsuit

    JULY 2007 - Argentina's National Ombudsman has asked the country's
    Supreme Court to order Spain's Repsol YPF, Brazil's Petrobras and 15
    other companies to clean up the Neuqun oilfields, traditionally one
    of Argentina's most productive oil- and natural-gas-producing areas.
     Filed in support of a landholders' suit against the oil companies,
    the petition resembles one that preceded a Supreme Court order last
    year that polluters plan a cleanup of the notoriously polluted
    Riachuelo River in Buenos Aires. But it could set the stage for the
    cleanup of areas beyond the Neuqun oil basin, which embraces
    two-thirds of the Patagonian province of Neuqun as well as portions
    of Mendoza, La Pampa and Ro Negro provinces.  That's because a
    ruling against the oil companies could serve as a precedent for
    similar legal action against oil companies tapping four other
    Argentine oil basins.

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

    --------------
    Climate Change
    --------------

    ¶12. Guyana Gets Climate Change Grant

    JULY 11, 2007 - The Government of Guyana and the United Nations
    Development Program (UNDP) signed an agreement for a grant of
    US$455,000 to assist in Guyana meeting its obligations under the
    United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).  This
    new three-year project between the UNDP and the Government will
    assist in the preparation of the Second National Communication to
    the Conference of the Parties.  Among the main components of the
    project are an inventory of greenhouse gases, programs containing
    measures to facilitate adequate adaptation and mitigation to climate
    change and collecting essential information related to the

    BRASILIA 00001463  008.2 OF 015

    implementation of the Convention, including technology needs
    assessment, public awareness and information related to integration
    of climate change into local and regional policies. The project will
    be implemented through the Climate Change Unit of the Ministry of
    Agriculture with the guidance of the National Climate Change
    Committee and the involvement of several sector agencies and line
    ministries.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    ¶13. Lake Disappearance in Chile Linked to Global Warming

    JULY 4, 2007 - Experts from Chile's National Forestry Service
    (CONAF) and the Valdivia Center for Scientific Studies (Cecs) have
    linked the May disappearance of a glacial lake in far southern Chile
    to global warming. The team made these claims after a series of
    visits to the site of the lost lake, and noted there is a
    possibility that the lake could reform.  Residents of the extremely
    remote area blame the 6.2 magnitude earthquake which hit the
    neighboring Aysen region last April and caused over 50 landslides.
    They suggest that a rift opened up and drained the lake's water.
    But Chilean glaciologist Gino Casassa, one of the 63 experts who
    participated in the second UN report on global warming, told the La
    Tercera newspaper that he believes the lake disappeared due to a
    relatively common glacial phenomenon: a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood
    (GLOF).  A GLOF is a sudden increase in a lake's volume due to one
    of various possible causes, including a volcanic eruption, an
    earthquake, an avalanche, or a portion of a glacier falling into the
    lake.  Casassa speculated that the GLOF broke open a tunnel of ice
    below the lake, which drained the water to the ocean. "In this zone
    in particular... we have evidence that, in general, the lakes are
    filling up as the glaciers melt," said Casassa.  Global warming is
    most likely responsible for this process, as well as for the
    increase in GLOFs, he added.

    Source - Santiago Times (no link)

    ¶14. Guyana: Climate Change Affecting Sea Turtle Nesting Habits

    JUNE 25, 2007 - The changing nesting patterns of endangered sea
    turtles in Guyana, is alerting environmentalists to the impact of
    climate change on these marine animals. The shell beaches in Region

    BRASILIA 00001463  009.2 OF 015

    One have hosted thousands of nesting turtles over the years, and
    conservationists have been endeavoring to protect the turtles from
    heavy domestic use and from being traded.  Usually sea turtles nest
    in Guyana from March to August every year.  However, for the last
    three to four years, says Michelle Kalamandeen, Project Coordinator
    of the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS), the
    nesting pattern has shifted from mid-January to mid-July.  This may
    have a significant impact on the hatchlings as food availability may
    be an issue for them.

    Source - Stabroek News

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

    ¶15. Chile: Matte Creates Fund for Renewable Energy

    JULY 25, 2007 - The Matte group has started to seek out
    non-conventional sources of renewable energy.  The business
    conglomerate joined with the Independence Investment Fund to create
    a fund that seeks to raise US$ 100 million which will be devoted to
    renewable energy projects.  The Independence Fund will administrate
    the finances of the new fund, which is expected to operate for 10
    years.  The Matte group will also invest US$120 million in new
    projects concerning renewable energy sources, which will bring over
    100 MW to the Interconnected Central System.  The system is expected
    to operate between 2008 and 2012.

    Source - Santiago Times (no link)

    NOTE FROM THE HUB: Matte group is involved in the construction of
    the controversial Aysen Dam.

    ¶16. Brazil to Revive Nuclear Project

    JULY 11, 2007 - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said hundreds of millions
    of extra dollars would be made available for the project over the
    next eight years.  Work on the third reactor for uranium enrichment
    stopped in the 1980s over security fears and lack of funds.
    Brazil's has two operating nuclear reactors - Angra 1 and Angra 2.
    Brazil's Angra 1 and Angra 2 - located in the same region - have an

    BRASILIA 00001463  010.2 OF 015

    installed capacity of about 2,000 megawatts, and Angra 3 would
    increase capacity to 3,000 megawatts.  Angra 3 would require an
    investment of about $3.7billion with construction due to be
    completed by 2013, according to Energy and Mines Minister Nelson
    Hubner.  Brazil, which is heavily dependent on hydro-electricity,
    could face energy shortages in a couple of years if generating
    capacity is not increased, analysts say.  A severe drought in 2001
    led the authorities to introduce energy rationing.

    Source - BBC

    ¶17. Chile Focuses on Long-Term Energy Strategy

    JULY 23, 2007 - Chile's impending energy crisis, sharpened by
    diplomatic tensions with Argentina and one of the coldest winters on
    record, was the theme of a seminar held in Valparaiso's Congress
    building.  New Energy Minister Marcelo Tokman Ramos, Environment
    Minister Ana Lyn Uriarte and various members of Congress spoke at
    the event, which was titled "Energy Policy in Chile: A Challenge."
    In a country that currently imports 74 percent of its energy, the
    prospect that one of its principal suppliers - Argentina - may stop
    providing gas is a worrying one.  And, "we have to say it like it
    is. Argentine gas is going to stop coming some day. We have to
    forget about it," said Dep. Francisco Encina at the seminar's
    opening.
    Many of the speakers urged that to deal with this reality Chile must
    figure out a way to supply its own energy, though not at the cost of
    destroying its environment.  Minister Uriarte spoke of the
    importance of diversifying Chile's energy supply, and of making a
    gradual transition to "clean" and/or renewable energy sources such
    as wind, hydrothermal power and bio-gas.
    Speakers also examined the other side of the coin - reducing energy
    demand.

    Source - Santiago Times (no link)

    ¶18. Colombia: President Inaugurates First Biodiesel Plant; Issues 20
    Percent Blending Mandate

    JULY 11, 2007 - On July 8, President Uribe opened Colombia's first
    biodiesel plant. The facility, which is owned by former Agriculture
    Minister Carlos Murgas, is the first of at least five biodiesel

    BRASILIA 00001463  011.2 OF 015

    projects expected to come online by mid-2008.  The growth of the
    biodiesel industry follows the implementation of a series of
    government incentives since 2003 to promote biofuels development.
    The opening of Colombia's first biodiesel plant coincided with the
    July 7 announcement of a GOC decree to raise the biodiesel blending
    mandate from five percent to 20 percent by 2012.

    Source - BOGOTA   4956

    ¶19. Brazil Gives Preliminary OK to Amazon Dams Criticized by
    Environmentalists

    JULY 9, 2007- The government has granted a preliminary green light
    to a massive Amazon dam project intended to prevent possible energy
    shortages, but also criticized as a potential environmental
    disaster.  The approval from Brazil's environmental protection
    agency, Ibama, opens the door to bidding on the construction of
    multiple dams that would generate electricity and permit barges to
    navigate 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) to upstream tributaries in
    Peru and Bolivia.  Other permits must still be obtained before the
    estimated US$10 billion-US$14.7 billion project gets under way, but
    the decision was a key step and is sure to prompt interest from big
    construction companies.  The government hopes to complete the Santo
    Antonio and Jirau dams on the Madeira River, a major Amazon
    tributary, by 2012.  They are expected to produce 6,450 megawatts,
    or 8 percent of current electricity demand in Latin America's
    largest nation and economy.

    Source - International Herald Tribune

    NOTE FROM THE HUB: The Government of Bolivia was apparently "caught
    by surprise" with the news and requested a high level emergency
    meeting with the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Brazilian
    Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim reportedly replied saying they
    were welcome to come to Brasilia anytime between July 23-27 for a
    technical - and not political - meeting

    ¶20. Ecuador: Biofuel Efforts Attract Organized Opposition

    JULY 2007 - A gathering of non-governmental groups in Quito,
    Ecuador, in June underscored how biofuels production, the objective
    of some green advocates, has begun drawing organized environmental

    BRASILIA 00001463  012.2 OF 015

    scrutiny.  Some 250 attendees representing dozens of Latin American,
    Asian and African organizations drafted strategies aimed at
    pressuring international agencies and national governments currently
    promoting biofuels production as an environmentally sustainable
    alternative to fossil fuels.  The meeting highlighted questions
    about the justification and impacts of biofuels.  Participants
    agreed to take joint action to influence biofuels policies of the
    United Nations, World Bank, development agencies and governments.

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

    ¶21. Brazil to Certify Sustainable Production of Ethanol

    JULY 05, 2007 - Brazil will create its own biofuel certificate to
    show that Brazilian ethanol is produced in a sustainable way,
    protecting the environment.  The announcement was be made by
    President Lula during the first International Conference on Biofuels
    in Brussels.  According to one media article, the EU has been
    showing signs of imposing restrictions on Brazilian ethanol due to
    the need for a process of certification of the producing companies.
    One Brazilian daily published an op-ed by President Lula titled:
    "The alternative of biofuels" in which he states that the
    responsibility of developed countries in the control of greenhouse
    emissions should be maintained.  Brazil is the largest ethanol
    producer with a production of about 13 million tons in 2005,
    followed by the United States with a production of 11.8 million
    tons.

    Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia

    ¶22. Brazil To Ban Sugarcane Crops In The Amazon

    JULY 18, 2007 - The Government of Brazil announced it will start
    controlling the expansion of sugar cane crops throughout the country
    to avoid accusations of environmental degradation and to reduce
    pressure on areas dedicated to food crops. "A map of restrictions
    will forbid sugar cane planting in the Amazon, Pantanal and other
    areas that we are still studying, but that we won't announce at the
    moment," said Agriculture Minister Reinhold Stephanes. Ministry
    officials say that there are currently 10 million hectares of
    degraded cattle raising grounds in Mato Grosso do Sul that could

    BRASILIA 00001463  013.2 OF 015

    receive government incentives to be converted to sugar cane
    production to reduce the pressure on valuable ecosystems.

    Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia

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

    ¶23. Green Safeguards Bolstered in Three Trade Deals

    JULY 2007 - The Bush administration has signed three revised free
    trade agreements with Peru, Panama and Colombia that include
    significantly stronger labor and environmental protections.  The
    agreements, signed June 25 with Peru and June 28 with Panama and
    Colombia, incorporate not only new guarantees of labor rights, but
    mandatory compliance with several environmental treaties and tough
    new measures on illegal logging as demanded by the Democratic
    majority in May.  Analysts say that as a result, the U.S. Congress
    is likely to approve the pacts with Panama and Peru this fall,
    knocking down tariffs on about 90% of trade between the United
    States and the two countries.  Last year the United States carried
    out US$9 billion in trade with Peru and $3 billion with Panama.
    Approval of a similar agreement with Colombia is considered unlikely
    this year because of violence against trade unionists and
    revelations that Colombian government allies have been collaborating
    with death squads.  Although U.S. and Andean green groups have their
    criticisms towards the agreements, they say the accords do give
    green considerations greater weight in dispute settlement and
    require signatories to comply with several environmental treaties
    already signed by the United States and Colombia, Panama and Peru.

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

    ¶24. Nazca Lines Affected by 'Informal' Gold Mining

    JULY 22, 2007 - Three "informal" gold mining plants, two of which do
    not have a license to operate, have been installed in the region of
    Nazca and Palpa and are affecting the region known for its
    historical and cultural importance.  In one of the plants, the Nazca
    lines are being used as improvised roads for the transportation of

    BRASILIA 00001463  014.2 OF 015

    material.  The media report goes on to point that many of these
    trucks leave debris along the "roads."

    Source - El Comercio

    ¶25. Colombia, Ecuador launch Regional Fundacion Natura

    JULY 12, 2007 - July 12 marked the launching of "Fundacion Natura
    Regional", a joint effort of the two Fundacion Natura organizations
    in Colombia and Ecuador.  They decided to work jointly on the
    protection of bilateral watersheds and the creation of a carbon bank
    to fund GHG reduction projects.  The efforts are just starting, but
    the eventual goal is to expand the work of the organization to the
    Andean and South American level.

    Source - US Embassy Bogota

    ¶26. WTO Decision on Retreads Buoys Both Sides in Dispute

    JULY 2007 - After a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel ruled June
    12 on the dispute between the European Union and Brazil over
    Brazil's import ban on retreaded tires, both sides declared victory.
     Though the WTO panel supported the EU's view that the ban violated
    the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), it recognized the
    measure's health and environmental rationale.  The EU set the WTO
    battle in motion two years ago, when it filed a complaint portraying
    Brazil's 2000 ban on retread imports as an unfair restraint on
    trade. Though the import ban also covered used-tire imports, the EU
    focused its case on retread imports.  Brazil argued that since
    retreads have a shorter lifespan than new tires, widespread use of
    them boosts the number of discarded tires clogging landfills and
    littering the countryside.  That, the government contended, poses a
    public health threat by creating more habitat for malaria and
    dengue-fever-carrying mosquitoes.  It was the first time a
    developing country had used such health and environment arguments to
    defend itself in a WTO dispute, a foreign ministry official says.

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

    -------------------------
    Update on Avian Influenza

    BRASILIA 00001463  015.2 OF 015

    ------------------------

    ¶27. SOUTHCOM Preparedness Wrkshop for Central and South America

    JULY 24, 207 - SOUTHCOM and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation or
    Military Medicine sponsored a workshop on pandemic influenza July
    10-12 in Panama that brought together military, police, health, and
    agriculture officials from  Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
    El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and
    Uruguay.  The first two days featured presentations and discussions
    by representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),
    Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA),
    Gorgas Institute,  SOUTHCOM, Naval Medical Research Center
    Detachment-PERU (NMRDC-Peru), Bureau of Medicine (BUMED), Navy
    Environmental Preventive Medicine (NEPMU-2), U.S. Army Medical
    Institute for Infectious Diseases, DoD Global Emerging Infections
    Surveillance and Response System (GEIS), Center for Disaster and
    Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM), G/AIAG, USAID, and
    Martin-Blanck and Associates. The third day was devoted to a desktop
    exercise on a pandemic outbreak.  Participants shared information on
    preparations to date and explored what a pandemic influenza could
    mean for their countries and the region.  Several of them said that
    their national medical facilities were already stretched to the
    limit and that it was clear they would look for external assistance
    during a pandemic and in the recovery phrase.  A similar meeting for
    the Caribbean countries is planned for September 11-13.

    Source - AIAG daily bulletin

    SOBEL

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