THE DILEMMA OF BRAZIL - HOW TO DEVELOP WITHOUT DESTROYING THE AMAZON

Many foreign observers heavily criticise the handling of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest by the government of President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's, but they fail to take into consideration the urgent need of Brazil to develop its economy. There is, however, considerable substance to critics' arguments that his administration repeatedly favours an infrastructural and economic development strategy over a conservationist policy. However, the Brazilian president is faced with a set of circumstances clearly shown by the bitter debates within his administration, which came to a head with the May 13 resignation of the former Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva. Although it is nearly impossible to anticipate how the current measures will affect the deforestation in the Amazon, the most important ecological initiative of Lula so far has been the Plan for a Sustainable Amazon (PAS). The document was originally signed in 2004 and later made more comprehensive in 2007, but its implementation only began in 2008. It is far more pro economic development than pro environmental conservation. However, the PAS and related initiatives could potentially slow deforestation by designating new areas as nature reserves, combating illegal logging and farming in the region. Altogether, Brazil deserves some applause for developing a policy that responds to the international outcry against deforestation. Unfortunately, the needs of a growing economy and agricultural sector, coupled to high commodity prices, conflicts markedly with environmental groups' unwavering commitment to preserving the region crucial to the survival of mankind.




A SPANISH SUBJECT IS ARRESTED AS BEING A FARC REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE

Maria Garcia was arrested in a joint operation by Spanish and Colombian Anti terrorist police near Madrid the other day. She is facing charges of being part of an armed group and also of managing the finances of the rebel group in Europe. Colombian authorities have always claimed that large amounts of money raised from cocaine by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - or Farc - are often invested in Europe. Ms. Garcia used the cover of her job with a non-governmental organisation, to provide support and funds to the Farc.
Spanish police said Ms Garcia had travelled to Colombia last year - and held meetings with the secretariat of the militant group. She is said to have taken direct orders from Raul Reyes - a senior Farc commander who was killed by the Colombian army in March. Information from his computer hard drive is said to have led the police to make this arrest. At the suspect's home, police recovered a computer and documents, allegedly referring to the Farc. Allegedly Ms Garcia helped co-ordinate the group's wider activities in Europe - coordinating with counterparts in Switzerland and in Sweden.




THE UNITED STATES WELCOMES RECENT OFFERS FROM VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHÁVEZ TO IMPROVE RELATIONS.

“Our relations are rooted in longstanding historical and commercial ties. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon says “We would like to explore this diplomatic opening,” Shannon told a congressional panel on July 17. “We remain committed to a positive relationship with the people of Venezuela and have the patience and the persistence necessary to manage our challenging relationship.”A leading supplier of oil to the United States, Chávez also has moved his country away from its historically close ties with the United States, directing harsh rhetoric northward while moving closer to Cuba, Iran and, more worrying to U.S. policymakers, terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). “The government of Venezuela’s unrelenting anti-American rhetoric and the absolute control exercised by President Chávez over all aspects of our relationship have prevented, until recently, even the most tentative exploration of dialogue,” Shannon said. The FARC’s longstanding insurgency against Venezuela’s neighbour Colombia as well as its well-known links to international cocaine trafficking makes Venezuela’s decision to end established counternarcotics and other security partnerships a concern not only to the United States, but to the broader region and the international community as a whole. Washington has responded by declaring Venezuela to be “not fully cooperating” in the fight against terrorism and failing to meet counternarcotics obligations, which blocks Venezuela’s access to U.S. military equipment and financial assistance. Yet despite their differences, the two countries share ties extending back to their respective wars of independence, Shannon said, highlighting the role of Venezuelan founding father Francisco Miranda and American volunteers who joined Miranda and South American liberator Simon Bolivar. The countries also enjoy close and growing trade ties, Shannon said, as well as close connections in the realms of sports and culture that transcend political barriers.




VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ HAS ANNOUNCED A PLAN TO NATIONALISE BANK OF VENEZUELA, ONE OF THE LARGEST BANKS IN THE COUNTRY.

He has asked for a meeting with the bank's owners, Spain's Grupo Santander, for a meeting to agree a price. Santander is thought to have planned to sell the bank to a Venezuelan banker. The country has begun nationalising industries, including electricity and gas, as part of Mr Chavez's drive toward "21st century socialism". Cement and telecommunications industries are also set to be taken over by the state. Santander has about 4,500 bank branches in Latin America and the region accounted for about a third of its profits in 2007. However, in its latest annual report it acknowledged that its Venezuelan operations were at risk of nationalisation. Mr Chavez said that he expected a backlash in Spain. Last November, there was a row at a summit in Chile after Spain's King Juan Carlos told Mr Chavez to "shut up". However, the pair met last week to improve relations.




LATIN AMERICA FEARS ENERGY CRISIS

An investigation made by the Latinobarómetro Corporation, elaborated altogether with the Andean Development Corporation (CAF by its Spanish acronym), conducted in 18 countries and published last Wednesday in Lima, Peru, showed that 80% of the Latin Americans fear that there will be power shutdown, whereas 47% considered that the shortage of resources that the region experiences must be solved by " all the countries working together ". In addition, the report showed that to 28% of the inhabitants of Latin America an individual solution to the power deficit must be found, whereas 13% say that it must be solved by the richest countries of the world.




CUBAN PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO WARNS OF EFFECTS OF RISING WORLD PRICES ON FUEL AND FOOD.

Cuban President Raul Castro has warned that Cubans must be prepared for the consequences of the current global economic crisis. He said that developing countries had already felt the effects of rising fuel and food prices. The speech was part of the celebrations marking the 55th anniversary of the beginning of the communist revolution. President Castro had been expected to announce new economic policies, but in the event did not do so. He has already introduced significant changes in the country since succeeding his ailing brother, Fidel, in February. The president recently announced a move to allow some private farming and relaxed limits on mobile phones and computers. Speaking for 48 minutes, President Castro warned the crowds that the economic austerity suffered in recent years would not be helped by increases in world food prices. "The revolution has done and will continue to do whatever is possible to continue to advance and reduce to the bare minimum the inevitable consequences of international crises to our people," he said. "But we must explain to our people the difficulties and thus prepare them to deal with them." Raul Castro also had a message for Cuba's Ideological enemy, the United States. "We shall continue paying special attention to defence, regardless of the results of the next presidential elections in the United States," said the president. Since taking over from his elder brother Fidel, Raul Castro has made available more unused state land to private farmers, eased restrictions on mobile phones for ordinary citizens and allowed some workers to seek legal titles for their homes.




MARS CONDITIONS FOUND IN EARTH CAVES IN ATACAMA DESERT IN NORTHERN CHILE (2 of 2)

The research team was exploring Cueva Chulacao, the largest known cave in the Cordillera de la Sal. Naturally curious, they took note of things they saw while conducting their primary research. Wynne and his colleagues moved carefully through the cave to place a sensor along the wall, part of their NASA-funded research. "Much to my surprise, as we moved about halfway through this passage, my foot completely sunk into the soil," Wynne said. "It was mud! There was a lot of it. It was all contained within the salt stream flow that meandered through this passage." There is no known source of water nearby. The finding may prove exciting for scientists searching for water on Mars. Water is considered a prerequisite for life as we know it. "In arguably the driest desert in the world, we’ve found water in a cave far away from any known water source," Wynne said. "Essentially, we found water in a barren area below the Earth’s surface. Why was water there? What are the mechanisms for the presence of water in these hyper-arid caves? Is this merely a phenomenon related to these caves in particular? Is there some sort of moisture sink that results in the water concentrating in certain caves and not others in the Atacama Desert?" “Martian caves have already been detected through techniques developed by this project, and are significant as a potential habitat for microorganisms and other extremophiles that might exist or have existed on Mars,” Ruby said in a statement prior to departure earlier this month. “They may also serve as future habitats for astronaut explorers to the red planet, as they offer protection from radiation and the harsh environment of the surface.” The work will continue in various visits through 2010, and a similar program will be conducted in the Mojave Desert in California.




MARS CONDITIONS FOUND IN EARTH CAVES IN ATACAMA DESERT IN NORTHERN CHILE (1 of 2)

Scientists exploring caves in the bone-dry and mostly barren Atacama Desert in Chile stumbled upon a totally unexpected discovery this week: water. They also found hundreds of thousands of animal bones in a cave, possibly evidence of some prehistoric human activity. The findings are preliminary and have not been analyzed. The expedition is designed to learn how to spot caves on Mars by studying the thermal signatures of caves and non-cave features in hot, dry places here on Earth. Scientists think Martian caves, some of which may already have been spotted from space could be good places to look for life. No hot place on Earth is drier than the Atacama Desert. Many parts of the high-plateau desert have never received rain that anyone can remember. Average rainfall across the region is just 1 millimetre per year. (Parts of Antarctica are considered the driest places on Earth, however). So nobody was looking for water.




THE BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT HAS LAUNCHED AN INTERNATIONAL FUND TO PROTECT THE AMAZON RAINFOREST AND TO HELP FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE.

The fund will promote alternatives to forest-clearing for people living in the Amazon, and support conservation and sustainable development. Officials will seek donations abroad and aim to raise $21bn (£11bn) by 2021. But a government minister said Brazil would not accept foreign interference in its Amazon policy. The environmental group Greenpeace said it was the first time Brazil had accepted a link between global warming and preserving the rainforest. Speaking at the launch in Rio de Janeiro, President Lula said Brazil was aware of how much the Amazon meant to the wider world. "It's better for the country's image to do things right, so we can walk in international forums with our heads high," he added. But the Brazilian leader also insisted that the Amazon's preservation was Brazil's responsibility. "We... want the sovereignty that we hold over Amazonian territory and the decisions that are made in this region to be respected," he said. Roberto Mangabeira Unger, minister for strategic affairs, put the point more forcefully: "The fund is a vehicle by which foreign governments can help support our initiatives without exerting any influence over our national policy."We are not going to trade sovereignty for money."




2008 AMAZON ALLIANCE STEERING COUNCIL MET IN WASHINGTON (2 of 2)

The Amazon Alliance Steering Council plans to host a public meeting in the Amazon Basin in spring 2009. Climate change, indigenous rights, threats to the health of Amazonian ecosystems will be the major discussion themes. “Our fight for environmental protection has had a variety of participants on the national and international levels,” said Jorge Gabriel Furagaro, president of the Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC). “We come together to listen and learn from each other. There are problems in the Amazon because we have fuel, clean water, and minerals. We have the natural resources to feed the appetites of international companies,” Furagaro said. “We have to remember that we can work together for the common good of saving this planet. “We have done a lot of damage to our earth and it is time to act.”




2008 AMAZON ALLIANCE STEERING COUNCIL MET IN WASHINGTON (1 of 2)

A while back, leaders of Indigenous people, NGO personnel, government officials and private donors met in Washington to find way towards protecting the Amazon Basin. The 2008 Amazon Alliance met to address pressing concerns such as climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples. The participants discussed concerns regarding the environmental degradation affecting the Amazon, and stressed the basin’s importance as one of the planet’s key ecosystems and the role of its indigenous peoples as its caretakers. “The Amazon region is vital to the functioning of the planet. Indigenous peoples are protecting the planet and with that, protecting the health of everyone,” said Trevor Stevenson, co-director of the Amazon Alliance. Officials from Peru, Guyana, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, and Suriname also participated in the May meeting, along with representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development.




BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT TO CREATE SECURITY FORCE ON BORDERS OF BRAZIL AND PERU

The Bolivian government intends to create a security force to curb the smuggling of illegally extracted mahogany in Peru and Brazil. This Amazon command will be set up in the Pando and Beni Provinces bordering Brazil and Peru, Juan Ramon Quintana, the Bolivian presidential chief of staff, said. "We're not going to allow for the plundering of our natural resources and the armed forces will play a central role in this," Quintana said. Additional military posts will also be established on the borders, the official said. The posts will be equipped with satellite technology. Peruvian authorities have expressed their concern over what they see as a direct threat to their borders and a way of future arms and money trafficking for left wing extremists in Peru by the combined armed forces of left wing Bolivia and Venezuela with the economical help of Venezuelan oil money.




ONE OF EVERY FIVE TREES FELLED IN THE AMAZON IS ILLEGALLY LOGGED IN PROTECTED AREAS

One of every five trees cut down in the Amazon in Brazil comes from areas protected by the government according to a recent study published last Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Slightly more than 20 % of last year’s deforestation took place in Indigenous Reserves or Protected Areas, according to government figures published by the influential newspaper "O Globo", from Río de Janeiro.
The study was carried out by the official Environmental Agency Ibama using satellite photos according to "O Globo". The report had not been officially published by the government.
"It is a terrible figure", said the Minister of the Environment Carlos Minc, as quoted by the newspaper. "This shows that our reserves are not well protected. It is not sufficient to create a paper area guarantee the preservation of the rainforest".
The study indicates that deforestation in protected areas augmented by 6, 4% since 2006, while deforestation in general declined by 20%, a number the government publicly applauded. In June, the President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva created three Natural Reserves in the Amazon: a National Park, where it is forbidden to cut down trees and to build; and two Reserves in which the local communities are allowed to harvest rubber, nuts and fruits, at the same time that they respect the trees. Minc said that in order to try and solve the problem several measures will be implemented during the upcoming next few weeks, including the hiring of 120 specialists to analyze the actual protection of the preserved areas. The Amazon covers an area of 6, 2 millions square kilometres, out of which 63% is to be found in Brazil.
Approximately 20% of the original Rainforest has been destroyed by farmers, loggers and real estate contractors, as informed by AP.




SPECTACULAR HOSTAGE RESCUE BY ELITE COLOMBIAN TROOPS IN JUNGLE AREA IN SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY (PART 1)

(PART 2) (PART 3)

It seems that the Colombian army found more than just emails between Raul Reyes, the second in command of the so called Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) and his friends, amongst those the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and several Ecuatorian ministers and even some Colombian members of Congress, when they confiscated his laptop after killing him and several other FARC members after an incursion, including an airraid into Ecuatorian territory in early March this year. The real history may never be told, especially after the the three American that were liberated yesterday flew direcly back to the United States, apparently to meet up with their kin, but their absence also allowed the authorities to avoid them being asked what they were doing flying around in a small aircraft in the Southern jungle areas of Colombia six years ago. Whatever happened, it was a real triumph for democracy vs drug and rescue financed terrorism, with the above mentioned caveat. What apparently happened was a real intelligence coup, which made everybody think twice how badly compromised the FARC had been by the Colombian intelligence community. Let us imagine the scenario: Someone convinced one of the major players in the FARC, the so called Comandante Cesar that the 15 hostages he was holding; amongst them the star hostage, Mrs. Isabel Betancourt, ex presidential candidate and Colombian senator, with double citizenship, formerly married to a French diplomat and that had been kidnapped six years ago when campaigning against the present president Uribe for the presidency of Colombia in the Region, together with 14 other hostages from the Armed and Police forces; were to be moved to another FARC jungle camp to meet rebel leader Alfonso Cano as the first step in an eventual humanitarian exchange for rebel FARC leaders in Colombian jails.




STUDENT LOST IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST DURING 42 DAYS DIES AT MOMENT OF RECOVERY

Eighteen year old student Jonathan dos Santos Alves was lost in the Amazon Rainforest for 42 days but was found barely alive by his father who had not given up hope of finding him even after the official search had been stopped. He was found by his father and uncle and two other men they had hired to help them in their search. Last Saturday, they found him lying next to a riverbank, dehydrated, emaciated and covered in insect bites. "I held him in my arms and got the insects away from his mouth," said his father Edilson, a local farmer, "but when I tried to revive him, he only gritted his teeth and died". Jonathan had been lost since mid May when he got separated from some friends during a hunting trip in the Rainforest North of the City of Manaus. He was found 45 kms from the place where he was lost. His father put his body in a tree away from predators, from which his body was picked up by a rescue helicopter. The story brings to mind the fate of Juliana Koepke, a 13 year old girl that was in an airplane crash in the Peruvian jungle in 1975 and managed to walk out by herself after spending 10 days in the jungle as the only survivor of the crash where, amongst others her own mother died.




TROPICAL FORESTS UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE FROM HUMAN ACTIVITIES

Tropical forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate on a world wide scale. This has turned into a real preoccupation since these huge green areas play an important role in the global climate and they also contain almost half of all the plants, animals and insects on the planet. As opposed to many other ecosystems on the planet, these regions are very vulnerable to logging. Scientists have corroborated that the soils of the Amazon are not adequate for long time sustainable farming or livestock breeding practices.
Brazil is one of the countries that has taken this seriously and has called on the rest of the Amazon basin countries to work together to exploit the natural resources of the rainforest in a sustainable manner and put an end to the demise of the ecosystem.
Ecologists and indigenous peoples from the Region have collaborated to augment the market for non wood forest products such as nuts, dyes, fruits and oils, and lessening the logging pressure on the forest.
The extension of the Tropical Amazon Rainforest is around 5.5 millions square kilometres. Most of this area is to be found in Brazil, although the Region extends for another eight countries (Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana and French Guyana). Up till now scientists have described more than 40.000 species of plants, 3.000 fish, 1.294 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles. In nine years from 1991 to the year 2000, more than 587.000 square kilometres were deforested (slightly larger than the total area of Spain). In spite of measures being put in place, the rhythm continues. In 2007, an area of 3.200 square kilometres disappeared from what has been called the lungs of the planet.