1. SOUTH AMERICA ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
AND HEALTH NEWSLETTER
210 t h issue, November 26, 2012
The Role of Amazon Peoples in the Conservation of the Amazonia*
In this issue: By Luis Roman
The traditional knowledge of Amazon peoples is becoming prominent, as native groups are
making proposals on climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as sustainable land
 Amazon: The Role of management. However, when these communities lose their traditional practices and
Native Peoples in its
Conservation knowledge, they also lose their capacity to conserve and profit from natural resources in a
 Brazil: To Clone Its sustainable manner, thereby reducing the quality of their lives.
Endangered Native
Species. At present, the main factors affecting native communities and their lifestyles are
 Colombia: Cities and
Climate Change Summit
demography and urbanization, messy expansion of agriculture, wood extraction, oil and
in Bogota. mining, uncertainty about land titles, the scarce appreciation of their traditional
 Argentina: Authorities knowledge, and reduced opportunities for participation in the decision-making processes.
Must Respect Right To
Water.
From a conservation perspective, native people relationships with Nature are based on
 Science: Scientists
Estimate at Least One their cosmology, and cosmology must be taken into account in conservation programs.
Third of Marine Species
Remain Unknown to In this context, the Initiative for Conservation of the Andean Amazon (ICAA) prioritizes
Humans.
aspects associated to land governability and the protection and appreciation of traditional
 Webcasts: Tales from
the Wild, Working knowledge. The main objective of the ICAA native component is to promote the highest
Together for an AIDS- participation in planning and decision-making for the conservation of the Amazon biome.
Free Generation.
 Health: Biomedical ICAA works with native federations and with organizations of native communities who are
Network in South
America. part of the Amazon Basin Native Organization Coordinator (COICA for its initials in
Spanish). Thus, there are approximately thirty native communities spread all over Peru,
Next events: Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia that work
with ICAA.
 November 28-30, 2012 For ICAA, promoting participation of native
Sixth Meeting of the communities means both a quantitative and
Parties to the UNECE
Water Convention qualitative increase in native engagement in
http://www.unece.org/env/ the various instances of planning and
water/mop6.html decision making, through training and the
 Nov. 26—Dec. 7, 2012 creation of venues for dialog and exchange
UNFCCC COP 18
Doha, Qatar. of experiences.
http://www.unfccc.int
Read more at: http://www.amazonia-andina.org/amazonia-
activa/noticias/pueblos-indigenas-su-rol-conservacion-
amazonia
Photo by actcolombia(flickr user). Under Creative Commons License .
The information contained herein was gathered from news sources from across the region, and the views expressed below do not
necessarily reflect those of the Regional Environmental HUB Office or of our constituent posts.
Addressees interested in sharing any ESTH-related events of USG interest are welcome to do so.
For questions or comments, please contact us at quevedoa@state.gov.
* Free translation prepared by REO staff.

2. BRAZIL: To Clone Its Endangered Native Species
CLIMATE CHANGE: World Bank Unveils 10-Year Environmental Strategy By Abigail Prendergast
By Lisa Friedman
Scientists in Brazil are making an effort to one day clone animals who face extinction. Even so, the
researchers say that such practices are difficult and not a replacement for conservation tech-
niques.
In order to fight the rapid decline of several types of animals and bring them back from the brink
of extinction, scientists in Brazil have decided to clone them.
According to CBC News, researchers at the Embrapa agriculture research agency announced this
Photo by Tiago Falotico (flickr user). Under Creative
week that they spent that past two years constructing what they call a "gene library" with several Commons License.
hundred samples from eight species that are indigenous to the country. The animals include "the
collared anteater, the bush dog, the black lion tamarin, the coati, and deer and bison varieties, as well as the maned wolf."
The extinction evasion tactic for these animals is still pretty much in its infancy, and it will likely be a few years before the first
clone is born. In addition to cloning, practices such as artificial insemination and embryo transplants will also be utilized reports
Times Live. When the animals do happen to be cloned, they would not be released into the wild, and would attribute to keeping
their species alive for the short term.
The creatures born via artificial insemination or embryo transplant, however, could be released back into nature at some point in
their lives. Despite a rather low success rate, CBC reports that scientists have been attempting to clone highly endangered animals
for upwards of a decade. There has also been scrutiny about such practices by conservationalists who argue the protection of the
animals' natural habitat should be first priority.
The leader of the research team, Carlos Frederico Martins, asserted that the tactic was more of a last resort. "The idea is not to use
cloning as a primary conservation tool," he said in a phone interview with CBC from just outside the Brazilian capital of Brasilia. He
also pointed out that clones cannot remedy one of the main issues they face on the brink of extinction: "maintaining a sufficiently
varied gene pool."
Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/337031
COLOMBIA: Cities and Climate Change Summit in Bogota*
Representatives from 30 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean met from November 19 through 22, for the Cities and Climate
Change Summit in Bogota, a forum to pursue common policies and strategies against global warming.
The Summit hosted local governments from Buenos Aires, Lima, Quito, Montevideo and Mexico City, among others.
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico City’s Mayor, shared the city's experiences with electric transport systems and cycle track systems. These
measures, among others, have allowed the city to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 7 million tons during his administration.
In addition to Latin American authorities, this summit counted on European and African experts, including speakers from 12 coun-
tries, who led the debate on the impact of climate change in cities of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The purpose is to open a venue for regional politicians and experts to discuss how to fight climate change effects, and to ratify the
Global Cities Covenant on Climate, signed in Mexico City in 2009.
Another goal of this summit was to create the “South American Cities Network” as a
forum for dialog to foment regional integration of local authorities, in line with the
South-South Cooperation and in order to define common agendas and goals leading to
development.
This initiative raised last May 7, 2013 in Bogota, when the mayors of Bogota, Gustavo
Petro, Lima, Susana Villaran, and Quito, Augusto Barrera, met in that city with UNASUR
Secretary General, Maria Emma Mejia.
Read full article at: http://www.informador.com.mx/tecnologia/2012/418483/6/bogota-acogera-cumbre-de
-las-ciudades-y-cambio-climatico.htm
Photo by Juan Francisco Saldarriaga (flickr user). Under Creative
Commons License.

3. ARGENTINA: Authorities Bank Unveils Right To Water
CLIMATE CHANGE: WorldMust Respect 10-Year Environmental Strategy By Lisa Friedman
Latin American Water Tribunal assessed cases of endangered water resources.
Convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 5-9, the Latin American Water Tribunal, or
TLA, submitted its verdict on four cases about damage of water resources in Argentina,
Chile, Mexico, and Peru.
Created in 2000, the TLA is an organization of alternative environmental justice whose rul-
ings are not binding. Instead, it is an ethical tribunal. Its decisions are made by experts in
law, health, and the environment, with the purpose of warning national authorities of the
dangers that water sustainability faces.
Photo by ERIO (flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.
The hearing in Buenos Aires was the sixth hearing the TLA, headquartered in Costa Rica,
held in Latin America. The hearing discussed the possible damage of the aquifer in González Catan, Buenos Aires, in Argentina; the
threats to the environment and the right to water in relation to the Pascua Lama gold mining project, in the border between Argen-
tina and Chile, and in Conga, Cajamarca, Peru, as well as the possible water resources collapse in Mexico.
In his inaugural address, Javier Bogantes, president of the TLA, declared that “it’s unavoidable to reflect on the difficulties that
many communities in Latin America suffer as a result of projects that harm their living conditions.”
Bogantes deemed the way that the governments of the entire region “allow the realization of projects without preventing socio-
economic consequences on water systems, nature, and the social-environmental equilibrium of many communities” as “an errone-
ous strategy.”
The jury — made up of judges Philippe Texier from France and Alexandre Camanho de Assis from Brazil, the Mexican muralist Ario-
sto Otero, and attorneys Silvia Nonna from Argentina and Giselle Boza Solano from Costa Rica — based its verdicts on the United
Nations Resolution 64/292, approved by the General Assembly in 2010, which explicitly recognizes that “the right to safe and clean
drinking water and sanitation as a human right … is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights” and calls upon
nations and international organizations to “scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and
sanitation for all.”
Read more at: http://www.lapress.org/articles.asp?art=6736
SCIENCE: Scientists Estimate at Least One Third of Marine Species Remain Unknown to Humans
By Alexis Santos
It's been said that we know more about space than we do about our own ocean, and
now a group of scientists have quantified what sea creatures we may still not know
of.
After compiling an open access, online database of known marine species with the
help of more than 270 experts, researchers estimate that the briny depths may be
home to a total of one million species, with one third of them potentially remaining
entirely unknown.
Of the grand total, humans have
Image credit: NOAA’s National Ocean Service (flickr)
described roughly 226,000 -- more
than 20,000 of which in the past decade -- with another 65,000 tucked away in
collections awaiting a write-up. Since previous estimates have been based on
rates of species identification and other factors, these latest figures are consid-
ered more accurate.
The effort's researchers hope that this data will be used as a reference for ex-
tinction rates and conservation. Hit the first source link below to dig through
the compendium, aptly-named the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS),
for yourself.
Read more at http://www.marinespecies.org/
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/19/scientists-third-of-marine-species-unkown/ Photo by David Campbell (flickr). Under Creative Commons License.

4. T a l e s f r o m t h e W i l d : W i l d l i f e Q& A wi t h T V Pe r s o n a l i t y J e f f C o r w i n
Are you curious about wildlife, from large horned land animals
to their striped, spotted and feathered counterparts? Learn
more about wildlife and the importance of conservation from
Animal Planet TV personality Jeff Corwin! Corwin will join us for
two online Q&A discussions on Monday, December 3 and Tues-
day, December 4, at the times listed below. Tune in to ask him
your questions!
Jeff Corwin is an American animal and nature conservationist
best known as the host of Animal Planet television programs,
The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin’s Quest, as well as his
current ABC series, Ocean Mysteries. Since he was a teenager,
Corwin has been an environmental activist and has worked on
the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around
the world. During these hour-long webchats, he will share per-
sonal stories and experiences from his travels and discuss the
work that he has been doing.
Photo by hallie h (flickr). Under Creative Commons License.
Format: These programs will be video webchats in English. Please click on the URL below to participate.
First webchat: Monday, December 3, 2012 at 22:00 EST (03:00 UTC on Tuesday, December 4)
Second webchat: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 08:00 EST (13:00 UTC)
Time Zone Converter
Live webchat URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy (Short URL: http://goo.gl/sBHRZ )
More Webcasts: Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation
 Date: Thursday, November 29, 2012
 Time: 08:30 (EST) | 13:30 (UTC)
 Language: English
Link: https://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/
HEALTH: Biomedical Network in South America
The organization MERCOSUR — dubbed the Common Market of the South — promotes free trade and
movement of goods, people and currency within a trade bloc of five countries in South America. The
organization has now funded a large biomedical network spanning research institutes in Argentina,
Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. We hope that this unprecedented initiative will encourage other re-
gional scientific endeavours in South America.
Photo by Libertas Academica. Under
Creative Commons License.
The idea of the network is to help each other develop innovative biomedical projects that have poten-
tial for translational medicine. The network will encourage contributions from young investigators.
It aims to study the biological and epidemiological aspects of diseases that have social and economic impact; to create biotechnol-
ogy platforms for clinical developments; and to build up human resources and technology to a high standard.
In recognition of the importance of investment in science and technology on the development and welfare of communities, MER-
COSUR will provide US$7 million, with a further $3 million coming from national funding. The MERCOSUR funding will come from
its FOCEM budget, better known for supporting local construction projects such as roads or hospitals.
Read more at: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v491/n7424/full/491333d.html