SOUTH AMERICA ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND HEALTH NEWSLETTER

213 t h issue, December 19, 2012 COLOMBIA: Debate Between Government and Archeologists About

Underwater Cultural Heritage* By Alejandra de Vengoechea

The Colombian National Congress voted by an overwhelming margin to contract marine exploration companies in the management of shipwrecks, considering this the best option to underwater cultural heritage. As payment, these companies will receive up to 50% of what they find.

Although Bill Nº125-2011 requires the Senate’s approval to become law before June 2013, this voting showed the way. It is obvious that Colombia is against ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, which sets forth that any archeological remain located under water –a simple pan or a gold bar– is heritage, belongs to the corresponding nation and cannot be put on sale.

For the Ministry of Culture it is very important to legalize this theme. “The underwater area is as large as the inland territory, more than 900,000km2,” explained Ernesto Montenegro, Deputy Director of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, at the Congress. “There is no doubt that the nature of underwater objects is different to objects on land, due to their inaccessibility. If there is an object below 200m under the sea, it is not humanly possible to reach it, we require technology.” The law will allow the State to enter into association with private investors, at national or international levels. As Montenegro explained, the law pretends to guarantee the right of people from all countries to know this heritage, either on site or at marine museums.

However, many in the scientific and academic community are opposed to this decision. Carlos del Cairo, director of Terra Firme, a foundation studying the underwater cultural and historical patrimony of Colombia since 2006, explained that when objects are taken out from water, historical information is lost. “This law is focused on rescuing two shipwrecks in particular —the San Jose galleon and the Luiz Fernandez fleet. There are two opposite groups. One group seeks economic benefits and the other one seeks knowledge and to recover a large part of Colombian history that is under the sea. In my view, this law is regulating piracy,” said Terra Firme Director, Carlos del Cairo.

A rough figure estimates the value of underwater remains in about 500,000 million dollars, only for the San Jose galleon.

Read more at: http://www.abc.es/cultura/20121212/abci-colombia-reacciones-patrimonio-cazatesoros-201212111946.html

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.

Colombia: Debate

Between Government and Archeologists About Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Chile: Torres del Paine

Reborn From the Ashes.

Health: Huayllabambana.

Ecuador: Will Ask OPEC

to Analyze Proposal Against Climate Change.

Brazil: Frontiers of

Science Conference.

Science: Farm Soils

Determine Envrionmental Fate of Phosphorous

Climate Change: Will

Exacerbate Migration and Increase Conflict.

February 1, 2013 REO S&T School Contest Launching

February 4, 2013

World Cancer Day

March 22, 2013 World Water Day

March 23, 2013 Earth Hour

April17-19, 2013

IFT Energy Santiago, Chile

April 22, 2013 Earth Day

June 5, 2013

World Environment Day

July 10-12, 2013 Eolica, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Next events:

In this issue:

Underwater excavation. Photo by Wessex Archeology (flickr user). Under Creative

Commons License.

Almost one year after the fire that burnt more than 17,000 hectares at Torres del Paine National Park, in the Chilean Patagonia, authorities and ecologists are develop-ing programs to reforest and avoid new catastrophes. The fire, which occurred at the end of December 2011, accidentally provoked by a tourist, damaged part of the ecosystem, that little by little is recovering its original aspect. This natural paradise is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. “This last year we have learnt that we have to allow nature to do its job” highlighted Eduardo Katz, General Director of the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF accord-ing to its initials in Spanish). According to CONAF reports, out of the 17,600 hectares burnt, almost 9,000 were magellanic prairies, whose sprouts started rising again a few months after the fire. It was the same for about 6,000 hectares of scrublands, which after the low austral temperatures, slowly sprouted again. However, 1,000 hectares of native forest are beyond recovery. For this reason, park rangers were visited last March by several spe-cialists from Yosemite National Park in the United States, to share ideas about how to develop the affected area. CONAF –with the logistic support of Reforestemos Patagonia NGO- developed a campaign to create awareness in local and foreign tourists. Thus, since May 2012, this association planted more than 150,000 native trees along the Chilean Patagonia, thanks to do-nations received through their website. Read more at: http://elcomercio.pe/turismo/1508371/noticia-torres-paine-paraiso-natural-patagonia-que-resurge-sus-cenizas

A recent finding called this fruit “a promising food from the Amazon to the world.” The huayllabambana has the highest content of Omega-3 oil known to date in a fruit. It has a 66% concentration of Omega-3 and although its appearance is similar to the sacha inchi, it is a different product, explained Edy Barnett, deputy director of the Profes-sional College for Food Industry at the San Martin de Porres University.

Mr. Barnett leads research to deepen knowledge of huaylla-bambana’s phytochemical characterization and nutritional value. “It was being sold as sacha inchi in the jungle, but now we know that it is a different seed, with higher nutritional value thanks to the Omega 3 content. While sacha inchi has a 44% content, huayllabambana’s concentration ranges between 60% and 66%”. Read full article at: http://www.noticiasenperu.com/descubren-una-semilla-con-mas-omega-3-que-el-sacha-inchi/

CHILE: Torres del Paine Reborn From the Ashes*

Photo by Alessandro Casagrande(flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.

HEALTH: Huayllabambana Seed Has the Highest Omega-3 Content in a Fruit*

HUAYLLABAMBANA.

CLIMATE CHANGE: World Bank Unveils 10-Year Environmental Strategy By Lisa Friedman

The Minister of Non-Renewable Resources, Wilson Pastor, will ask the Organi-zation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) during its next meeting in Vienna, to analyze Quito’s proposal to impose a tax on crude oil sales to fi-nance the fight against climate change. The minister declared that this pro-posal “needs previous preparation” by OPEC. This query “is not in the agenda of this session, but we expect that it will be considered for the next meeting in June, with due preparation” he explained. Last October, the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, defended his proposal for a tax on oil sales in order to finance the climate change fight. Specifically, Correa said that it should be the fossil oil-consuming countries, who rational-ize their consumption and pay something to compensate the countries that generate environmental assets and suffer climate changes.” Read more at: http://www.elcomercio.com/negocios/Ecuador-OPEP-propuesta-cambio-climatico-wilson-pastor-recursos_0_827317271.html

During his presentation, Cardoso affirmed that “what links people in the university is the sense of cooperation, of belonging to a community. Within the university, knowledge is king, but also the sense of sharing.” Last December 10, during the opening of the event “Frontiers of Science: Brazil and Spain, 50 years of FAPESP”, the first call was announced for the presentation of proposals within the frame of the scientific cooperation agreement subscribed between the Foundation to Support Scientific Research of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP according to initials in Portuguese) and the University of Salamanca (USAL). Each entity will grant 10,000 Euros for projects in the following fields: Physics (semiconductors, pulsed laser and spectrometry), Mathematics, Climatology, Chemical Engineering, Life Sciences (parasitology, biochemical, cell and molecular biology, neuroscience, cardiology and cancer), Agriculture (microbiology, genetics, molecular biology), Nursing, Pharmacology, Law, History, Pedagogy, Library Science and Communications. Reat more about this topic at: http://www.fapesp.br/fronteras/87

Just 20 years ago, the soils of the Amazon basin were thought unsuitable for large-scale agriculture, but then industrial agriculture — and the ability to fertilize on a massive scale — came to the Amazon. What were once the poorest soils in the world now produce crops at a rate that rivals that of global breadbaskets. Soils no longer seem to be the driver — or the limiter — of agricultural productivity. But a new Brown University-led study of three soybean growing regions, including Brazil, finds that soils have taken on a new role: mediating the environmental consequences of modern farming. Read more at: http://www.sciencenewsline.com/articles/2012121723290020.html

BRAZIL: Frontiers of Science Opened with Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Sociologist and Former President of Brazil* By Carlos Eduardo Lins da Silva

ECUADOR: Will Ask OPEC to Analyze Proposal Against Climate Change*

Photo by Duncan Hull (flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.

Photo by Paul Lowry (flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.

SCIENCE: Farm Soils Determine Environmental Fate of Phosphorous By Brow University

Photo by openDemocracy (flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.

Climate change is likely to constrain natural resources, drive migration both domestically and internationally, and exacerbate tensions globally into 2030, according to a new Na-tional Intelligence Council “Global Trends 2030” analysis. The report examines multiple emerging global trends and highlights areas in which cli-mate change will be a key factor. Food, water, and energy demands will increase as popu-lations rise and climate change will further constrain these resources. “Dramatic and un-foreseen changes already are occurring at a faster rate than expected. Most scientists are not confident of being able to predict such events. Rapid changes in precipitation patterns – such as monsoons in India and the rest of Asia – could sharply disrupt that region’s ability to feed its population.” And the report states that changes in resource availability and weather patterns will also likely influence migration: “Internal migration – which will be at even higher levels than international migration – will be driven by rapid urbanization in the developing world and, in some countries toward the end of our time frame, by environmental factors and the impact of climate change. Climate-change-driven migration is likely to affect Africa and Asia far more than other continents because of dependence on agriculture in Africa and parts of Asia and because of greater susceptibility in Asia to extreme weather events.” These findings reflect the research of last month’s Center for American Progress publica-tion on “Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict in South Asia,” which examines the role

of climate change as it intersects with migration and security at the national level in India and Bangladesh. The research zeroes in more closely on northeast India and Bangladesh to demonstrate the interlocking tensions that might face the population there and across all of South Asia. Previous publications in CAP’s Climate, Migration, and Security Project looked at the Arc of Tension — an area covering Nigeria, Niger, Algeria, and Morocco that will face climate-related security challenges as a contiguous region. The results strengthen the argument of a recent National Intelligence Assessment concluding that, over the next two or three dec-ades, vulnerable regions (particularly sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia) will face the prospect of food shortages, water crises, and catastrophic flooding driven by climate change. In addition, the depletion of groundwater in agricul-tural areas will pose risks to national and global food markets in the next decade, threatening social disruption. These developments could demand U.S., European, and international humanitarian relief. Future interventions will also occur while financial resources are under stress, meaning that cooperation and effective burden-sharing will be crucial. The U.S. intelligence community has also identified water management, particularly the mitigation of trans-border riparian risks, as a source of major concern in the next three decades. Inadequate management of river systems like the Brahmaputra, Amu Darya, Tigris and Euphra-tes, Nile, and Mekong is likely to degrade regional food security and potentially exacerbate political tensions. For example, China’s control over the water from the Tibetan plateau, and their plans for dam building and water diversion projects, will have direct impact on regional security if China’s neighbors are denied access to river flows. Similarly, irrigation in the fertile Punjab is reliant on the waters of a number of Indus River tributaries shared by Pakistan and India. Indian damming projects have increased tensions in recent years and exacerbated Pakistani fears of diminished water supplies. The issues are very real and will be exacerbated by climate change, as glacial melting on the Tibetan plateau alters water dynamics downriver. The potential for water disputes to boil over into political contests and social unrest is acute and growing. The new “Global Trends 2030” report reflects the need to broaden our national security narrative by understanding that climate change may stress existing social tensions surrounding resources and other environmental factors: “…many developing and fragile states-such as in Sub-Saharan Africa- face increasing strains from resource constraints and climate change, pitting different tribal and ethnic groups against one another and accentuating the separation of various identities. Ideology is likely to be particularly powerful and socially destructive when the need for basic resources exacerbates already existing tensions between tribal, ethnic, religious, and national groups.” Read more at: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/18/1351881/national-intelligence-council-climate-change-will-drive-migration-and-increased-conflict/

CLIMATE CHANGE: Climate Change Will Exacerbate Migration And Increase Conflict B y Michael Werz and Arpita Bhattacharyya

Photo by Global Water Partnership (flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.