1. SOUTH AMERICA ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
AND HEALTH NEWSLETTER
213 t h issue, December 19, 2012
COLOMBIA: Debate Between Government and Archeologists About
In this issue: Underwater Cultural Heritage* By Alejandra de Vengoechea
 Colombia: Debate The Colombian National Congress voted by an overwhelming margin
Between Government and to contract marine exploration companies in the management of
Archeologists About
Underwater Cultural
shipwrecks, considering this the best option to underwater cultural
Heritage. heritage. As payment, these companies will receive up to 50% of
 Chile: Torres del Paine what they find.
Reborn From the Ashes.
 Health: Huayllabambana. Although Bill Nº125-2011 requires the Senate’s approval to become
 Ecuador: Will Ask OPEC law before June 2013, this voting showed the way. It is obvious that
to Analyze Proposal Colombia is against ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the
Against Climate Change. Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, which sets forth that
 Brazil: Frontiers of any archeological remain located under water –a simple pan or a
Science Conference.
gold bar– is heritage, belongs to the corresponding nation and
 Science: Farm Soils
Determine Envrionmental cannot be put on sale.
Fate of Phosphorous Underwater excavation. Photo by Wessex
 Climate Change: Will For the Ministry of Culture it is very important to legalize this theme. Archeology (flickr user). Under Creative
Commons License.
Exacerbate Migration and
“The underwater area is as large as the inland territory, more than
Increase Conflict. 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
Next events: 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
 February 1, 2013 State to enter into association with private investors, at national or international levels. As
REO S&T School Contest Montenegro explained, the law pretends to guarantee the right of people from all countries to
Launching know this heritage, either on site or at marine museums.
 February 4, 2013
World Cancer Day
However, many in the scientific and academic community are opposed to this decision. Carlos del
 March 22, 2013
World Water Day Cairo, director of Terra Firme, a foundation studying the underwater cultural and historical
 March 23, 2013 patrimony of Colombia since 2006, explained that when objects are taken out from water, historical
Earth Hour information is lost. “This law is focused on rescuing two shipwrecks in particular —the San Jose
 April17-19, 2013 galleon and the Luiz Fernandez fleet. There are two opposite groups. One group seeks economic
IFT Energy benefits and the other one seeks knowledge and to recover a large part of Colombian history that is
Santiago, Chile under the sea. In my view, this law is regulating piracy,” said Terra Firme Director, Carlos del Cairo.
 April 22, 2013
Earth Day
A rough figure estimates the value of underwater remains in about 500,000 million dollars, only for
 June 5, 2013
World Environment Day
the San Jose galleon.
 July 10-12, 2013
Eolica, Buenos Aires, Read more at: http://www.abc.es/cultura/20121212/abci-colombia-reacciones-patrimonio-cazatesoros-201212111946.html
Argentina
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. CHILE: Torres del Paine Reborn From the Ashes*
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-
Photo by Alessandro Casagrande(flickr user). Under Creative Commons
ing to its initials in Spanish). According to CONAF reports, out of the 17,600 hectares License.
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
HEALTH: Huayllabambana Seed Has the Highest Omega-3 Content in a Fruit*
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/
HUAYLLABAMBANA.

3. ECUADOR: Will Ask OPEC Bank Unveils 10-Year Environmental Strategy
CLIMATE CHANGE: World to Analyze Proposal Against Climate Change* 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- Photo by Paul Lowry (flickr user). Under Creative Commons License.
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
BRAZIL: Frontiers of Science Opened with Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Sociologist and
Former President of Brazil* By Carlos Eduardo Lins da Silva
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,
Photo by Duncan Hull (flickr user). Under
Pedagogy, Library Science and Communications.
Creative Commons License.
Reat more about this topic at: http://www.fapesp.br/fronteras/87
SCIENCE: Farm Soils Determine Environmental Fate of Phosphorous By Brow University
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
Photo by openDemocracy (flickr user). Under Creative Commons
License.

4. C L IMA T E C H A N G E : Climate Change Will Exacerbate Migration And Increase Conflict
B y Michael Werz and Arpita Bhattacharyya
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.”
Photo by Global Water Partnership (flickr user). Under Creative
Commons License.
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/