LIMA - Peru's interim government is attempting to attract investment for mining with the least possible impact on the environment, affirms Humberto Montes, assistant minister for Mining.

Investment projects in the area must comply with the regulations of the Environmental Adaptation and Management Program, with oversight performed by the authorities and private auditing firms.

The chief environmental problem created by mining activity is what to do with the waste material and chemicals, which were previously dumped in or near rivers. Most companies now comply with regulations, but ''there are still some environmental liabilities at various locations throughout the country that we are trying to remedy,'' Montes said.

SAN JOSE - The governmental Forestry Financing Fund is to target 55 million dollars over the next 10 years for managing and recovering Costa Rica's forested areas.

The investment is to occur thanks to loans, donations and the payments for ''environmental services,'' procured by the Environment Ministry and the private forestry sector, official sources told Tierramérica.

Forests cover 69 percent of Costa Rica's 51,100 square kilometers.

CARACAS - Venezuela's National Guard is strengthening its environmental protection services by providing physical measurements in order to determine who is responsible for illegal activities.

Despite the fact that the National Guard in the last year and a half wrote up 2,843 reports about environmental wrongdoing, only one case made it to court because in the rest the responsible party could not be proved.

An investment of 1.22 million dollars has been earmarked for equipment to detect and quantify the impact of direct and indirect actions against the environment and natural resources.

The so-called Environmental Guard will evaluate a number of thematic areas: environmental quality, fishing and forest resources, wild and aquatic fauna, animal and plant health and mineral resources.

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil now has 81 Amazon turtle hatcheries, authorized by the national environmental authority to produce meat for certified restaurants.

The National Amazon Chelonian Center is coordinating this program to fight the poaching and illegal trade of Amazon turtles.

The Center distributed some 700,000 turtles among the hatcheries, and is also promoting training in Amazon villages for residents to manage the species in its natural habitat.

Adequate feedings allow the turtle to reach an appropriate weight for consumption within a few years, giving the lie to the belief that they grow too slowly to make commercial hatcheries profitable.