RIO DE JANEIRO - The oil from the seeds of the 'andiroba,' a tree from the Amazon region, is bringing electricity to a small community in Brazil's Middle Juruá Extraction Reserve, an area dedicated to the sustainable production of natural rubber, nuts and fruits.

The efficiency of the andiroba oil as a source of energy has already been proven, though it costs more than diesel, for example. It is a valid alternative, however, for areas whose isolation makes the delivery of conventional fuels very expensive, according to the National Agency of Electrical Energy.

The same oil is used by the local Amazon population to treat poisonous snakebites and insect stings. And the bran from the seeds is used to make candles that scare off the 'Aedes aegypti' mosquito, carrier of dengue and yellow fever.

CARACAS - Venezuela is ranked sixth in the world for bird diversity. In El Avila National Park, located in the nation's capital, there are 117 different species, and throughout the entire city a total of 224 can be found, Soliria Meneggatti, representative of the Audubon Conservation Society, told Tierramérica.

In a recent bird-watching marathon organized by Audubon, which drew experts and hobbyists alike, the watchers spotted various specimens of the migrating 'candelita,' 'reinita de charco,' 'carpintero pechipunteado' and the 'cernícalo,' a hawk species that had never before been recorded in Caracas skies.

LIMA - A Chilean pasta factory, built in a protected natural area in Peru, has been added to the list of cases under investigation by a parliamentary commission here that is attempting to untangle the web of corruption created by Vladimiro Montesinos, the fugitive former intelligence chief who served the deposed president Alberto Fujimori.

In April, two Chilean lawmakers visited the Luchetti factory, built illegally in the Marshes de Villa protected area. The Lima Metropolitan Council has filed a lawsuit for its removal.

Luchetti won a ruling in 1998 from the Peruvian courts, but according to a videotape that shows a meeting between Montesinos and a Chilean businessman, the judicial ruling was obtained through irregular means.

The visit of the two Chilean legislators was a response to the request from Luchetti's Chilean owners who claim they have suffered discriminatory treatment in Peru.

SAN JOSE - Adobe, a material made from mud mixed with straw, will serve to build earthquake-resistant homes in El Salvador, announced an environmental organization. The country has already suffered to devastating quakes this year.

Mauricio Sermeño, of Salvadoran Ecological Unity, told Tierramérica that adobe houses built in late 2000 withstood the temblors of January and February, leading his group to launch a campaign to promote widespread use of the material in home construction.

The model for the project was designed by engineers and architects in Chile, Colombia, France and Peru, and uses mud bricks combined with bamboo.