CARACAS - Venezuela's Ministry of Environment is promoting bicycle use in the capital in an effort to reduce air and noise pollution and to alleviate traffic congestion.

The plan includes designated environmental conservation days, known as ''Venezuela on Bikes,'' and the creation of a circuit of roadways and special ''parking'' sites for this two-wheeled transportation alternative.

The project will be extended to other Venezuelan cities within the year and plans are in the works to put low-cost bikes on the market so that they are accessible to the poorer sectors of the population.

LIMA - Investment that supports activities or construction works with potentially negative effects on the environment is, since April 24, subject in Peru to prior certification by the National Environmental Impact System.

The system's regulations aim to protect the Peruvian population's health, air, soil and water quality, as well as flora and fauna, natural areas, archeological heritage and the lifestyles of diverse communities.

Investment projects, whether public or private, will be placed in one of three categories: projects with little or no environmental impact, moderate impact, or projects likely to have serious effects on the environment.

RIO DE JANEIRO - The 'açaí' is a palm fruit from the Brazilian Amazon that is consumed as a juice and as an energy food, but it also serves as a remedy for several diseases, according to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Açaí extract prevents the reproduction of and kills snails that transmit schistosomosis, an illness affecting 10 million Brazilians. The fruit also has similar traits to a palm of the same family known as the ''saw palmetto,'' widely used in the United States to fight inflammation of the prostate, a condition common among men over 50.

The açaí is also used to produce an antibiotic that is effective against 'Staphylococcus aureus,' a common infection contracted in hospitals. This miracle fruit is also a cancer-preventing anti-oxidant that is five times more potent than gingko biloba, a widely used herbal therapy product.

SANTIAGO - What was once a garbage dump will soon be a scenic overlook in the Metropolitan Park of the Chilean capital, thanks to a tree-planting project in one area of San Cristóbal hill, which is also providing jobs for the unemployed.

The Santiago Anti-Pollution Plan and the national government's Pro-Employment Program have lent a hand in this initiative, officially launched on April 23.

A 2,000 square meter area will be reforested and is to include a central plaza and two 150-meter walking paths.