HAVANA - Cuban experts - with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - are drawing up plans to keep predators from harming the flora and fauna of Cuchillas de Toa, the largest biosphere reserve in the Antilles.

Wild dogs and rodents threaten the biodiversity of the reserve, located in the island's northeast. The project, slated for approval by the end of October, requires an investment of 600,000 dollars.

The reserve is home to the largest populations of 'almiquí' (Solenodon cubanus), a primitive insect-eating mammal in danger of extinction.

BOGOTA - Some 140 divers took part in the clean-up of Taganga cove, in northern Colombia, a project led by the non-governmental organization Salvamar, with support from the private sector.

From Sep 21 to 23, the divers removed 5.5 tons of waste from the sea bottom. The garbage threatens the coral and other marine species of the cove.

Taganga, a fishing community, is part of the Tayrona Park nature reserve, the beauty of which attracts a large flow of tourists on the weekends.

QUITO - Land in northern Ecuador that has been declared national heritage are up for sale, despite a legal ban against it, said the head of the National Mangrove Defense Association, Líder Góngora.

The matter involves 305 hectares on Júpiter Island, a coastal area of beaches, bays and mangroves in Esmeraldas province.

Góngora reported that the plots of land were put on the market by their apparent owner, Edmundo Bracho Landázuri. ''I am surprised that an individual holds title to property in an area that has been declared a national heritage site,'' said the activist.

A foreign consortium has expressed interest in acquiring the land to set up shrimp farming operations, an activity that environmentalists warn would endanger the local ecosystems.

BUENOS AIRES - The government of Buenos Aires province, Argentina’s most populous province, will begin this month to force polluting companies to engage in community work that benefits the people affected.

Until now, businesses found guilty of contaminating the environment were fined. In the best of cases, the funds went towards public services that did not necessarily favor the population that suffered the effects of the pollution.

Soon, the companies will have to pay a portion of their production, or provide a donation of food, medicine or building materials, depending on what the neighbors tell a public hearing they need. The new provincial statute may also be applied to individual polluters.