The
Road to Johannesburg
Ten years after the 1992 Earth
Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, the United Nations
is convening a new conference on the environment to
take place in South Africa. This time, the purpose
of the summit will be evaluation.
The UN member nations will assess
progress made during the last decade, which commitments
were met, and which are still pending. Furthermore,
the delegations will look at new ideas on how to promote
sustainable development in the 21st century.
The official name of the meeting
to be held in Johannesburg Sep 2-11, 2002, is the
''World Summit on Sustainable Development'', though
it is more widely known as ''Rio + 10''.
The 1992 Earth Summit achieved
an unprecedented level of international participation.
The issue of the environment made it onto the agenda
of the major global debates. The summit also produced
the official goal of achieving sustainable development,
in other words, economic growth that is in harmony
with social needs and the conservation of natural
resources.
The ambitious goals the countries
agreed to at that meeting are laid out in the document
known as Agenda 21. But all indicators are that many
of those commitments are still pending.
The Johannesburg Summit is being
organized by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development and by the United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP), which is also administering the preparatory
process for the meeting.
A large part of the UN system
is involved in preparing for the 2002 summit because
this time there is greater emphasis on social and
economic aspects. The United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) is playing an important role as its mandate
is to fight poverty, which is also a target of sustainable
development.
The Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), a UN regional agency,
is key to the process. The Santiago-based organization
presented a report in October on the gloomy outlook
awaiting the delegates to next year's summit: the
fact that resources have not been available to finance
sustainable development projects around the globe.
Studies by the UN agencies and
other groups can be found on the Internet, the existence
of which marks a major difference between the Rio
and Johannesburg summits. In 2002, people worldwide
will be able to follow the events of the summit step
by step, and even express their opinions on the crucial
debates that will take place.
Johannesburg
Summit 2002
UN
Commission on Sustainable Development
Agenda
21
UNEP
UNDP
ECLAC
Tierramérica:
Rio Earth Summit - 10 Years After
Ferocious
Fish
Piranhas are the protagonists
of a dark legend that portrays these fish as hungry
little monsters that are capable of devouring a human
being if one should happen to fall in a river. But
in real life they are just one more inhabitant of
a rich South American ecosystem.
There are some 20 species
grouped under the scientific name 'serrasalmus', which
defines piranhas. They are freshwater fish of the
'serrasalmidae' family whose ancestors that date back
100 million years.
There is a diversity
among piranhas, ranging from the aggressive red
piranha, or the black piranha with its powerful bite,
to those that prefer to eat flora, rather than fauna.
The fascination that has
been fuelled by the tales of explorers - and later
by films
or novels - that tend to exaggerate the fishes' abilities,
is evident on the Internet,
where one can find websites
dedicated to this unique
species adorned with intimidating teeth.
Many of the piranha websites
seek to debunk the myths surrounding this fish. They
warn that while certain species are indeed dangerous,
it is still highly unlikely that piranhas would devour
a human in seconds flat. However, they do leave a
nasty bite when they are provoked by sudden movement
or if they sense blood.
There are people who fearlessly
swim in rivers that are literally described as ''piranha
infested.'' There are those who eat
piranhas. There are some who use the fish's jaws as
tools. And there are others who keep this tropical
fish in aquariums at home.
These fish originate only
in South America, inhabitants of major rivers like
the Amazon, the Orinoco or the San Francisco. One
Internet site states what might seem obvious, that
the word piranha means ''fish with sharp teeth.''
Educational
Portal: Piranha.org
Portal:
Piranha Hut
Piranha
Biology
The
Red Piranha
Video:
Piranha
The
Big Bird
The Andes mountains of South
America have a VIP inhabitant: the Andean condor,
the largest bird of prey on earth. Despite its grandeur,
it is a species that has been decimated and brought
to the verge of extinction.
The Andean condors of course
have a scientific name: 'Vultur
gryphus'. When they are in full flight, their
wingspan can measure up to three meters wide.
Some time ago, these birds were
plentiful throughout the Andes, from Venezuela in
the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. But their
numbers began to dwindle, mostly due to threats and
changes in habitat caused by humans.
The Andean condor is a carrion
feeder, like its cousin the California
condor. It also feeds on the young of some animals
that inhabit the region. In captivity, far from the
threats of humans or a degraded habitat, it can live
as long as 70 years.
The sharp decline in population
put the Andean condor on the lists of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangers Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES)
and the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
Today there are several programs
to preserve
the condor and to repopulate the Andean mountains
with this species.
A journey through the Internet
shows that these efforts are popular. There are portals
on the Andean condor and several sites with detailed
descriptions
and photos of this giant bird.
Andean
Condor Home Page
Portal:
Andean Condor
For
Kids: PBS - Soar Like the Condor
Vultur
Gryphus
Andean
Condor: UNEP-WCMC Classification
Vultur
Gryphus on IUCN Red List
California
Condor Recovery Program
Andean
Condor: Characteristics
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