BOGOTA - Dozens of boats are involved in shark hunts in areas of the Pacific Ocean, off the Colombian coast, where the practice is banned, say environmental authorities.

In early March, 503 sharks were seized from a vessel flying the Colombian flag in the archipelago of Malpelo, reported Iván Valderrama, director of the National Fishing Institute. The islands were designated a natural refuge in 1999.

Last year, 41 Ecuadorian and 11 Colombian boats were caught fishing in prohibited areas.

BUENOS AIRES - The Larsen Ice Shelf, located east of the Antarctic Peninsula, lost 765 square km of its area in 23 days in February, due to the rising average temperature of the frigid continent, reaching 0.7 degrees Celsius, a 30-year record.

The information was provided by the Terra satellite and analyzed by the Snow and Ice Data Center, based in the U.S. state of Colorado.

Scientists report that the Larsen shelf has lost 46 percent of its original area in the last 45 years due to the gradual rise in the Earth's temperatures.

LIMA - The Metropolitan Municipality of the Peruvian capital, with the support of 40 state and non-governmental entities, completed the preliminary version of the Lima Environmental Atlas, which contains the first diagnosis of the city in environmental terms, identifying natural resources and areas of serious contamination.

City councilor Elsa Saravia, president of the Citizen Services and Environment Commission of the municipality, which performed the study, said the maps drawn show the areas of worst pollution and the areas that are environmentally healthy.

The atlas will be officially presented in June, announced Saravia, who has proposed an environmental management framework of theme-based committees, with the participation of local mayors, non-governmental groups and residents.

BANGKOK - Some 300 experts gathered last week in the Thai capital, at an international conference sponsored by the World Health Organization, to discuss the future of the world's children, who are exposed to the impacts of a deteriorated environment.

At least three million children die each year as a result of environmental accidents or health dangers. Some 1.3 million died in 2000 from diarrhea related to poor water quality, while 400,000 were killed in accidents, including poisoning and burns.

Richard Helmer, WHO director of children's environmental health, urged efforts to reduce threats in the places where children spend their time, including the public transportation systems.