CARACAS - Biologists from Venezuela's Environment Ministry released 16,000 young Arrau turtles into the waters of the Orinoco River as part of a conservation program.

The experts also moved 720 turtle-egg nests on lower Orinoco banks to higher ground in order to prevent them from being hurt by the greater volume of water flowing in the river, which is normal at this time of year.

The Orinoco River and several of its tributaries are home to the Arrau turtle, the largest freshwater turtle species of South America. These shelled creatures, especially when young, are the prey of fish and birds, but also suffer the consequences of the damage that human activities cause the environment.

BOGOTA - Scientists, lawmakers, officials, business leaders, teachers, young people, and leaders of the indigenous and African American communities announced during a recent meeting in Bogota that they are preparing a "manifesto on environmental ethics" to be presented at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) in South Africa.

Recognizing the integral relationships of pre-Hispanic peoples with nature and approaching development from a cultural perspective are some of the proposals included in the document, the final draft of which will be released in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in mid-May during the Inter-Session Committee of the Forum of Environment Ministers from the region.

HAVANA - A plague of 'chinches harinosas' (mealybug, or Maconellicoccus hirsutus), encouraged by drought and warm temperatures, has endangered the fruit, ornamental and ligneous trees in the Cuban capital.

The insects first damage the leaves, then move to the branches and on to the trunk, until completely destroying the tree. However, they could be eliminated very easily by the rainfall that normally occurs in May.

But the delay in precipitation has prompted the authorities to use biological controls against the plague in the hardest hit areas. The effort involves the 'cotorrita', or Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, also known simply as a mealybug destroyer, an exotic species that must also be closely monitored due to its potential impact on the environment.

SAN JOSE - The new government of Costa Rica will ban open-pit mining, announced the recently appointed Environment Minister, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez.

"In simple terms this means that we are not going to promote or develop new mining projects," added Rodríguez, a member of the Cabinet named by President Abel Pacheco, who took office May 8.

During the previous administration, mining permits were granted to Canadian corporations. The non-governmental environmental organization Oil Watch of Costa Rica applauded the decision of the new government and announced that it expects to see the Canadian concessions annulled.