CARACAS, Nov 27 (Tierramérica) - Environmental authorities are carrying out a conservation plan for the Venezuelan walnut (Juglans venezuelensis), native to the mountains that separate the capital from the Caribbean sea, a habitat that is under threat from logging, urbanization, soil degradation and changes in rainfall patterns.

"We have a recover program, with collected seeds that we are working with in two greenhouses to turn them into 3,000 seedlings, which we hope to plant in the area by mid-2007," Miguel Rodríguez, vice-minister of environment, told Tierramérica.

The Venezuelan is one of the 21 walnut species worldwide, of which 17 are from the Americas. It can grow to 30 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 80 cm. Its nuts are not for eating, and yield very little oil. But the tree's broad stretch provides ample shade and oxygen.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 27 (Tierramérica) - The membranes -- very thin "skins" made from different materials, generally plastic polymers -- can recover complex aromas and improve the quality of Brazil's agricultural products, say scientists.

The membranes, with high thermal and chemical resistance, were used in an innovative process for producing fruit juices, developed by the engineering department at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and winner of the highest prize from the Education Ministry for doctoral theses.

The experiment concentrates the juice at low temperatures and recovers up to 98 percent of the fruit aroma, surpassing methods that use solvents and high temperatures, which reduce taste and fragrance.

"The membranes are used in medications, foods and beverages, desalinization of water and treatment of industrial and domestic runoff, with greater efficiency and lower energy consumption," said Cristiano Borges, thesis advisor to Claudio Ribeiro, who received the ministry's prize on Nov. 8.

SANTIAGO, Nov 27 (Tierramérica) - The Comptroller General of Chile granted the Hydro Aysén company a provisional electrical concession to begin studies for the construction of four hydroelectric dams on the Baker and Pascua rivers, in Chile's 11th region of Aysén, 2,000 km south of the capital.

The Comptroller set aside the 129 objections presented by the public to the Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels, among them the U.S. multimillionaire Douglas Tompkins. The future electrical transmission lines would pass through land he owns.

Felipe Meneses, attorney for the Aysén Citizen Coalition, which is against the dams because they would flood 10,000 hectares of untouched land, told Tierramérica that the news came as no surprise, and that they would continue filing administrative and legal petitions to prevent the project from materializing.

Hydro Aysén is an umbrella group for the transnational energy company Endesa and the local firm Colbún.

MONTEVIDEO, Nov 27 (Tierramérica) - A web site of Uruguay's Ministry of Industry seeks to promote energy efficiency amongst its customers.

The Internet site, www.eficienciaenergetica.gub.uy, on line since late October but to be officially launched in December, helps people calculate their consumption, advises how to control energy usage, and includes games to help children learn about energy efficiency practices.

The aim is "to be a reference point for the country, and encourage exchange amongst the different actors involved -- consumers, producers, consultants --, especially through the forums we have set up, and to inform the public about the ministry's Energy Efficiency Project," manager Rafael Laureiro told Tierramérica.

The project has existed since late 2005 and involved an investment of 21 million dollars from the Global Environment Facility, the ministry itself, the state-owned electrical company UTE, and private parties.