Environment

• Wednesday, October 13th 2010 - 23:30 UTC

  Humpback whale breaks record travel distance: 10.000 km from Brazil to Madagascar

  

  A female humpback whale has broken the world record for longest distance ever travelled by a mammal, covering more than 9,800 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean while searching for a mate, according to a new study published in the journal Biology Letters.

• Tuesday, October 5th 2010 - 23:32 UTC

  “Disaster risk” and potential economic losses in 17 Latam countries

  

  Latin America and the Caribbean face potentially crippling economic and social costs from natural disasters and need to do more to reduce risks and prepare government finances to respond to eventual catastrophes, says a new set of indicators by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

• Tuesday, October 5th 2010 - 02:59 UTC

  Indigenous group protests blamed for dip in tourism on Chile’s Easter Islands

  

  Due to the on-going land disputes by indigenous Rapa Nui groups, tourism activity has decreased on Chile’s Easter Island, said Edgar Hereveri, vice president of the island’s chamber of tourism.

• Tuesday, October 5th 2010 - 00:04 UTC

  Argentine Law Protecting Glaciers will not affect mine project says Barrick Gold

  

  Argentina recently passed an initiative to protect glacier sites, restricting mining activity in glacial regions, particularly along the Andes Mountain and its 3,100-mile border with Chile.

• Monday, October 4th 2010 - 22:53 UTC

  Penguin Appeal to help finance a census of Falkland Islands seabirds

  

  Often described as the penguin capital of the world, the Falkland Islands will be undertaking a census of penguin breeding sites throughout the Islands. It will provide essential information on their breeding colonies to determine action for the future protection of the seabirds.

• Friday, October 1st 2010 - 18:18 UTC

  Chevron given green light for exploratory drilling off Shetland Islands

  

  Oil firm Chevron has received government consent to drill an exploration well to evaluate a controversial prospect off Shetland. The deep-water Lagavulin prospect is 160 miles north of the islands.

• Friday, October 1st 2010 - 05:12 UTC

  Fossil of giant penguin, double the size of an Emperor, found in Peru

  

  The fossil of a giant penguin that lived 36 million years ago has been discovered in Peru. Scientists say the find shows that key features of the plumage were present quite early on in penguin evolution.

• Thursday, September 30th 2010 - 02:20 UTC

  Improved animal breeds and feed helps reduce “carbon hoof-print”, say FAO experts

  

  Soaring carbon emissions from a meat-hungry developing world could be cut back substantially by improving animal breeds and feed, according to a study. Demand for livestock products is predicted to double by 2050 as a result of growing populations, urbanisation and better income in the developing world, leading to rise in emissions from the industry.

• Friday, September 24th 2010 - 03:08 UTC

  Argentine Patagonia fossil reveals the origin of sunflower

  

  Sunflowers are likely to have sprung up about 50 million years ago in Argentine Patagonia, suggests a fossil report according to an article in the current edition of Science magazine.

• Thursday, September 23rd 2010 - 04:51 UTC

  Argentina ignores Paraguay; builds new canal to pump water from shared river

  

  Landlocked and Mercosur member Paraguay will formally complain to its peer Argentina the non consulted and unilateral decision to build a canal adjacent to a shared river that acts as a natural border and provides both sides’ agriculture and ecosystems with a vital water supply.