Crossing borders in Central America will soon be easier    

During the 9th convention of the Central American and Panama  Customs Committee celebrated a few weeks ago in San Pedro Sula, members agreed to simplify customs procedures for people and merchandise in the area.

Grace Saravia, Public Relations Officer of the Direccion Ejecutiva de Ingresos (DEI), said that the meeting was very productive, as all the participating delegations, which included Panama, showed their eagerness to simplify and unify certain legal formalities currently in use at border points. 

Among the decisions taken figures an agreement signed between the governments of El Salvador and Honduras to establish a single service booth at the the El Amatillo border crossing.  A single stop will be established in the Honduran customs building for immigration, tourism and quarantine procedures.

Meanwhile, the technical transit commission signed a special agreement aimed at facilitating merchandise land transportation, training personnel and promoting a closer relationship between border customs officials. This also includes an information exchange regarding the value of merchandise, sanitary safety, brands, and others requirements.

ECO-Exchange

Green macaw survival unlikely in Costa Rica

The future existence of green and red macaws, birds that once thrived throughout the Central American Istmus, is now in doubt.  They and many other species are now seriously endangered by the loss of their natural habitat.

Biologists first raised the alarm six years ago that the great green macaw (Ara ambigua) was on the verge of extinction in Costa Rica, yet the parrot's numbers have continued to plummet, according to a new study.  While everyone agrees that deforestation has caused the steady decline, action to rescue the magnificent bird may come too late. 

In 1994, conservation biologist George Powell used radio telemetry to track the green macaw in its range in northern Costa Rica and found that its distribution had declined some 90 percent since the beginning of the 20th Century.  The macaws are yellowish-green, with deep blue on the top of their wings, and red on the top of their long, blue-tipped tails.  Their populations are under pressure throughout their range from eastern Honduras to western Colombia and are likely to disappear entirely from Costa Rica.

For the last four years, biologists Guisselle Monge, Olivier Chassot, and others followed up on the initial study, tracking the movements of nesting green macaws by telemetry and observation.  In 1997, during 180 days in the nesting season, they counted 794 macaws in 1997, but spotted just 549 in 1998, 366 in 1999, and only 210 in 2000, an average annual decline of 35 percent in the number of sightings.  The study was sponsored by Tropical Science Center, a Costa Rica-based research organization, with funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the British Embassy.

Monge's and Chassot's report makes clear why the great green macaw population has dropped so alarmingly:  "The Northern Zone of Costa Rica has suffered one of the highest rates of deforestation in the country over the last two decades.  The logging, both legal and illegal, has left less than 30 percent of the original forest standing."

Great green macaws nest in cavities of almendro trees (Dipteryx panamensis) and feed almost exclusively on this tree's fruit.  Almendros are heavily logged throughout northern Costa Rica, notes Oscar Quirós, a forest engineer with the Forest Development Commission of San Carlos (CODEFORSA, in its Spanish acronym).  "There is legislation now that restricts cutting of almendro," he points out, but he emphasizes that it is the responsibility of the natural resources ministry (MINAE) to make sure people comply with the regulations and to fine those who do not.

Forest engineer William Vargas, chief of the regional MINAE office in northern Costa Rica, concedes that logging of almendro has contributed to what he characterizes as the "migration" of green macaws.  He adds, "We aren't the guilty ones, since the current law does permit restricted logging of almendro, so we evaluate, and approve or disapprove, every application for a logging permit according to the legislation."

Thanks to the efforts of the Green Macaw Commission, a coalition of conservationists, foresters, community members, and MINAE officials, residents of northern Costa Rica are well aware that the great green macaw is in grave danger.  The commission has emphasized conflict resolution and environmental education in an effort to diminish deforestation in the region.

Sociologist Ivannia Ayales, a former member of the Green Macaw Commission, explains that one successful effort has involved seeking agreement from residents to guard individual almendro trees during the months of March and April.  These are the months when poachers, who sell them as pets on the black market, most frequently snatch newborn macaws from their nests.  The owners of the land where the nesting trees grow receive a small fee, as does the entire community.  The payments help fund road improvements, school cafeterias, and schoolbooks.  During annual green macaw festivals, residents who reforested their land, guarded almendro trees, and in general contributed to the environmental well being of their towns receive trophies and recognition.

While an economic motivation to maintain forests is important, says Ayales, "It's just as important to also create social motivation and a sense of pride."

Some commission members support a proposal made by biologist Powell to create a new, 62,000-acre national park in the green macaw's habitat in northern Costa Rica.  Wildlife biologist Vivienne Solís, who previously led the Green Macaw Commission, says that the process for establishing a new reserve "must integrate and compliment current efforts by the communities to conserve their forests."

Foresters Quirós and Vargas -- both commission members -- also endorse the idea, but warn that landowners must be adequately compensated for their land.  Monge points out, however, that these same landowners "are responsible for much of the deforestation in the region."

While the biologists' work can help define boundaries and the commission's efforts can help ensure local support, Wildlife Conservation Society, a U.S. nonprofit group, is searching for funds needed to establish the park. 

Police raid on Guatemala home nets 21 babies readied for illegal adoption 

By W. E. GUTMAN 

GUATEMELA CITY -- Acting on a tip, a police raid on a Guatemalan   children's home in Guatemala City last week in which 21 babies under the age of two were found being processed for illegal adoption, resulted in the arrest of two people, one of them a lawyer.

The children's home " Nuevo Amanacer," in the capital's Zone 1, was ordered closed. Police arrested Feliciano Carillo Gudiel, 47, and attorney Ruth Emilsa Alvarado Espana, 38. Unable to certify the origin of the babies -- some only two days old -- the pair was charged with "apropiacion indebida de menores de edad"  (unlawful procurement of minors).

Police also found reams of blank letterheads signed by lawyer Alvarado Espana and bearing the official seal of "Hogar Nuevo Amanacer."

According to the official police report, authorities believe the lawyer and legal representative of this children's home also "participated in the legalization of false documents for the process of adoptions."

The infants were taken into protective custory by the children's section of the Public Ministry.