The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the debt vulnerabilities of many low- and medium-income sovereigns. Debt levels were already high for many even prior to COVID outbreak, but are now exacerbated because government revenues have declined as a result of limited economic activity – while the timing and the quantum of …
Minor metal lithium is set to charge ahead to become the top material for batteries and vital for electric transport, but supplying any spike in demand could be fraught with difficulties. Bolivia, a poor but resource-rich country governed for the past three years by leftist Evo Morales, has about 50 …
The structural food crisis in the city of El Alto has had an especially negative impact on the lives of the poorest families. Urban agriculture is one of the alternative strategies initiated to improve their food security, but also to enhance the social inclusion of the women involved, who have …
This atlas demonstrates the potential for spatial analyses to identify areas that are high in both carbon and biodiversity. Such areas will be of interest to countries that wish to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land use change and simultaneously conserve biodiversity.
The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this …
To find the optimal delivery model for urban water supply and sanitation (WSS) services, one must look beyond ownership structures to the practices and designs that support good performance. Consumer cooperatives are often attractive institutional models. This note focuses on a Bolivian cooperative that is one of the most successful …
Peru: They have quarreled over the 1880's pillaging of Peru's national library by Chilean troops. They have squabbled over who has the naming rights to pisco, the fiery grape brandy. Now, Peru and Chile are arguing over another hot-button issue: the origins of the potato. Peruvian agronomists, historians and diplomats …
Researchers have identified a new species of river dolphin in the Bolivian Amazon. Locally known as bufeo, the Bolivian river dolphin (Inia boliviensis) is smaller and lighter in colour than the Amazon pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) found widely in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. Found in remote parts of …
Marketing several environmental services from a single area can help access diverse sources of funding and make conservation a more competitive land use. In Bolivia's Los Negros valley (Department of Santa Cruz), bordering the Ambor
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday criticized "some South American presidents" for supporting the use of biofuels, which he said are responsible for high food prices and global hunger. Visiting the United Nations while fighting autonomy referendums called by the opposition at home, the Bolivian president said the increased use …
>> South Australian authorities have found a cane toad in the capital city, Adelaide. They say the toad is a stray case and not an indication that cane toads have migrated to the state. They are carrying out intensive night-time surveillance and trapping programme to determine if other cane toads …
>> More than 100,000 tonnes of rotting garbage are lying on the roadsides of the southern Italian city of Naples, after garbage trucks stopped operating since the last week of December 2007 because all landfills are full. Authorities fear the stinking heaps could spread disease. >> Bolivia, Chile and Brazil …
In keeping with its nationalisation drive, Bolivia recently took full control of two Petrobras oil refineries in the country. The Brazilian government-owned company Petrobras, the biggest foreign investor in Bolivia and leading natural gas producer, was bought for us $112 million. After Venezuela, Bolivia has South America's biggest natural gas …
>> Bolivian President Evo Morales recently announced that credits from the International Monetary Fund would be refused if they were accompanied with stiff conditions. >> 10 per cent of the Yellow River, China's second longest river, is made up of untreated sewage from factory discharges and urban centres, according to …
It's quite well-known that indigenous communities share an intricate relationship with their environments. Their understanding of plants, also called ethnobotanical knowledge, is crucial to the health of these communities. Researchers from four different universities
It has been found that local ethnobotanical knowledge helps keep the Tsimane tribe in Bolivia, fit. The people use plants for medicines, firewood, construction, tools and food. For instance, the sap from stems of a plant Serjania tenuifolia, when released in water bodies, affects fish. They cannot breathe and float …
Here's bad news for Coca-Cola, from Bolivia this time. The soft drink giant may have to drop the word coca from its brands, if Bolivia's coca leaf farmers have their way. The peasants have said that the leaf is part of Bolivia's cultural heritage and the name needs protection. They …
Bolivian vice-president Alvaro Garcia recently said that the nationalisation of the country's largest tin smelter, the Vinto tin smelter and refinery, was irreversible. The plant, located in Oruro department, was owned by Swiss firm Glencore. This was another signal that the country is committed to its nationalisation programme. Garcia's statement …
