MEXICO CITY - Some 100 scientists and academics from around the world are meeting in Monterrey, Mexico this week to study the challenges of managing water resources along the borders of 50 countries.

The participants in the International Symposium on Trans-Border Water Management are working to draft a list of recommendations for the management of watersheds and rivers located in frontier areas.

Also to be discussed are "hydrology and climate studies on droughts and which propose criteria and methodologies to improve joint management of water resources," according to the Mexican Environment Secretariat, which is hosting the event.

One of the central themes of the Symposium is the case of the Rio Grande (known as Rio Bravo south of the border), which separates the United States and Mexico, and which is the source of contention related to water distribution rights.

SANTIAGO - The 12th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) wrapped up two-weeks of deliberations Nov 15, making substantial progress in the protection of some species, but failing to move on others.

The 160 delegations agreed to maintain the ban on hunting two types of whales, and approved measures to safeguard populations of sea turtles and seahorses.

However, the African elephant was not as lucky. The 2,000 delegates meeting in the Chilean capital gave the green light to three African countries for a one-off sale of their ivory (tusks) reserves. Activists say this is a grave danger for the future of this giant land mammal.

The whale shark and basking shark made it just under the wire. In a committee vote earlier in the week, they both were two votes shy of being included in the Convention's Appendix II, which requires governments to monitor populations. In the plenary vote, Friday, however, the two largest fish species were placed on the list.

LIMA - Rice growers in the northwestern city of Lambayaque, on Peru's northern coast, have launched a program to reclaim soils that have high saline content as a result of inappropriate irrigations systems used in the past.

Working on the project are 178 farmers who lost their lands to the salinity process, says Enrique Salazar, director of the Lambayaque irrigation program.

Over the next six months they will build 7,660 meters of main drainage and 18,000 meters of subsidiary drainage to clean the soils affected and to collect salinated water.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, 28,000 of the 65,000 hectares of rice paddies in the Chancay-Lambayeque Valley are affected by high salinity, a phenomenon that could render farmland useless in 25 years.

TEGUCIGALPA - The Honduran government says it is powerless to control the plague of pine weevils that in the last three years have destroyed nearly 30,000 hectares of forests, and have prompted the quarantine of seven of the country's 18 departments.

The plague "escaped our control, and although we have obtained funds to fight it, we need greater support from the municipalities and residents to create a united front that is quick and effective," said Environment Minister Patricia Panting.

One of the causes of the propagation of the beetle is environmental fragility, said Panting. The insect reproduces quickly to take advantage of forests that have been weakened by fires, drought or over-density.

In the northeastern department of Olancho alone, the scourge has decimated 5,741 hectares of forest.

SAN SALVADOR - The government of El Salvador is to conduct a national inventory of trees to establish the number, variety and coverage of each species, using techniques ranging from satellite images to on-the-ground inspections.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock hired a private company for the task, sponsored by the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, an intergovernmental project aimed at restoring the chain of biodiversity extending from southern Mexico through Central America.

At a cost of 900,000 dollars, the inventory should be completed in October 2003.

El Salvador loses 59 million metric tons of soil each year due to erosion triggered by deforestation. Furthermore, the country imports up to 100 million dollars annually in forestry products.

However, the recently approved forestry law does not include any sort of incentive for the private sector to plant trees.

MANAGUA - The government of Nicaragua and the National Agricultural University (UNA) have agreed to a program for the genetic improvement of reina cattle, a Nicaraguan bovine species that was declared a part of the country's national heritage.

The goal is to boost the production of this autochthonous species by implanting embryos in the best available cows, explained UNA president Telémaco Talavera.

"The reina has traits that are advantageous for the tropics. Their genetic makeup allows them to withstand the heat, and they can serve a double purpose: as the source of meat and milk. UNA is working to improve embryo transplants for this breed," said Talavera.

Financed by the Agricultural Ministry, the Institute of Rural Development and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the project also entails training for farmers and the distribution of high-quality reina semen.