Environment Dominates Nicaraguan Weekend
The catastrophic environmental situation in Nicaragua, due to lack of state policies to stop deforestation and pollution of the aquiferous basins, prevailed in the national panorama during the recently concluded week.

The alarming state of the country´s woods, forests, and lakes came to the surface during meetings of both the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry (MARENA) and the National Forest Institute (INAFOR).

According to INAFR Director William Schwartz, 70,000 hectares of forest have disappeared annually from 1983 to 2000, as the result of indiscriminate felling.

He warned that if that pace is kept, all the forest areas in the country, which are currently estimated at 3,500,000 hectares, will disappear by 2055.

President Daniel Ortega, who listened to both presentations, made "savage capitalism" responsible for the current disastrous environmental situation in Nicaragua.

According to the Sandinista leader, the wood reduction began when Nicaragua started to implement neoliberal policies in 1980, as the result of wood plundering by national and foreign companies, he said.

He recalled that there is also the poor people and farmers´ need for wood, as it is the only source of fuel to prepare their food.

To change that situation, Ortega exhorted the peasantry to use gas cookers, which will be supplied by Venezuela with their respective cylinders, in the context of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).

The president also ordered MARENA Minister Juana Argeñal to adopt measures with 11 companies, which according to the report, are the main pollutants of the country´s water-bearing reserves.

Ortega announced that his government will negotiate, with friendly countries that he did not mention, to buy helicopters and patrol boats to protect the nation´s forest and maritime resources.