Monday 29 December
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Latin America
Condemns Israeli Air
Attacks on Gaza
Nicaragua Turns To
Wind Power, Builds 19 Windmills
Red Cross
Mediating FARC Hostage Release
Drug Trade Destroying
Peruvian Forests
Chavez: Crisis Has
Spared Venezuela
|
Drug Trade Destroying
Peruvian Forests
Lima - Drug trafficking
has destroyed around 2
million hectares of
forests in Peru,
Environment Minister
Antonio Brack said
Sunday.
The figure accounts for
3 percent of all forests
in the country, he said.
The minister said drug
trade is having a big
impact on the
environment because
forests are being
destroyed to provide
land for growing coca
leaves, the main source
of cocaine.
The drug trade has
already destroyed
forests in San Martin,
Huanuco and in areas
around the river valleys
of Auprimac and Ene (VRAE),
Brack said.
He said chemicals used
to produce drugs have
also contaminated rivers
and altered the
hydrobiological
environment.
The Environment Ministry
will take measures "to
recover forests and
improve the environment
in areas where drug
trafficking is taking
place," Brack said.
Peru has a total area of
more than 52,000
hectares where coca
leaves are produced,
12,000 of which are
illegal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
