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Cablegate: Epa Trainings Strengthen Environmental Law Enforcement In

Published: Fri 21 Sep 2007 10:09 AM
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 001803
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV
TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB
USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: LIZ MAHEW
INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN
INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY
INTERIOR FOR NPS: JONATHAN PUTNAM
INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER
JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON
USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY
NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
SUBJECT: EPA TRAININGS STRENGTHEN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IN
SOUTH AMERICA
BRASILIA 00001803 001.2 OF 003
1. (U) Summary: Using funds from OES, three trainings on
environmental law enforcement were carried out by EPA experts in
August 2007 in Medellin (Colombia), Lima (Peru), and Georgetown
(Guyana). With support from the Regional Environmental HUB Office,
ECON Offices in each respective country, and local environmental
entities, a total of 87 people were trained. The trainings served
as a starting point for participants to work on strengthening
environmental law enforcement principles in each country. These
courses help to build and strengthen the regional capacities to
understand and enforce environmental laws. Working with local
partners, the HUB seeks to replicate these efforts in the region.
END SUMMARY.
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Medellin, Colombia
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2. (U) An EPA and OES sponsored Environmental Enforcement Training
was carried out in the city of Medellin (Colombia) August 15-17,
2007. The training was organized by the HUB, Colombia's Ministry of
Environment, Livelihood, and Territorial Development, Medellin's
environmental entity Area Metropolitana del Valle Aburra, and the
ECON Office in U.S. Embassy Bogota. Trainers included two federal
agents from EPA's Criminal Investigations Division - Frank Garcia
(Atlanta) and Ozzie Romero (Miami) and two facilitators from
Colombia - Lida Contreras, public prosecutor, and Rodrigo Negrete,
legal adviser for the Ministry of Environment, Livelihood, and
Territorial Development. The public of 30 workshop participants
included Colombian law enforcement officers, first responders,
environmental enforcement program personnel, and related
prosecutorial and judicial officials.
3. (U) Regional interests were well represented at the conference,
demonstrated by two invitees from Peru - Alicia Abanto, from the
Defensoria del Pueblo/Environmental Division, and Luis Flores
Zuniga, a public prosecutor from Madre de Dios. For all
participants, the conference enabled them to better understand how
to prepare and respond to a broad array of environmental crime
scenarios and officer safety issues at environmental crime scenes.
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Lima, Peru
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BRASILIA 00001803 002.2 OF 003
4. (U) An Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Principles Course
and Train-the-Trainer Program was held on August 20-23, 2007 in
Lima, Peru. The training was organized by the HUB, USAID/Peru,
Peru's governmental environmental entities CONAM (Consejo Nacional
de Medio Ambiente) and INRENA (Instituto Nacional de Recursos
Naturales), ECON Office in U.S. Embassy Lima, and ILEA
(International Law Enforcement Academy). Trainers included two EPA
experts - Davis Jones (DC) and Jorge Martinez (Puerto Rico) - and
two Colombian facilitators - Gloria Valenzuela, public prosecutor,
and Jesus Emilio Solano, from Colombia's Ministry of Environment,
Livelihood, and Territorial Development.
5. (U) The 34 participants were provided with a framework for
designing effective environmental compliance strategies and
enforcement programs. The audience was diverse, which helped bring
a very balanced tone to discussions and practical exercises. The
group included two invitees from Ecuador's Ministry of Environment -
Robert Cazco, legal adviser, and Irma Suarez, National Coordinator
of the Clean Production Program.
6. (U) Among many outcomes, participants called for a virtual
network formed by the event participants to continue communicating
electronically on the topic of environmental crimes and principles.
In addition, a similar training, but more focused on governance, in
a regional context, inviting representatives from all Andean
countries was discussed.
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Georgetown, Guyana
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7. (U) An Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Principles Course
and Train-the-Trainer Program took place August 20-23, 2007 in
Georgetown (Guyana). The training was organized by the HUB, the
ECON Office at U.S. Embassy Georgetown and Guyana's Forestry
Commission and Ministry of Agriculture. The event was carried out by
two EPA experts: Susan Bromm and Karin Leff, both from Washington,
DC. A total of 23 participants went over hypothetical case studies
to examine the range of motivations to comply with or violate
environmental laws.
8. (U) Two university-based participants from the course are forming
an email based collaborative support group to carry on/follow up on
issues addressed in the training.
BRASILIA 00001803 003.2 OF 003
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CONCLUSION
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9. (U) Trainings such as these help countries such as Peru and
Colombia translate their relatively strong legal framework into
better environmental protection. By providing a better understanding
of environmental principles and improved law enforcement to key
contacts in these and neighboring countries (i.e. Ecuador), the USG
is helping achieve conservation and sustainable management of
natural resources in partner countries more effectively.
10. (U) These trainings are also a stepping-stone to creating a
regional law enforcement network in South America. One important
complement to these trainings would be to include experts from USFWS
in order to bring CITES-related topics to these hypothetical case
studies. This way, the topic of wildlife trafficking could be
inserted into the capacity-building courses.
SOBEL
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