Data on earth
An atlas for Latin America and the Caribbean that brings together more than 200 indicators on topics such as agriculture, deforestation, biodiversity, fresh water resources and economic development has been produced by the Colombia-based International Center for Tropical Agriculture and the United Nations Environment Program. Available on CD-ROM, the atlas will enable policymakers to visually compare many kinds of data from reputable but different sources on a single map. One feature is the land use model, which simulates the future of a particular life zone according to selected variables.

Andean biodiversity
The five Andean countries-Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela-have agreed to develop a common action plan to preserve biodiversity. The plan, which will be financed with a $740,000 grant from the IDB-administered Japan Special Fund, will seek to stem the continued degradation of natural systems through burning, excessive grazing, settlements, removal of trees, exploitation of ornamental plants, mining and petroleum production. Preservation of the Andean ecosystems has been identified as a world biodiversity conservation priority. It is estimated that the region, which is the home of ancient cultures that have lived in harmony with nature for hundreds of years, has more species than any other place in the world.

Technology and education
"In the future, the big difference will be between those who know and those who do not," declared IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias recently before a major hemispheric conference on technology in Boca Raton, Florida. Calling education the "bottleneck" for the region's development, Iglesias urged the use of technology to reduce the time needed to carry out educational reforms.