Topeka Capital-Journal (Kansas) July 23, 2012 Monday HARVESTING THE VENOM

BYLINE: Jan Biles. THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL LENGTH: 918 words

A Topeka woman believes a product containing a serum made from the venom of the blue
scorpion is helping keep her cancer at bay. Peggy Howe, 52, said she began taking
Escozine, a dietary supplement not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in
February 2011 after being told she had two months to live because the cancer cells in her
body were growing rapidly and had spread to her liver and lungs. "I started it, and eight
weeks later I didn't have any active cancer," she said. "There are still some spots, but it's not
growing." Howe said she takes Escozine, a liquid that is sparingly mixed with distilled water,
four times a day as a "complement medication" to weekly chemotherapy. "It isn't a cure for
cancer," she emphasized. Howe said she was diagnosed with dual-ductal in situ breast
cancer in February 2009. Because she lost two brothers to cancer, she decided to be
aggressive in treating the disease and opted to have a double mastectomy followed by
chemotherapy. Within a couple of months, the cancer returned, and she had surgery to
remove underarm lymph nodes and again underwent chemotherapy. In April 2009, she was
diagnosed with thyroid cancer, followed by surgeries to remove her thyroid gland and
radiation. "In early 2010, I had a PET scan and my chest wall lit up," she said, explaining the
cancer had spread to the lymph nodes in her chest, which required more surgery and
radiation. Since March 2009, Howe also has had a hysterectomy and her gall bladder and
appendix removed. She has tried organic and no-sugar diets, Kangen Water, other dietary
supplements and vitamin K to help combat the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
In addition to receiving the chemotherapy drug Herceptin, Howe takes two medications to
counter heart damage caused by the chemotherapy, a thyroid medication and an
antidepressant. So, when Howe was told she had two months to live in January 2011, she
said she decided it was time to "pull out all of the stops." A few months earlier, a friend had

told her about Escozine and its distributor, Medolife, a bio-pharmaceutical company
headquartered in Beverly Hills, Calif., that focuses on the research and development
of natural solutions to health concerns . Howe checked out Medolife's website and then
reached out to the company in the hope that Escozine could keep her alive. She pays $680
each month for the product, which isn't covered by health insurance companies.
HARVESTING THE VENOM
Arthur Grant Mikaelian, president and CEO of Medolife, said the company began

investigating the medical benefits of blue scorpion venom in 2004 and discovered it
had multiple therapeutic uses, including its ability to enhance the body's natural
ability to fight cancer. Subsequently, Medolife obtained a patent for the polarization of
scorpion venom from the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office. Mikaelian said a blue
scorpion reservation was established in Neiba, Dominican Republic, where thevenom of
the scorpions is harvested and used to make a serum that is the active ingredient in
Escozine. The Caribbean state is a natural habitat of the scorpions. Medolife began
distributing Escozine in 2010 as a natural alternative medicine and anti-cancer agent, he
said. "It's distributed to 40 countries now," he said. However, because it isn't FDA-

approved, U.S. physicians are unlikely to prescribe or recommend Escozine. The

product can be used in the United States as a natural dietary supplement but can't
carry the claim that it cures cancer. Mikaelian believes the dietary supplement can be
integrated into traditional western medicine: The product can be used on its own or in
conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy or other conventional
treatments. Clinical studies and observations in Mexico and the Dominican Republican

from 2007 to 2010 indicate the product has no toxic side effects. While the majority
of users noticed results within a short time , Mikaelian said some patients saw little or no
significant improvement. "Unfortunately, people choose this treatment when they are
in stage 4 or are terminal and have no more options, which makes it harder, but we

still have positive results," he said. "This is not the ultimate cure for cancer, but it does
have a positive impact on cancer patients."
WORKING TOWARD APPROVAL
Mikaelian said preclinical trials on Escozine are being conducted at the University of
California-San Diego's Moores Cancer Center to re-verify the benefits of using the

dietary supplement with chemotherapy and the apoptotic effect of blue scorpion
venom. Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death in multicellular organisms. He
said the university will have the initial results of the research within six months and will
follow the FDA's Orphan Drug Designation to receive the agency's approval. "This program
allows for an accelerated registration process," he said. " An orphan drug is a

pharmaceutical agent that has been developed specifically to treat a rare medical
condition." Howe said she plans on taking Escozine as long as she is receiving
chemotherapy. Howe's daughters - Sarah Alejos and Elizabeth Howe - said it is important to
them and their mother to get the word out about the scorpion venom product. "Mom has a
story unlike most cancer stories," Alejos said. "Her story is one of actual hope through
holistic treatment and modern medicine coming together and working." "Nobody should tell
you there's no hope," Howe added.

US Cuba cooperation is essential on the environment top

environmental groups say
Newhouse 12 Center for International Policy Cuba delegate, NatGeo editor and
publisher, and member of the Cuba Advisory Group (Elizabeth, The U.S. Must Work
With Cuba on the Environment,
http://cipcubareport.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/the-u-s-must-work-with-cuba-onthe-environment/, 6/24/13,)
It should be an article of faith that the environment is immune from U.S.
politics where U.S. interests are clearly at stake. Thats mostly the case
with other countries, but not with Cuba. In New York last week a workshop
organized by The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) highlighted this
aberrationand its damaging effects. Participants included a number of
key non-governmental groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund,
the Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Mote
Marine Laboratory. They strongly agreed that measures must be taken to
make it easier to cooperate on the environment with Cuba. Cuba and the
United States, whose territorial waters meet in the Gulf of Mexico and the
Florida Straits, have much in common ecologically, as Brian Boom of the
NYBG pointed out in his paper Biodiversity without Borders, (PDF). This shared
biodiversity ranges from threatened ecosystems, such as coral reefs and
mangrove forests, to thousands of migratory species, including the
Monarch butterfly, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, and the Hawksbill turtle. Many
species have economic value and others are seriously endangered; still others are
invasive and highly disruptive, while others carry serious disease like dengue fever.
All of them require ongoing study and monitoring. Even more urgent, natural
disasters (hurricanes) and man-made threats (oil spills) can cause enormous
damage that call for rapid bilateral solutions. The recent start of oil exploration off
Cubas north coast points up the compelling need to prepare for a spilland for the

harm that will be done to the marine environment even without one. However,
between the U.S. and Cuba there exists no governmental cooperation on
the environment as on much else. In 2007, Wayne Smith and CIP
determined to work around this vacuum by organizing a conference in
Cancun, Mexico, of key Cuban scientists and environmentalists and a
group of their U.S. NGO counterparts (Conference report is here). The group,
the first of its kind, agreed on priorities for research and conservation in the Gulf of
Mexico and set up an organization to establish the gulf as a model for protection.
The organization, now including Mexico and called the Trinational Initiative, plans to
hold its fifth meeting this year. CIPs initiative and other subsequent
workshops and conferences have helped ease the way for environmental
NGOs to work in Cuba. It is still far from easy, however. While visas for
scientists and others to go and come are much more available under the Obama
administration, tough procedural obstacles exist in both countries. These
include obtaining licenses for people and equipment, funding limitations
due to the embargo, and difficulties in securing project approvals,
permits, and research visas from the Cuban government. As Brian Booms
White Paper concludedand workshop participants vehemently agreedthe
ecological stakes urgently call for a government-to-government accord
that will allow professionals to work together on the critical environmental
issues that extend beyond boundaries. Nature knows no nations!

Government to government collaboration key to solving the

environment empirically proven
Boom, Director of the Caribbean Biodiversity Program, 12
(Brian M. Boom, September 2012, Biodiversity without Borders: Advancing U.S.Cuba Cooperation through Environmental Research, Science & Diplomacy, Vol. 1,
No. 3 (September 2012*).
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders.
Accessed June 24, 2013,)
Nature knows no boundaries, and given the number and scale of environmental
problems shared by Cuba and the United States, combined with the multitude of
impediments to finding joint solutions to these problems, the best way to enhance
environmental cooperation between the two countries would be through the
establishment of a bilateral agreement on this theme. The ecological stakes are
too high for Cuba and the United States to rely on anything short of a
government-to-government accord to formalize, catalyze, and facilitate
cooperation on environmental problems of mutual concern. Various models for
such an agreement exist: the United States has joint statements on environmental
cooperation with Spain and Italy, an agreement on air quality with Canada, and a
memorandum of understanding on environmental protection with India, among
others. Such a bilateral agreement could logically take advantage of the collective
experiences of the U.S.-based environmental NGO community in conducting
collaborative initiatives with Cuban counterparts over many years and, in some
cases, decades. The focus of such a bilateral agreement should be on helping to
facilitate the activities by NGOs that are currently underway and encouraging new
initiatives by NGOs in consultation with and the approval of Cuban authorities. The
elements of such an agreement should take into account the difficulties mentioned

above and the following considerations: strengthened Castros economic hold

on the country. The International Trade Commission has estimated that,
in the absence of sanctions, U.S. exports to Cuba would grow to more than
$1 billion. Meat exports from the U.S. could be as much as $76 million,
while wheat exports could be as much as $52 million.12 Yet, since 2005,
new obstacles imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
have made the flow of U.S. wheat, corn, soy, powdered milk, and poultry
more unreliable, costing U.S. companies $100 million in deals that Cuba
made with firms in other countries.13 In the aftermath of OFACs
maneuvers, Members of Congress say Rice sales have fallen by 43% by
value and the value of dairy also fell 43%. Apple exports have fallen by
64% by value, while the value of cotton sales declined 55%. The value of
our poultry exports has fallen by more than 19%, while wheat sales have
fallen nearly 14%. These lost U.S. sales are being made up by our
competitors.14 As American agricultural sales fell, a November 2005 agreement
worth $20 million lifted Canadian wheat sales to Cuba to their highest level since
1990. The sale of 100,000 tons of Canada Western Red Spring was the largest single
sale to Cuba since 1997. The embargo bars oil exploration by American firms;
this is especially harmful now, as Cuba is encouraging exploration in offshore blocks in 1,660 square miles of its waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Indias largest staterun petroleum exploration firm won the rights to
search for oil in these waters.15 Cubas state oil company also signed an
agreement with Spains Repsol YPF, Norways Hydro, and Indias OVL in
May 2006 for the exploration of its six offshore blocks. Venezuelas state-owned oil
company will also join in oil exploration in Cubas north coast. According to
Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), agreements like these could mean forever
closing the door on those resources to the U.S. industry.16 Bilateral trade
between China and Cuba reached $777 million in 2005, $560 million of which were
Chinese exports cnbv Cuba.17 Chinese appliances and transportation services are
ooding into Cuba. The Financial Times reports Cubas ports are being revamped
with Chinese equipment, in part to handle the millions of Chinese domestic
appliances that began arriving last year. Cuba is turning to Chinese rather than
Western companies to modernize its crippled transportation system at a cost of
more than $1 billion.18 Cuba has purchased 100 locomotives from China for $130
million,19 1,000 Chinese buses for urban and interprovincial transportation,20 and
30,000 Chinese refrigerators.21 The Brattle Group reports that an end to travel
restrictions to Cuba would lead to increased demand for air and cruise travel to the
region. Without restrictions, it is estimated that U.S. economic output
would expand annually by $1.18 billion to $1.61 billion. This expansion
would create from 16,888 to 23,020 new jobs.22

Cooperation between US and Cuba is proven to solve the

environment current partnerships prove
Waitt Foundation 13 institute dedicated to protection and conservation of
oceans and marine resources

(CUBAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE,

http://waittfoundation.org/cuban-environmental-science,
6/24/13,)
EDFs work to protect important shared marine resources in the U.S.
Southeast, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean depends upon close working
partnerships with world-class but under-resourced and little-known
Cuban environmental scientists. A biodiversity hotspot, Cuba has
regionally important marine and coastal ecosystems. With connectivity to
the United States, the window of opportunity is now to share our
resources and to work together towards solutions. Over the past 12 years,
and with a special license from the U.S. Department of Treasury, EDF has built
strong relationships with Cuban environmental institutions and Cuban
environmental scientists, who are among the best educated and most
experienced in the region. Cuban scientists rigorous research has
informed important environmental policy initiatives, including the Cuban
governments decision to include 25% of the insular shelf in marine
protected areas (MPAs). The current 108 MPAs represent the following: - 15% of
the Cuban insular shelf - 16 fish spawning sites - 35% coral reefs - 31% seagrass
beds - 27% mangroves However, because of inadequate funding and other
constraints on research, field work in Cuba has been limited and much
remains unknown about critical issues such as overfishing, the benefits of
MPAs, and ecosystem vulnerability to changing ocean conditions. These
gaps in knowledge hamper the development of sound environmental
policy and effective fisheries management. Project Goals With support from
the Waitt Foundation, EDF is launching a new initiative in 2013, led by Dan
Whittle, to support collaborative field research with scientists from Cubas
Center for Marine Research. This initiative will enable teams of Cuban and
American scientists to carry out a series of two- to four- week research
cruises aboard the Cuban research vessel Felipe Poey and will support yearround port sampling of shark landings in at least four Cuban ports. The
overarching project goal is to generate scientific research that can inform
sound policy to improve the performance of fisheries and MPA networks.
Specific objectives are to: 1. Facilitate Cuban environmental scientists research and
promote international awareness of Cubas high-quality marine science. 2. Collect
biological and ecological data essential to the management of sharks and selected
reef fish. 3. Assess the biological, ecological and socioeconomic performance of
existing Cuban MPAs. 4. Characterize the socioeconomic contribution of fisheries
and MPAs to the economy. 5. Use research results to inform conservation and
management strategies. Field Expertise Daniel Whittle directs EDFs work to
advance conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems in Cuba. He works
with Cuban scientists, lawyers and resource managers to identify and
implement collaborative strategies for fisheries management, coral reef
conservation, and sustainable coastal development in Cuba and the
region. For the last decade, Whittle has been collaborating with Cuban
fishermen, scientists and environmental officials on ways to protect
shared resources like fish and marine mammals. Operating under a special
license from the U.S Treasury Department, hes also working to ensure that the right
safeguards are in place for projected oil development off Cubas northwest coast.

Cooperation is key to preserving marine environments affects

US economy and natural habitats
Environmental Defense Fund 12
(U.S. and Cuba seek common ground,
http://www.edf.org/oceans/us-and-cuba-seek-common-ground,
6/24/13,)
Vast untapped reserves of black gold are thought to lie off Cubas north
shoreenough, experts say, to wean the country from its dependence on
Venezuelan oil imports. This year Spanish oil giant Repsol plans to begin
exploratory drilling in deep waters 50 miles off Key West, and foreign oil
companies from Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, India and Venezuela, among
others, are lining up behind them. For the United States, Cuba and
Mexico, the risks of drilling in deepwaters of the Gulf of Mexico are
enormous. Experts warn that a large spill in Cuban waters could be more
catastrophic than the BP disaster, given the three countries sensitive
marine ecosystems. The problems could be compounded by delays in getting the
expertise and state-of-the-art technology needed to deal with a large, deepwater
accident. U.S. policy restricts American companies from working with
Cuban enterprises to protect the waters we share. Can environmental
concerns bridge the political gulf? For half a century, a political gulf has
divided our two countries, says EDFs chief oceans scientist Doug Rader.
It is time for a pragmatic approach that would help Cuba prepare for the
worst, while developing a strong foundation for our shared environmental
future. Over the past decade, Cuban environmental lawyers have been
developing regulations for offshore oil and gas drilling that include strict oversight.
During the BP oil spill crisis in 2010, EDFs oceans staff provided regular
updates to Cuban environmental officials to help them assess what
damage might occur to the islands ecosystems and coastal communities.
Luckily, oil from the BP blowout did not wash onto Cuban beaches. But
given prevailing currents and winds, neither country may be as fortunate
next time around. EDF urges that the United States begin a dialogue with the
Cuban and Mexican governments on oil and gas drilling in the Gulf. The National
Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill recommends that international
standards be developed and specifically that it is in our countrys national interest
to negotiate now with these near neighbors to agree on a common, rigorous set of
standards [and] a system for regulatory oversight Tapping clean energy to
reduce oil imports As part of a national strategy to gain energy independence and
reduce global warming pollution, Cuba also hopes to develop cleaner sources of
energy. In 2008, at the request of our Cuban partners we organized an
international symposium on ocean energy to explore ways to develop this
largely untapped source without harming the environment. Cuba provides
good conditions for a variety of ocean energy optionsincluding wind and current
and may prove ideal for ocean thermal energy conversion. As with any large-scale
technology, building and operating energy facilities may pose risks to marine life
and habitat. Sensitive ecosystem such as coral reefs and mangroves, and
important nursery and rookery areas for fish, marine mammals, seabirds
and sea turtlesmust be protected. With good standards and policy in place,
Cuba could be a model for clean energy development in the Caribbean, says Dr.

Rod Fujita, EDF senior scientist and director of Ocean Innovations. Fostering
further cooperation Cooperation is as critical to U.S. interests as it is to
Cubas. Cuban waters provide vital spawning and nursery grounds for
snapper, grouper and other commercially important reef fish in the United
States. Cuba is also the major stopover point on migration routes to and
from South America for most of the familiar songbirds along the U.S. East
Coast. And the two nations quite likely share a recently discovered
deepwater coral ecosystem that extends north to North Carolina. Though
the United States and Cuba share many ecological resources, we have
different ways of managing them, says EDF attorney Dan Whittle, director of
our Cuba program. Fishing, coastal development, and offshore oil and gas
exploration in Cuba can have huge impacts on the United States and viceversa.

Cuba needs outside help to solve environmental problems

Conell, Research associate at the Council on Hemispheric
Affairs, 9
(Christina, The U.S. and Cuba: Destined to be an
Environmental Duo?, http://www.coha.org/the-us-and-cubaan-environmental-duo/, 6/25/13,)
Beginning Concerns The environmental degradation that began during the colonial
era has transcended time as a result of Castros political and economic paradigm.
Only in the last 40 years, with the development of the Commission for the
Protection of the Environment and the Conservation of Natural Resources
(COMARNA), has Cuba begun to address growing environmental concerns.
COMARNA consolidated all of the agencies with environmental
responsibilities, as a step towards giving them the power to influence all
environmental issues. Although COMARNA was all-inclusive, it lacked
independent authority, so its activities achieved few tangible results. The
sad fact was that the centralized agency only succeeded in aiding the state in
squandering resources. In reality, establishing the agency was a modest concession
to ease environmental concerns, but the truth lingered that Cubas wealth of natural
resources remained under the auspices of the government. COMARNA
acknowledged the appeals for conservation by the international community, yet it
allowed for the misuse of natural resources by the State. By way of example, the
centralized Cuban agency built thousands of miles of roads for the development of
non-existent state agricultural enterprises and dams where there was hardly any
water to contain. In 1981, Cuba enacted Law 33 in an attempt to legitimize their
environmental laws and regulations, yet Law 33 played only a miniscule role in
guiding the extraction of natural resources and the conservation of ecological life on
the island. Lauded as a law ahead of its time, Law 33 purportedly covers all the
regulations concerning the environment and the protection and use of Cuban
national resources, even though it produced few results. The statute includes a
section comparing the wise use of natural resources by communist countries
versus the indiscriminate use of natural resources by the capitalistic world. In this

regard, the document is more a piece of political propaganda than a law meant to
be rigorously enforced. Moreover it palls in comparison to international
environmental protection guidelines and has relatively limited significance within
the country since the Cuban government is responsible for the operation of the bulk
of the industries and is therefore the principal polluter and consumer of natural
resources. Thus Law 33 exonerates the Cuban government from enforcing stricter
conservation standards by making a system that looks efficient, but in reality may
not be so. A closer analysis on Law 33 exposes its inherent lack of efficacy and
applicability. Attempts to Move Forward In 1994, Cuba developed the Ministry of
Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA) in order to absorb the tasks of
the unproductive COMARNA. CITMA attempts to steer the implementation of
environmental policy, the rational use of natural resources, and the adoption of
sustainable development programs. Law 81 developed out of the necessity to give
the Ministry a more sharply defined role in the government by replacing the
outdated Law 33. Law 81, the Law of the Environment, was enacted in 1997 and
presents a comprehensive framework law that covers all aspects of the environment
ranging from air, water and waste, to historic preservation and coastal zone
management. Although it details inspections and an enforcement plan, the law is
ultimately ineffective due to its overarching nature, which makes it difficult to
enforce. Law 81 may replace a necessary revision of Law 33; however, it remains
vague in its enforcement procedures. For example, Law 81, Article 81 states that
national resources will be used in accordance with the provisions that their rational
use will be assured, for which their quantitative and qualitative continuity will be
preserved, recycling and recovery systems will be developed, and the ecosystems
to which they belong safeguarded. This portion of the provision elucidates the
ambiguous nature of the law, as it continues to delineate objectives without coming
up with specific implementation strategies. In 1997, the Earth Summit, a
conference sponsored by the United Nations aimed at aiding governments
in rethinking economic development and finding ways to halt the
destruction of irreplaceable natural resources and pollution of the planet
was held in New York. At the Summit, Cuban officials were refreshingly
blunt in acknowledging the environmental degradation present on their
island. In a pamphlet distributed at the conference, the Havana government stated
that there have been mistakes and shortcomings, due mainly to insufficient
environmental awareness, knowledge and education, the lack of a higher
management demand, limited introduction and generalization of scientific and
technological achievements, as well as the still insufficient incorporation of
environmental dimensions in its policies. The authorities also pointed to the
insufficient development plans and programs and the absence of a
sufficiently integrative and coherent judicial system, to enforce
environmental regulations. After the Earth Summit, Cuba designed and
implemented a variety of programs, administrative structures, and public awareness
initiatives to promote sound environmental management and sustainable
development. Although the conference spurred motivation in environmental
matters, Cuba still lacked the economic resources needed to support its
share of environmental protection responsibilities due to the loss of its
financial ties with the former Soviet Union. The Earth Summit came after the
fall of the Soviet Union and the tightening of the U.S. blockade against Cuba in
1992, which resulted in a 35% retrenchment of the Cuban GDP. The Special Period,
referring to the cut off of economic subsidies that had regularly come from the

former Soviet Union, witnessed a decrease in many environmentally damaging

activities both by choice and by necessity. The end of aid from the Russia also
resulted in many decisions aimed at resuscitating the Cuban economy. The
economic crisis increased pressure to sacrifice environmental protection for
economic output. Although development slowed due to economic concerns, the
islands forests were particularly overworked for firewood and finished wood
exports. However, the crisis also provided the impetus for pursuing
sustainable development strategies. The principle motivating such change
has been a realization that if Cuba does not preserve its environment, it
will, at the very least, lose its attraction to tourists.

Cuba US environmental cooperation allows Washington to

brand itself as eco-friendly
Conell, Research associate at the Council on Hemispheric
Affairs, 9
(Christina, The U.S. and Cuba: Destined to be an
Environmental Duo?, http://www.coha.org/the-us-and-cubaan-environmental-duo/, 6/25/13,)
Diverging Views Unlike the U.S., which still has never ratified the Kyoto
Protocol, Cuba signed the document in 1997, which calls for the
stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a
level that would prevent dangerous interference with the global climate
system. This legally binding international agreement attempts to tackle the issue
of global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S.,
although a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, has neither ratified nor withdrawn from
the Protocol. The signature alone is merely symbolic, as the Kyoto Protocol is nonbinding on the United States unless ratified. Although in 2005 the United States
was the largest per capita emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of
fossil fuels, it experienced only a modest decline of 2.8 percent from 2007 to
2008. This decline demonstrates that the U.S. has the framework to reverse Cubas
substandard environmental track record. By aiding Havana, Washington would
be able to brand itself as an active conservationist. Such a label would
enable the U.S. to create a valuable ecological public image in the
international arena. The developmental assistance and economic growth
potential that might stem from a U.S.-Cuba partnership might aid in
developing enforceable implementation strategies. Even though Cubas
written regulations characteristically lack feasible, implementable standards. Cuban
laws, currently in effect, do provide a foundation for greater conservation activity in
the future. The Cuban government does show an interest in encouraging
sustainable development initiatives in the future, yet its laws are all based on
maintaining a centralized government featuring a command economy. For example,
CITMA appears to be trying to affect change, but many aspects of Cubas
bureaucracy are rooted in the past and it remains difficult to update the ways of an
outdated administrative substructure. If the embargo is lifted without a robust
partnership and plans for environmental sustainability, the invasion of U.S.
consumerism may seriously damage the island.

US Cuba cooperation is key to sustain biodiversity the

alternative results in ecosystem degradation and overfishing
PR Newswire 13
(United States Scientists Visit Cuba to Discuss Overfishing, Coral Reefs, Ocean
Energy and Ocean Issues,http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-statesscientists-visit-cuba-to-discuss-overfishing-coral-reefs-ocean-energy-and-oceanissues-65763572.html, 6/24/13, )
RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Environmental Defense
Fund will send a team of experts to Havana, Cuba, on Sunday to discuss
ways to eliminate overfishing, protect coral reefs, conserve coastal areas,
and tap potential ocean energy - a signal that greater environmental
cooperation may be on the horizon. EDF scientists and policy experts and
Cuban scientists and environmental officials will have a series of meetings
about how the United States and Cuba can work together to protect ocean
waters and marine resources shared by the two countries. The meetings
come on the heels of a September visit to the United States by Cuban
environmental officials. "The United States and Cuba share many ecological
resources, but the countries have different ways of managing them," said
Daniel Whittle, a senior attorney at EDF and director of its Cuba Program.
"Fishing, coastal development, and offshore oil and gas exploration in
Cuba can have impacts in the United States, and vice-versa. The sooner
we work together to manage shared resources and find solutions common
problems, the sooner we'll see benefits for the people, the environment
and the economy in both countries." EDF has asked the Obama administration
to ease policies that limit scientific exchanges between U.S. and Cuban scientists
and conservation professionals. Last month the U.S. State Department issued
visas for four Cuban environmental officials to attend scientific meetings
hosted by EDF in Washington, DC, and Sarasota, Florida--the first such
meetings held in the U.S. in several years. "These precedent-setting
meetings are a hopeful sign that greater environmental cooperation is on
the horizon," said Dr. Doug Rader, chief ocean scientist for EDF. "An
important first step toward managing our shared marine resources is to
share good science and good ideas. We have a lot to learn from each
other." Rader added that expanded scientific and management cooperation can
help address the growing threats to coral reefs, ocean fish populations, habitats for
migratory birds, marine mammals and turtles, and biodiversity. Just 90 miles from
the tip of Florida, Cuba shares a large amount of ocean territory with the United
States. Because of the prevailing currents and Cuba's proximity, preserving
its marine resources is critically important to the economies of coastal
communities in both countries.

Overfishing kills food security

Koster, operator of overfishing.org, 2011

(Pepijin, 2/1/2011, Why is Overfishing a Problem? Online:

http://overfishing.org/pages/why_is_overfishing_a_problem.php )
In the first chapter we already discussed that globally fishing fleets are at least
two to three times as large as needed to take present day catches of fish
and other marine species. To explain why overfishing is a problem we first have
to get an idea on the scale of the problem. This is best done by looking at some

figures published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. 1 The FAO

scientists publish a two yearly report (SOFIA) on the state of the world's
fisheries and aquaculture. 2 The report is generally rather conservative
regarding the acknowledging of problems but does show the key issue and
trends. Due to the difficulty of aggregating and combining the data it can be stated
that the SOFIA report is a number of years behind of the real situation. 52% of fish
stocks are fully exploited 20% are moderately exploited 17% are
overexploited 7% are depleted 1% is recovering from depletion The above
shows that over 25% of all the world's fish stocks are either overexploited or
depleted. Another 52% is fully exploited, these are in imminent danger of
overexploitation (maximum sustainable production level) and collapse. Thus a total
of almost 80% of the world's fisheries are fully- to over-exploited, depleted, or in a
state of collapse. Worldwide about 90% of the stocks of large predatory fish
stocks are already gone. In the real world all this comes down to two serious
problems. We are losing species as well as entire ecosystems. As a result the
overall ecological unity of our oceans are under stress and at risk of collapse. We
are in risk of losing a valuable food source many depend upon for social,
economical or dietary reasons. The single best example of the ecological and
economical dangers of overfishing is found in Newfoundland, Canada. In 1992 the
once thriving cod fishing industry came to a sudden and full stop when at the start
of the fishing season no cod appeared. Overfishing allowed by decades of fisheries
mismanagement was the main cause for this disaster that resulted in almost 40.000
people losing their livelihood and an ecosystem in complete state of decay. Now,
fifteen years after the collapse, many fishermen are still waiting for the cod to
return and communities still haven't recovered from the sudden removal of the
regions single most important economical driver. The only people thriving in this
region are the ones fishing for crab, a species once considered a nuisance by the
Newfoundland fishermen. It's not only the fish that is affected by fishing. As we are
fishing down the food web 3 the increasing effort needed to catch something of
commercial value marine mammals, sharks, sea birds, and non commercially viable
fish species in the web of marine biodiversity are overexploited, killed as bycatch
and discarded (up to 80% of the catch for certain fisheries), and threatened by the
industrialized fisheries. 4 Scientists agree that at current exploitation rates
many important fish stocks will be removed from the system within 25
years. Dr. Daniel Pauly describes it as follows: The big fish, the bill fish,
the groupers, the big things will be gone. It is happening now. If things go
unchecked, we'll have a sea full of little horrible things that nobody wants
to eat. We might end up with a marine junkyard dominated by plankton.

Food shortages lead to World War III

Calvin, theoretical neurophysiologist at the University of
Washington, 98
(William, Atlantic Monthly, January, The Great Climate Flip-Flop, Vol 281, No. 1, 1998, p. 4764, 6-31-13)
Plummeting crop yields would cause
some powerful countries to try to take over their neighbors or distant lands -- if
only because their armies, unpaid and lacking food, would go marauding, both at home
and across the borders. The better-organized countries would attempt to use
their armies, before they fell apart entirely, to take over countries with
The population-crash scenario is surely the most appalling.

significant remaining resources, driving out or starving their inhabitants if not

using modern weapons to accomplish the same end: eliminating competitors for the remaining food. This
would be a worldwide problem -- and could lead to a Third World War -- but Europe's
vulnerability is particularly easy to analyze. The last abrupt cooling, the Younger Dryas, drastically altered
Europe's climate as far east as Ukraine. Present-day Europe has more than 650 million people. It has excellent
soils, and largely grows its own food. It could no longer do so if it lost the extra warming from the North Atlantic.

Cuba to use scorpion venom to treat cancer

Daily the Pak Banker April 8, 2010 Thursday LENGTH: 178 words DATELINE:
ISLAMABAD
ISLAMABAD, April 08 -- Cuban researchers Wednesday started the first phase of registering a new
homeopathic remedy for cancer patients with a base of scorpion venom. The
remedy, an analgesic and anti-inammatory, is widely used on the island and
helps raise the quality of life for patients, but it has not been registered for
international sale, a private news channel reported. Dr. Jose Fraga Castro, the
president of the Cuban Biological and Pharmaceutical Laboratory (Labiofam),
claimed the remedy has no side effects. "After a detailed, responsible and serious
investigation on the toxin, we have found it is harmless to human beings. There
have been to cology and medical studies on chronic patients and we haven't found
any side effects. There is no risk of death if taken orally," he said. Rumors of the
effectiveness of the venom-based drug brought hundreds to the island in
search of the blue scorpion.

The Chronicle of Higher Education February 26, 2012 Sunday Border-Crossing

Research Lessens the Sting BYLINE: Steven Ambrus SECTION: GLOBAL; News
LENGTH: 1414 words DATELINE: Cuernavaca, Mexico
ABSTRACT

Cuba is key to biodiversity that includes Bicknells thrush

Dean 07 (Cornelia Dean, writer for New York Times, Conserving Cuba, After the
Embargo <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/science/25cuba.html?
pagewanted=all&_r=0> 12-25-07)
Through accidents of geography and history, Cuba is a priceless ecological resource.
That is why many scientists are About 700 miles long and about 100 miles wide at
its widest, Cuba runs from Haiti west almost to the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico. It
offers crucial habitat for birds, like Bicknells thrush, whose summer home is in the
mountains of New England and Canada, and the North American warblers that stop
in Cuba on their way south for the winter. Zapata Swamp, on the islands southern
coast, may be notorious for its mosquitoes, but it is also known for its fish,

amphibians, birds and other creatures. Among them is the Cuban crocodile, which
has retreated to Cuba from a range that once ran from the Cayman Islands to the
Bahamas. Cuba has the most biologically diverse populations of freshwater
fish in the region. Its relatively large underwater coastal shelves are crucial for
numerous marine species, including some whose larvae can be carried by currents
into waters of the United States, said Ken Lindeman, a marine biologist at Florida
Institute of Technology. Dr. Lindeman, who did not attend the conference but who
has spent many years studying Cubas marine ecology, said in an interview that
some of these creatures were important commercial and recreational species like
the spiny lobster, grouper or snapper. Like corals elsewhere, those in Cuba are
suffering as global warming raises ocean temperatures and acidity levels. And like
other corals in the region, they reeled when a mysterious die-off of sea urchins left
them with algae overgrowth. But they have largely escaped damage from pollution,
boat traffic and destructive fishing practices. Diving in them is like going back in
time 50 years, said David Guggenheim, a conference organizer and an ecologist
and member of the advisory board of the Harte Research Institute, which helped
organize the meeting along with the Center for International Policy, a private group
in Washington. In a report last year, the World Wildlife Fund said that in dramatic
contrast to its island neighbors, Cubas beaches, mangroves, reefs, seagrass beds
and other habitats were relatively well preserved. Their biggest threat, the report
said, was the prospect of sudden and massive growth in mass tourism when the
U.S. embargo lifts.

Bicknells thrush is a keystone species

Kerchner et al 07 (Charles Kerchner, Rubenstein School of Environment and

Natural Resources, The University of Vermont; Honzk, Conservation International,

Human Dimensions Program, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science; Robin Kemkes,
Community Development and Applied Economics, The University of Vermont;
Amanda Richardson, Community Development and Applied Economics, The
University of Vermont; Jason Townsend, Conservation Biology Program, SUNY
College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse; and Christopher C.
Rimmer, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Designing spatially explicit incentive
programs for habitat conservation: A case study of the Bicknell's thrush wintering
grounds <http://www.vtecostudies.org/PDF/Kerchner%20et%20al.%20BITH%20Ecol
%20Econ%202010.pdf> 10-14-07)
Deforestation has a significant impact on ecosystem integrity worldwide (Achard et
al., 2002; Nepstad et al., 1999), including the Dominican Republic. Ecological
consequences of disturbance have been well documented (Vitousek et al., 1997;
Curran et al., 2004), which include impacts on keystone species, such as the
Bicknell's thrush (Rimmer et al. 2001). Multiple studies have shown that winter
habitat quality and availability limit populations of migratory songbirds and that
alteration of winter habitat can lead to population declines (e.g., Sherry and
Holmes, 1996; Marra et al., 1993; Norris et al., 2004), as may be the case for
Bicknell's thrush Townsend et al., in press). Therefore, to stabilize or increase
Bicknell's thrush populations immediate action must take place to conserve winter
habitat, especially on private property in the eastern Cordillera Septentrional of
the Dominican Republic.

Keystone species are key to biodiversity

Tews et al 04 (J. Tews, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Plant

Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam; U. Brose, Department of

Biology, Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University; V. Grimm,
Department of Ecological Modelling, Center for Environmental Research LeipzigHalle; K. Tielborger, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Plant Ecology and
Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam; M. C. Wichmann, Institute of
Biochemistry and Biology, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of
Potsdam; M. Schwager, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Plant Ecology and
Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam; F. Jeltsch, Institute of Biochemistry
and Biology, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam,
Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the
importance of keystone structures <http://www.mcwichmann.de/Documents/Tews
%20et%20al.%20(2004)%20J.%20Biogeogr1.pdf> 2004)
The majority of studies found a positive correlation between habitat
heterogeneity/diversity and animal species diversity. However, empirical support
for this relationship is drastically biased towards studies of vertebrates and habitats
under anthropogenic inuence. In this paper, we show that ecological effects of
habitat heterogeneity may vary considerably between species groups depending
on whether structural attributes are perceived as heterogeneity or fragmentation.
Possible effects may also vary relative to the structural variable measured. Based
upon this, we introduce a classification framework that may be used for acrossstudies comparisons. Moreover, the effect of habitat heterogeneity for one species
group may differ in relation to the spatial scale. In several studies, however,
different species groups are closely linked to keystone structures that determine
animal species diversity by their presence. Detecting crucial keystone structures of
the vegetation has profound implications for nature conservation and biodiversity
management.

Cuba is incredibly biologically diverse critical to the health of

North Americas Atlantic coastal communities
Conell, Research associate at the Council on Hemispheric
Affairs, 9
(Christina, The U.S. and Cuba: Destined to be an
Environmental Duo?, http://www.coha.org/the-us-and-cubaan-environmental-duo/, 6/25/13,)
Climate change and environmental degradation are two of the most pressing
contemporary issues. If President Obama is sincerely committed to environmental
sustainability, he must forge international partnerships to implement this objective.
Where better to begin than in the U.S.s own backyard, where Cuba has a huge
presence. Only then can Cuba and the United States move forward to find joint
solutions to environmental challenges. Environmental Riches and Implications
Cubas glittering white sand beaches, extensive coral reefs, endemic
fauna and diverse populations of fish compose the Caribbeans most
biologically diverse island. Based on a per hectare sampling when
compared to the U.S. plus Canada, Cuba has 12 times more mammal

species, 29 times as many amphibian and reptile species, 39 times more

bird species, and 27 times as many vascular plant species. Equally
important, adjacent ocean currents and the island nations close
proximity, carry fish larvae into U.S. waters, making protection of Cubas
coastal ecosystems vital to replenishing the U.S.s ailing fisheries.
Therefore, preserving the marine resources of Cuba is critical to the
economic health of North Americas Atlantic coastal communities. The U.S.
and Cuba also share an ancient deepwater coral system that stretches up
to North Carolina. The islands 4,200 islets and keys support important
commercial reef fish species such as snapper and grouper as well as other
marine life including sea turtles, dolphins and manatees in both countries.
Fifty percent of its flora and 41 percent of its fauna are endemic, signifying
the importance of protecting the islands resources in order to safeguard the
paradisiacal vision that Christopher Columbus observed when landing on the island
in 1492.

Increased ties are key to biodiversity the embargo limits

interaction and destroys the environment
Boom, Director of the Caribbean Biodiversity Program, 12
(Brian M. Boom, September 2012, Biodiversity without Borders: Advancing U.S.Cuba Cooperation through Environmental Research, Science & Diplomacy, Vol. 1,
No. 3 (September 2012*).
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders.
Accessed June 24, 2013,)
THE ever-increasing challenges to the biodiversity shared by Cuba and the United
States provide the opportunity and the need for the two nations to take an
enhanced collaborative, bilateral approach to addressing shared issues. Cuba lies a
mere ninety miles south of the U.S. state of Florida, and the two countries
territorial waters meet in the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida. Cuba and
the United States thus share much biodiversityranging from varied populations of
organisms to diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Native species migrate,
exotic species invade, disease-causing species disperse, and rare species go extinct
in the face of growing habitat modification. The living components of this shared
environment are dynamically impacted, sometimes unpredictably so, by natural or
man-made environmental disasters. Nature does not respect political boundaries
nor do such potential disasters as oil spills, toxic releases, hurricanes, and tropical
storms. Such events provide the sine qua non for greater bilateral cooperation.
Governments around the world routinely collaborate on shared environmental
concerns bilaterally or multilaterally, depending on the situation being addressed.
Environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from local to international
levels often work in partnership with governments to solve environmental problems
that extend beyond national boundaries. Such public/private arrangements work
well in most circumstances, and there are many effective mechanisms in place to
deal with challenges ranging from endangered species and ecosystems to oil and
toxic waste spills. However, a lack of formal diplomatic relations can limit desirable
cooperation on shared environmental issues. The U.S. embargo on trade with
Cuba which was instituted in 1961 by the Kennedy administration in response to
Cubas nationalization of U.S. businesses properties in Cuba during the Cuban
Revolutionand subsequent regulations have thwarted the efforts of Cuban and

U.S. scientists to collaborate on environmental or other professional and academic

matters.1 There is essentially no intergovernmental environmental interaction
between the United States and Cuba . The shared biodiversity of these
countries, and in some cases that of other nations in the Caribbean and Gulf of
Mexico regions, suffers as a result . Fortunately, some NGOs in the United
States have had success over the years in working collaboratively with their Cuban
counterparts on shared environmental issues. The experiences of such NGOs can
inform a way forward in structuring an enhanced mechanism for bilateral
cooperation. Also fortunately, on January 14, 2011, the Obama administration
announced new rules that ease some restrictions on U.S. citizens travel and
remittances to Cuba, which will collaterally encourage more bilateral
environmental collaboration as well. While these steps have created some space,
given the political realities, a targeted environmental agreement is required to
facilitate further mutually beneficial study, monitoring, and protection of shared
biodiversity