- hot-spots
- deforestation
- Venezuela
- Deforestation in the Venezuelan Amazon
Problems
Venezuela is characterized by a great diversity of ecosystems, such as forests, jungles, and mountains, most of which are protected as national parks and reservoirs of flora and fauna. Despite this, they are subject to the destruction of existing tree species, which is considered a very sensitive environmental problem for the country. Venezuela has 8% of the Amazon rainforest, which absorbs millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. The rainforest covers about 60% of the southern part of the country. However, the same region of Venezuela, the Amazonas, is also the site of extensive illegal logging. The main factor influencing the destruction of tree species present in the country is related to oil extraction and mining. Because there are massive tree plantings in the country, they can cause excessive deforestation of the species, up to their complete and irreversible destruction. Mass deforestation occurs in agricultural or urban areas, mainly in the states of Bolívar and Amazonas, because of their great natural and mineral wealth.
Illegal Mining in Venezuela
Venezuela is distinguished by the fact that it has become a country rich in various natural resources, as well as rich in minerals and gems, such as gold and coltan. Just as there is a large percentage of deforestation by humans, illegal mining is also represented, which corresponds to the massive and illegal extraction of the country's minerals for purposes unprofitable for the nation. Deforestation is a consequence of illegal mining, highlighting in this case the consequences in the southern region of the country. This poses a great political and environmental problem because it is usually people who come from neighboring countries to illegally mine the country's minerals, among some of the most mined minerals are diamonds, gold, coltan, and others. Mining is an act of violence in Venezuela's mafia-controlled territories, where about 14.7 tons are mined. This type of problem is widely seen in the Amazon basin, where large-scale mining operations are carried out, where they carry out massive destruction of plant species, in the process polluting nearby water bodies. This type of practice can be carried out legally or illegally, in both cases creating a violent form against the environment with irreparable consequences in the area. Between 2016 and 2021, about 1.4 million hectares of rainforest disappeared, largely due to the mining of gold, diamonds, and other precious materials on public lands in the Orinoco Arch region.
Reports by non-governmental organizations
New reports from U.S. and Venezuelan nongovernmental organizations are of particular concern, showing that state mining activities in Venezuela's Yapacana National Park are causing the mountain to go bald. The Venezuelan government must protect Yapacana National Park from mining. However, satellite images from SOS Orinoco in Caracas and the Amazon Conservation Association, based in Washington, have identified 8,000 mining camps or vehicles in Yapacana National Park and another 425 camps or vehicles on top of Cerro Yapacana, a mountain in the park that is sacred to indigenous communities.
Gallery
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Timelines
2022
In the report, the non-governmental organization Fundaredes documented the deforestation and illegal infrastructure created by Colombian guerrillas for their illicit economic activities, which were allegedly allowed by the Maduro administration as a means of replacing federal funding lost due to a sharp decline in Venezuela's revenues the failed oil industry—once responsible for 96% of the federal government's economic revenue. Fundaredes, in his report, exposed the presence of ELN guerrillas in the country for many years in many communities on the Venezuelan-Colombian border. The report corroborated the first-hand testimony of former local congressman Americo Di Grazia, as the NGO documented "the construction of illegal airstrips used to take off and land aircraft involved in drug trafficking and mineral smuggling," including the transportation of mined gold and coltan. , as well as bauxite, diamonds, and iron ore.
2018
The area near Las Claritas, Bolivar State, and points around the Caroni and Icabaru rivers are among the areas most affected by mining-induced deforestation identified in the study. In these three regions, gold mining is the main mining activity, although there is also illegal mining of diamonds, bauxite, and coltan, which are widely used in microelectronics, telecommunications, and the aerospace industry. Of the 2,821 square kilometers of the Venezuelan Amazon deforested (53.6 percent of the total forest area lost), 445.72 square kilometers were located within natural areas protected by Venezuelan law.
2016
Without debate in parliament or civil society, the Venezuelan government has decreed that the upper reaches of the Amazon rainforest, which makes up 12% of the country's territory, should become a special economic zone for the mining of gold, diamonds, coltan, iron, and bauxite. The new area was named "Arco Minero del Orinoco" (Mining Arch of the Orinoco) in honor of the arched shape formed by the bed of the Orinoco, the main river of Venezuela. The zone is now under military control and constitutional rights are restricted. The area also makes up a large part of the Guiana Shield, a very ancient mineral-rich geological formation spanning Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil, which faces increasing threats from both small- and large-scale mining.
2015
The University of Puerto Rico published a research paper showing that the highest percentage of Amazon forest loss caused by gold mining is occurring in the Guianas. The study analyzed information on the rainforests of Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia and found that approximately 1,680 km2 of rainforest was lost in South America to small-scale gold mining alone.