The report “Vanishing Forests: Deforestation in Venezuela 2016-2021” by Venezuelan NGO Clima21 warns about the increase in deforestation in the country
The report reveals that the area of deforested forest cover reached 157,307 ha per year on average between 2016 and 2020, more than three times the surface of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas.
Likewise, in the last 35 years, the rate of deforestation of natural forests, areas with previous minimal intervention, increased by 198% to become the highest deforestation rate in the Amazon region for this type of forest.
The report shows how five states in the country have experienced a very high rate of deforestation in the last 20 years. The states of Bolívar and Amazonas are two of most affected during the study period, two regions where illegal mining has concentrated in recent years.
This process of environmental degradation increases the vulnerability of the Venezuelan population to drought, extreme weather events, infectious diseases and other consequences of climate change. In this sense, Alejandro Álvarez, General Coordinator at Clima21 stated: “This report is a very clear warning about the need to take urgent action to reduce the causes of deforestation and avoid the serious threats that this destruction is generating on the human rights of Venezuelans”.
Under these circumstances, it is difficult for the country to achieve the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to the conservation of land ecosystems (SDG15).
The lack of will and capacity on the part of the Venezuelan State to protect the country’s forests stands out as one of the causes of the situation.
To overcome this problem, the report recommends the Venezuelan State to incorporate sustainable forest management as a fundamental component of national development, among other steps. Likewise, it is recommended to recover and strengthen the country’s environmental institutions, establish a policy to support research on the country’s forest ecosystems and the progressive elimination of mining extractivism as a policy to finance the State.
You can read the full report HERE.
Translated by José Rafael Medina
