On Wednesday, September 7, the non-governmental organization Clima21 warned that Venezuela is “the country with the greatest loss of natural forests in the entire region” among the Amazon countries – ahead of Colombia and Bolivia, which are the closest in this indicator.
“In the period 2016-2021, Venezuela has experienced the highest rate of increase in the disappearance of this type of vegetation, especially in natural forests,” the NGO said in its report.
“Vanishing forests: Deforestation in Venezuela 2016-2021.” According to the study, the South American country’s forest area has decreased by 157,307 hectares during the 2016-2020 period, which is “more than three times the area of Greater Caracas.”
The report continues that the main concern is the speed at which this loss of area has increased, which is related to deforestation in recent years directed toward “previously undisturbed natural forest ecosystems.”
In comparison, the report states that natural forests accounted for 19% of all forest losses between 2001 and 2015, reaching 35% in the 2016-2020 period.
The NGO cited shifting agriculture, extraction of raw materials from forests, and forest fires as the leading causes of deforestation.
Clima21 added that small-scale mining is one of the causes of this phenomenon, noting that while the impact is difficult to estimate, “local measurements indicate that the country has lost significant areas of forest due to this activity.”
In light of the report’s findings, Clima21 called on Chavismo to develop a “comprehensive national policy for the conservation of forest ecosystems,” draft a biodiversity conservation strategy and strengthen the capacity of environmental agencies.
With information from Latina Press