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Usar p&frasl;gs xvii-134 - World Resources Institute

1. Scientific name Common name Examples of uses Indigenous groups Bactris Pijiguao Food construction Baniva Curripaco Guajibo Piaroa gasipaes Pejibaye medicine Yanomami Warao Hoti Ye kuana Mauritia Moriche palm Food medicine handi Baniva Curripaco Piaroa Warao flexuosa crafts construction religious Yanomami Ye kuana Hoti Pem n Leopoldinia Chiqui chiqui Food medicine handicrafts Baniva Curripaco Guajibo Piaroa piassaba palm construction Yanomami Warao Ye kuana Euterpe Mavaca palm Food construction Ye kuana Baniva Curripaco precatoria medicine Guajibo Piaroa Warao Hoti Attalea maripa Cucurito palm Food handicrafts construc Baniva Curripaco Guajibo tion games for children Ye kuana Yanomami Hoti ANIMALS Tapirus Danta tapir Food medicine handicrafts Ye kuana Yanomami Guajibo terrestris Pem n Hoti Panare Piaroa Warao Tayassu pecari Baquiro white Food medicine handicrafts Ye kuana Piaroa Pem n Guajibo lipped peccary Panare Yanomami Hoti Agouti paca Lapa paca Food medicine handicrafts Piaroa Ye kuana Yanomami Pem n Guajibo Panare Hoti Cebus olivaceus Mono capuchino Food medicine handicrafts Pem n Panare Hoti Ye kuana Capuchin Guajibo Piaroa Yanomami monkey Panthera onca Tigre jaguar Food medicine handicrafts Ye kuana Yanomami Pem n Guajibo Piaroa Panare Tayassu tajacu Ch charo col Food medicine handicrafts Ye kuana Piaroa Pem
2. UNDACION POLAR IS A NONPROFIT STITUTION FOUNDED IN 1977 BY EMPRESAS POLAR IT WAS CREATED O SUPPORT AND PROMOTE SUSTAIN ABLE INITIATIVES THAT CONTRIBUTE O IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND STRENGTHEN THE VENEZUELAN SOCIETY O FULFILL ITS MISSION AND ACHIEVE HE OBJECTIVES IT HAS SET ITSELF UNDACI N POLAR WORKS WITHIN IGHT SPHERES OF ACTION AGRICUL URE ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE FOOD SYSTEM ECONOMICS CULTURE EDU TION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOP MENT VENEZUELAN HISTORY AND HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE Presentation Man has become increasingly aware of the absolute need to preserve nature and to respect biodiver sity as the only way to assure permanence of life on Earth Thus it is urgent not only to study animal and plant species and ecosystems but also the inner harmony by which they are linked Venezuela and mainly the Guayana region has forest areas that offer multiple opportunities for sus tainable development In a way we have the responsibility that even surpasses national frontiers to make this region become an important worldwide conservation element And there are many risk factors that contribute to minimize the environmental characteristics of this strategic area among them indiscriminate logging mining agriculture and population pressures It is therefore neces sary to study and record complete and updated information on this subject The book that we are he
3. no data on research parcels does not include 1999 IC incomplete data CVG Imataca Coforgua Inproforca Intecmaca and Somagua are currently inactive Estimates of number of trees ha in Intecmaca from Ochoa 1997 The database is incomplete for some columns For some years it was not possible to obtain data for the number of trees cut nor the volume harvested in some concessions For this reason the averages for the trees ha year and volume ha year harvested were estimated using only the available data Thus several parameters in this table cannot be used to calculate other derived parameters All volume is expressed in official cubic meters 100 Annual Cutting Plans Executed Area Harvested trees Volume Total harvested Total ha year Total m ha m ha year ha 21 097 16 403 41 022 2 5 125 633 7 5 14 689 12 689 35 201 3 2 44 557 4 0 21 407 82 937 3 8 129 930 6 1 15 550 29 574 71 379 5 3 22 313 34 694 IC 2 3 148 774 6 9 11 476 12 181IC 34 438 IC 5 8 6 117 enuepyeos 67 050 6 3 123 556 257 697 3 0 621 762 6 1 53 455 45 458 182 006 41 53 455 IC 31 374 IC 1 6 60 565 IC 3 1 52 159 73 429 1 6 186 388 4 6 28 868 69 719 152 003 IC 7 9 10 407 38 491 39 536 IC 8 1 198 345 258 471 1 7 620 499 4 8 21 981 16 637 IC 2 4 129 229 IC 6 4 1 412 4 448 IC 5 495 4 833 IC 7 538 alor 28 888 21 4
4. 1 gt r d va un gt gt v s Cif A A S AIN Iain E A AS State of Venezuela s Forests es RC WT x oe E A E n 2 73 E E d AA e e o L pue o UH Y i 12S n A e T wa Study of the Gu vi PA A Global Forest Watch Report prepared by Mariap a Bevilacqua Lya C rdenas Ana Liz Flores Lionel Hern ndez Erick Lares B Alexander Mansutti R Marta Miranda Jos Ochoa G Militza Rodr guez and Elizabeth Selig AUTHORS Forest Cover and Protected Areas Mariap a Bevilacqua ACOANA and Marta Miranda WRI Wildlife Jos Ochoa G ACOANA WCS Non Timber Forest Products Lya C rdenas Lionel Hern ndez UNEG Mining Marta Miranda WRI and Ana Liz Flores Settlements Alexander Mansutti R UNEG Geographic Information Systems Elizabeth Selig WRI Erick Lares B Populations UNEG Militza Rodr guez Logging concessions UNEG Editor Marta Miranda WRI Production Editor Rosemarie Philips Collaborators Forest Cover and Protected Ar Abigail Castillo Pedro Delf n Hugh Eva Otto Huber Wildlife Marina Bevilacqua Francisco Bisbal Enrique La Marca Miguel Lentino Aimara L pez Javier S nchez Non Timber Forest Products Ismael Capote Marco DePablos Astolfo Mata Logging Luz Delgado Jorge Rangel Germ n Rodr guez Ramiro Silva Mining Maribel Torrellas Angel Paulo Amy Sprague Settlements V ctor Guti
5. Data on the location of settlements were derived from national census data GPS coordinates indigenous communities and expert opinion GPS coordinates were used for communities located in the Imataca Forest Reserve and along the Caura River In total GPS coordinates were provided for 18 Hoti communities 7 Kari fia communities 41 Ye kwana and Sanema in the Caura River and 103 indigenous and non indigenous settlements in Imataca e In Amazonas State only the northern sector close to Puerto Ayacucho was surveyed Data for the Imataca Forest Reserve and the Caura River were collected in the field most recently e A team of anthropologists and experts in Puerto Ayacucho collected qualitative information on population pressures near Puerto Ayacucho Data on settlements were entered into a Microsoft Access database stratified by type of community and uses ofthe forest indigenous agricultural mining service urban center etc Settlements were also stratified by size Limitations Where it was not possible to field check information we have based our data on already published maps and other documented information Thus errors from other sources may have been repeated Available cartography on settlements is between 10 Tecm n and 20 official cartographic office years old This may result in errors as many ofthe non indigenous settlements may have already disappeared or changed names Available maps of forest cover a
6. The forests of the Guayana region contain over half 58 percent of the known wildlife species in Venezuela representing nearly all of the orders and families recorded nationwide Mammals and birds are among the taxonomic groups with greatest representation in the forests of the Guayana region 75 percent and 63 percent of the known species in Venezuela respectively while the proportion of amphibians and reptiles has been estimated at between 47 percent and 34 percent respectively see Figure 5 Venezuela s Global Rank in Terms of Biodiversity Plants 8 000 sth 4 752 11th Amphibians 122 uth 55 11th Birds 40 15th 302 12th Reptiles 66 19th 64 27th Mammals 15 26th 79 29th Note Species per 10 000 km is based on a species area curve See Annex 1 for details Sources WRI World Resources Report 2000 2001 Washington DC WRI 2001 for plants amphibians birds and reptiles Mammals data from J Ochoa G and M Aguilera Mamiferos in M Aguilera et al eds Biodiversidad en Venezuela Caracas Venezuela CONICIT Fundaci n Polar in press 26 Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Ofthe total wildlife present in the forests of the Guayana region almost half 49 percent is restricted to these ecosystems As such they are vulnerable to habitat loss resulting from clearing and degra dation of forests The vertebrate communities that inhabit the forests of the Guayana
7. Exchange rate Bs 565 US 1 Sources MARNR Estad sticas Forestales a o 1997 Serie No 5 Caracas Venezuela MARNR Direcci n General Sectorial del Recurso Forestal 1999 Mennega E A W C M Tammens de Rooij and MJ Jansen Jacobs eds Check list of woody plants of Guyana based on D B Fanshawe s check list of the indigenous woody plants of British Guiana Wageningen The Netherlands 1988 Rollet B Inventario forestal de la Guayana Venezolana Estudio de preinversi n para el desarrollo forestal informe 3 Caracas Venezuela MAC FAO 1967 Rollet B Etudes quantitatives d une for t dense humide sempervirente de plaine de la Guyane V n zuelienne Doctoral dissertation Toulouse France Facult de Sciences 1969 Steyermark J P Berry K Yatskievych and B Holst eds Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 1 5 St Louis Missouri Botanical Garden Press 1995 1999 Sanoja E personal communication May 7 2001 98 Note There are many inconsistencies with regards to the common names identified with each species This is related to the lack of an updated list of wood species for the Imataca Forest Reserve and the San Pedro forest lot The latest list of species is dated from 1969 Rollet 1969 FAO despite the fact that concessionaires compile den drologic studies in the process of developing management plans However this information has not been com piled and updated A comprehensive botanic
8. 2001 See Bol var Goldfields Ltd 2001 About us Online at http www Bolivar gold com about htm July 24 2001 M Veiga Mercury in Small scale Gold Mining in Latin America Facts Fantasies and Solutions Paper presented to UNIDO Expert Group Meeting Introducing new technologies for abatement of global mercury pollution derived from small scale gold mining Vienna July 1 3 1997 p 3 Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 29 Government of Venezuela Decreto 1257 Caracas Venezuela GOV 1996 Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana CVG Vicepresidencia Corporativa de Miner a Situaci n Actual de la Permisolog a Ambiental de los Contratos Vigentes de Peque a Mediana y Gran Miner a en Areas Asignadas a la CVG Report to Ministry of Environment Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CVG September 1999 Ib dem Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana CVG Situaci n Actual de la Permisolog a Ambiental de los Contratos Vigentes de Peque a Mediana y Gran Miner a en reas Asignadas a la CVG Puerto Ordaz Venezuela CVG 1999 For concession status information see Crystallex International Co September 13 2000 Crystallex Agrees to Acquire Control of Lo Incre ble Project in Venezuela Company News Release Online at http www crystallex com news sep13 00 html June 28 2001 Vheadline com April 4
9. 3 Forests and the i Economy 5 Forest Legislation and Institutions 6 Forest Cover and Protection 11 Question 1 Where are Venezuela s forests and how has forest cover changed 12 Question 2 What is the status of protected areas in Venezuela s forests and in the Guayana region specifically DEA st 16 Question 3 How have protected areas been managed in Venezuela 22 CHAPTER 3 Non Extractive Value of Forests of the Guayana Region 25 Biodiversity 26 Non Timber Forest Product Use in the Guayana Region 30 CHAPTER 4 Forest Development Trends 35 Logging s s nodus 36 Question 1 What is the relative importance of logging to the national economy vacances 36 Question 2 Where are logging concessions located and how are they allocated 42 Question 3 What are the administrative and legal requirements for logging 42 Question 4 How much wood is extracted from the Guayana region forests 46 Question 5 What is the impact of logging on the forests of the Guayana region 49 Summary and Analysis s 51 Mining 53 Question 6 What is the relative importance of mining to the national economy 53 Question 7 Where are mining concessions and how are they allocated 56 Question 8 Do mining concessionaires abide by norms and regulations 61 Question 9 How does mining impact the forests of the Guayana region 62 Summary and Analysis 64 Settlem
10. J C Centeno Estrategia para el Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela Report commis sioned by WRI June 1995 p 51 Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 10 GFW Venezuela data See Annex 1 for more details Reduced impact logging has been found to reduce damage to surrounding trees when compared to conventional logging See P van der Hout Reduced impact logging in the tropical rain forest of Guyana ecological economic and silvicultural consequences Tropenbos Series 6 Wageningen Holland Tropenbos Foundation Guyana 1999 p 263 J Ochoa G El aprovechamiento forestal en la Guayana Venezolana Evaluaci n ecol gica e implicaciones para la conservaci n de los mam feros de laregi n Doctoral thesis M rida Venezuela Universidad de Los Andes 1997 D J Mason Responses of Venezuelan understory birds to selective log ging enrichment strips and vine cutting Biotropica 28 1996 296 309 A Mansutti Rodr guez et al Diagn stico de los conflictos socio ambientales en Imataca L neas estrat gicas de un programa para el resguardo y la consoli daci n de los asentamientos humanos ubicados en la Reserva Forestal Imataca Final report to the World Bank Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CIAG UNEG 2000 p 32 O Ortegano Informe de avance Proyecto PD 49 94 Seforven Revista de la Direcci n d
11. Junior companies are characterized by limited capital They engage in speculative exploration activities and cash in on their investments when they sell the development rights to another junior or a major mining company A breakdown of min ing concessions and contracts revealed the following The CVG owns approximately 40 percent of the area in concession and contract while almost one quarter of the area can be linked to foreign companies see Figure 22 The area owned by the CVG may eventually have foreign ownership as the CVG generally seeks joint venture partnerships with other companies to develop properties allocated to it by the MEM We were unable to link 14 percent of the area under concession to either the CVG or foreign mining companies The majority of these owners are likely either national companies without foreign affiliations or individual small scale miners Most of the foreign mining companies are Canadian or American with a few companies headquartered in other regions 57 ESTE Mining in the Guayana Region td BRAZIL i ESSI Areo of Mining Concessions Small Scale Miring Setenent gt forest 0 0 DB Kiomeiens ES Non font by WGS 04 IS woe Geoyrayhs A meum Seale 1 5 500 000 V hood This map represents areas where concessions have been allocated These concessions may or may not be active For information on sources of mining concessions data see Annex 1 Ac
12. 0 5 million for reclamation and environmental remedia tion of its La Camorra mine in the Guayana region 104 It is difficult to evaluate whether this amount is adequate without reviewing the company s reclamation plan However mining companies in the United States typically post reclamation bonds totaling between 5 and 50 million depending on the size of the mine 105 Summary and Analysis Gold and diamond mining is a relatively marginal activity in the Venezuelan economy and produc tion has been declining due in part to low prices on the international market However mining does provide a livelihood for local populations in the Guayana region and it will likely continue to play a role in the regional economy The challenge is to maintain the benefits of mining for local popula tions while ensuring that the region s forest ecosystems remain intact High levels of rainfall make the task more difficult Basic issues associated with mining acid mine drainage metals manage ment solid waste management require well planned strategies and proper monitoring to prevent large scale degradation of the region s natural resources However Venezuela may not have adequate administrative and legal conditions to ensure that min ing does not damage the forests of the Guayana region Evidence suggests that small scale mining has already resulted in significant negative impact to some forests and watersheds although it is dif ficult to quantify the extent
13. 1 1992 7 25 Castillo A El uso medicinal de los rboles del bosque h medo del r o Cataniapo estado Amazonas Acta Biol gica Venezuelica 15 No 3 4 1995 41 54 Castillo A Etnobot nica medicinal Piaroa al norte del estado Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica Memorias del Instituto de Biolog a Experimental UCV 2 No 1 1999 141 144 Castillo A and N Xena Patrones de floraci n y fructificaci n de las especies arb reas del bosque h medo del r o Cataniapo estado Amazonas Pittieria 21 Libro de res menes del XI Congreso Venezolano de Bot nica 1993 41 Facultad de Ciencias Forestales ULA Sociedad Bot nica de Venezuela M rida Venezuela Cerda H R Mart nez N Bricefio L Pizzoferrato D Hermoso and M Paleotti Cr a an lisis nutricional y sensorial del picudo del cocotero Rynchosphorus palmarum Cole ptera Curculionidae insecto de la dieta tradicional ind gena amaz nica Ecotropicos 12 No 1 1999 25 32 Chagnon N and R Hames La hip tesis proteica y la adaptaci n ind gena a la cuenca del Amazonas una revisi n cr tica de los datos y de la teor a Interciencia 5 No 6 1980 346 358 Clement C A center of crop genetic diversity in western Amazonia a new hypothesis of indigenous fruit crop distribution BioScience 39 No 9 1989 624 631 119 Cocco L Iyewei teri Quince a os entre los Yanomamos
14. Estrada J M ndez and A Castillo Actividad y fitoqu mica de plantas del Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica Memorias del Instituto de Biolog a Experimental UCV 2 No 1 1999 199 202 Gorzula S Diagn stico faun stico del estado Amazonas propuestas para su manejo sostenible In Amazonas modernidad en tradicci n edited by Antonio Carrillo and Miguel A Perera Caracas Venezuela GTZ CAIAH Sada Amazonas Orpia 1995 247 294 Gorzula S Una evaluaci n del estado actual de la fauna silvestre en el estado Amazonas Venezuela Informe t nico Caracas Venezuela GTZ MARNR Mimeographed 1993 Gorzula S and G Medina Cuervo La fauna silvestre de la cuenca del r o Caron y el impacto del hombre Evaluaci n y perspectivas Interciencia 11 No 6 1986 317 324 Government of Venezuela Ley de protecci n a la fauna silvestre Gaceta Oficial No 29 289 11 August 1970 Groger A An lisis preliminar de la fl rula y vegetaci n del Monumento Natural Piedra de la Tortuga estado Amazonas Venezuela sur de Puerto Ayacucho Acta Botanica Venezuelica 17 No 1 2 3 4 1994 128 153 Gu nchez F Aspectos biol gicos taxon micos y econ micos del g nero Leopoldinia Martius Arecaceae Doctoral dissertation Caracas Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela 1997 Gu nchez F Plantas amaz nicas de uso medicinal y m gico Caracas Venezuela Fundaci n Polar Sada Amaz
15. K and P S nchez eds Tecnolog as alternativas para el uso y conservaci n de bosques tropicales Caracas Venezuela Universidad Sim n Bol var Fundaci n Terramar Johnston M Tree population studies in low diversity forest Guyana II Assessments on the distribution and abundance of non timber forest products Biodiversity and Conservation 7 1998 73 86 Knab Vispo C J Rosales and G Rodr guez Observaciones sobre el uso de plantas por los Ye kuana en el bajo Caura Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 215 257 Knab Vispo C A rain forest in the Caura reserve Venezuela and its use by indige nous Ye kuana people Doctoral dissertation Madison Wisconsin University of Wisconsin 1988 Knab Vispo C P Berry and G Rodr guez Floristic structural characterization of a lowland rain forest in the lower Caura watershed Venezuelan Guayana Acta Botanica Venezuelica 22 No 2 1999 325 359 La Marca E ed Vertebrados actuales y f siles de Venezuela M rida Venezuela Museo de Ciencia y Tecnolog a de M rida 1997 Leal F P S nchez and E Valderrama Theobroma silvestre en el estado Amazonas de Venezuela Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter 116 1998 36 38 Listabarth C The palms ofthe Surumoni area Amazonas Venezuela II Phenology and pollination of two flooded forest palms Mauritiella aculeata and Leopoldinia pulchra Acta Botanica Venezuelica 22 No 1 1999 153 165 L
16. Northern Amazonas State Caura River Sub region Caron River Sub region and Imataca Orinoco Delta The representation of species in forest ecosystems was evaluated for each wildlife group taking into account known species richness in all of Venezuela and in the Guayana region As a complement to this analysis the pro portion of species restricted to forest ecosystems was quantified for each taxonomic group In addition the num ber of components with priority for conservation was estimated taking into account the presence of endemic species or other restrictions in their distribution For the purposes of this study endemic species are those with distributional patterns restricted to Venezuela The potential for threat was estimated using the following criteria Increased level of local hunting Growing loss of habitat Low demographic potential High degree of sensitivity to changes in the primary condition of ecosystems Limitations The data are limited to existing zoological inventories As such the indicators do not represent a complete cata logue of wildlife species inhabiting forests in the Guayana region or in Venezuela Non Timber Forest Products Figures 7 9 Proportions of Plants and Animals Used by Indigenous and Non Indigenous Communities Figure 7 Food 186 87 Medicine 175 39 Construction 21 0 Handicrafts 34 25 Other 100 28 TOTAL 516 179 Source GFW Venezuela Database of b
17. Pine Pardillo D Bamboo Jobo Saman Jabillo Apamate PRIVATE SECTOR 187 000 Corp Forestal Gua i EN lea 72 500 Caribbean pino aM us q e Carnal pougno a 31 000 Caribbean pine Eucalyptus D llo Forestal Si j Carlos DEFORSA Capita 4 400 Caribbean pine Eucalyptus Forestal Anzo tegui Anzo tegui 2 000 Eucalyptus Forestal Orinoco Anzo tegui 550 Caribbean pine Eucalyptus TRACFOR CA Anzo tegui 4 500 Caribbean pine Eucalyptus Asociaci n de Agrotec Anzo tegui nicos La Tentaci n 3 000 Caribbean pine Eucalyptus Plantation established 5 7 A in natural forests as Bol var Barinas 69 000 Teak Melina Puy Saman Mureillo Pardillo part of management Zapatero Mahogany Mijao Algarrobo Cedar plans Source MARNR Bolet n Estad stico Forestal N 2 A o 1998 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1999 p 32 Fees and royalties were increased substantially in 1999 but they still remain low compared to the value of production Logging companies are charged a range of fees and taxes Area taxes are low averaging about US 0 06 per hectare in each annual cutting plan Logging fees include a technical services fee a fiscal fee and a documentation fee all of which are assessed on a per cubic meter basis The technical services fee which is meant to pay for services provided by the Forestry Department was estab lished by law in 1994 The law set fees at Bs 880 per cubic meter for
18. Study on Mineral Taxation Concerns Vancouver Canada Intergovernmental Working Group on the Mineral Industry 1993 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 Government of Venezuela GOV Decree 295 Decree with the Same Status and Effects of a Mining Law translated into English Caracas Venezuela GOV 1999 Online at http www camiven com msg8 htm July 18 2001 A La Riva Taller sobre comercializaci n y legislaci n de oro GEOMINAS Bolet n No 15 Ciudad Bol var Venezuela Escuela de Geolog a y Minas de la Universidad de Oriente July 1986 M Veiga Mercury in Small scale Gold Mining in Latin America Facts Fantasies and Solutions Paper presented to UNIDO Expert Group Meeting Introducing new technologies for abatement of global mercury pollution derived from small scale gold mining Vienna July 1 3 1997 p 3 Production value estimated using an average price of 279 troy ounce See U N Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention 1998 The Geography of Offshore Financial Centres and Bank Jurisdictions excerpted from Financial Havens Banking Secrecy and Money Laundering Online at http www globalpolicy org nations finhav99 htm June 27 2001 p 2 Oxfam Tax Competition and Tax Havens Presentation for U N Financing for Development NGO Hearings Washington DC November 7 2000 Online at http www globalpolicy org socecon develop 2000 11000x htm July 24
19. Vancouver Canada Intergovernmental Working Group on the Mineral Industry 1993 Government of Venezuela Decreto 1257 Caracas Venezuela GOV 1996 La Riva A Taller sobre comercializaci n y legislaci n de oro GEOMINAS Bolet n No 15 Ciudad Bol var Venezuela Escuela de Geolog a y Minas de la Universidad de Oriente 1986 Miranda M A Blanco Uribe Q L Hern ndez J Ochoa and E Yerena All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 Moran R E Mining Environmental Impacts Integrating an Economic Perspective Draft paper for Centro de Investigaci n y Planificaci n del Medio Ambiente CIPMA 2001 cited June 28 2001 Available from http www cipma cl OXFAM Tax Competition and Tax Havens Paper presented at the Presentation for UN Financing for Development NGO Hearings 2000 Washington DC 2000 Rodner C R quiem para un bosque Debates IESA 3 No 4 1998 Rodr guez Giusto M et al Contaminaci n Mercurial en Mineros y Afines del Bajo Caron Ciudad Guayana Confidential report to the CVG Ciudad Bol var Venezuela Plexus June 1990 Torres I The Mineral Industry of Venezuela Washington DC USGS 1997 U S Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook Washington DC USGS 1999 UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention The Geography of Offshore Financial Centres and Bank Jurisdictions from Fin
20. What are the economic benefits of these activities and who are the beneficiaries What are the forest regulations and laws and are they being followed The analysis is organized in thematic chapters which seek to balance the benefits provided by forests with the potential costs of large scale economic development Each chapter includes a series of questions used to address the theme Maps graphics and other indicators provide underlying data for each question Our results show that the forests of the Guayana region are relatively intact and a significant propor tion is protected for conservation purposes These ecosystems are among the most culturally and biologically diverse in Venezuela harboring most of the nation s biodiversity and indigenous peo ples To date population and development pressures in neighboring Amazonian countries such as Brazil have resulted in higher rates of deforestation than that experienced in the Venezuelan Guayana region Thus Venezuela is faced with a unique opportunity to maintain one of the world s largest tracts of forest intact for future generations xvii However the forests of the Guayana region are experiencing considerable change The most serious potential threats to forest conversion are from agricultural encroachment ranching and small scale mining These threats are exacerbated by recent increases in population changes in settlement pat terns road building and the allocation of loggin
21. ated development stages a timeline for execution requirements for personnel infrastructure and equipment and an esti mated budget These elements are essential if protected area managers are to plan activities manage resources and effec tively monitor compliance with government regulations Bevilacqua reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n in M Aguilera et al eds Biodiversidad en Venezuela Caracas Venezuela CONICIT Fundaci n Polar in press M Bevilacqua and J M ndez Manual T cnico para la Creaci n Ordenaci n Reglamentaci n de ABRAE en Venezuela Serie de Informes T cnicos Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables DGSPOA 2000 MARNR Plan del sistema nacional de reas protegidas 1 Etapa Marco conceptual Serie de Informes T cnicos DGSPOA IT 213 Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables 2000 M Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 23 STRICTLY PROTECTED IUCN I IV National Parks IUCN II Zoning and Land Use Plans by Type of Protected Area ABRAE Natural Monuments IUCN III Wildlife Reserves IUCN IV Wildlife Refuges IUCN IV NATURAL RESOURCE USE IUCN V Protected Zone IUCN V Biosphere Reserves IUCN V Forest Areas Under Protection IUCN VI
22. lez J and A Azocar Caracas CONICIT Fundaci n Polar in press Bryant D D Nielsen and L Tangley The Last Forest Frontier Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge Washington DC World Resources Institute 1997 Castillo A O reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial por Figura Documento Sujeto a Revisi n No 36 Caracas Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales MARN Direcci n de Ordenaci n del Territorio Direcci n General Sectorial de Planificaci n y Ordenaci n del ambiente 2001 Catal n A El Proceso de Deforestaci n en Venezuela entre 1975 1988 Caracas Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables MARNR 1989 FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2000 Rome Italy FAO 2001 Harcourt C S and J A Sayer eds The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests The Americas New York IUCN 1996 Malingreau J P et al AVHRR for Global Tropical Forest Monitoring the Lessons of the TREES project Remote Sensing Reviews 12 1995 29 40 Matthews E R Payne M Rohweder and S Murray Pilot Analysis of Global Washington DC WRI 2000 Matthews E Understanding the FRA 2000 Forest Briefing No 1 Washington DC WRI 2001 Mayaux P and E F Lambin Estimation of tropical forest area from coarse spatial resolution data A two step correction function for proportional errors due to spatial aggregation Remote Sensing of Environment 53 No 1 1995 1
23. ndez H Castellanos A De Martino V Sevilla A Navarro F Navarro I Figueroa and E Lares Informe Final Diagn stico de los conflictos socio ambientales en Imataca L neas estrat gicas de un programa para el resguardo y la consolidaci n de los asentamientos humanos ubicados en la Reserva Forestal Imataca RFI Final report to the World Bank Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CIAG UNEG 2000 Mansutti Rodr guez A and N Silva Monterrey Extracci n de Recursos y Pueblos Ind genas en la Guayana Venezolana In Derechos econ micos sociales y culturales de los pueblos ind genas Prevenci n de impactos sociales y ecol gicos de la explotaci n de los recursos naturales edited by GhK ELNI 283 298 Quito Abya Yala 1997 Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica El Censo Ind gena de 1992 Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1993 Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica El Censo 90 en Bol var Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1995 Silva Monterrey N and A Mansutti Rodr guez Situaci n de los pueblos ind genas de Venezuela en 1996 Journal de la Soci t des Americanistes 82 1996 348 132 All data presented in this report are available at http www globalforestwatch org or by contacting the following organizations World Resources Institute WRI 10 G Street NE Suite 800 Washington DC 20002 www wri org Marta Miranda Associate Biological Resources Program Telf 202 729 7627 Fax 202
24. rrez Marion Iles Yolimar Infante Rosario Larr Gracia Lee Alejandro Signi Stanford Zent The Venezuelan chapter of Global Forest Watch was initially coordinated by Eric Van Praag Each World Resources Institute report represents a timely scholarly treatment of a subject of public con cern WRI takes responsibility for choosing the study topics and guar anteeing its authors and researchers freedom of inquiry Tt also solicits and responds to the guidance of advisory panels and expert review ers Unless otherwise stated how ever all the interpretation and find ings set forth in WRI publications are those of the authors Copyright O 2002 World Resources Institute All rights reserved ISBN 1 56973 508 5 English ISBN 1 56973 509 3 Spanish Coordination Fundaci n Polar Hecho el dep sito de ley ISBN 980 379 050 1 Dep sito Legal 1f2592002574831 Editing Coordination Armando Hern ndez A Supervision Gisela Goyo Technical Revision Jos Ochoa G Revision and Proofreading Mercedes Robles Graphic Design Katali Alava Graphics Andr s Eduardo Castro S Photographs Mariap a Bevilacqua Cover Rio Chanaro Cuenca del Rio Caura Estado Bolivar Venezuela 2000 Inside Procesamiento de la yuca para la preparaci n del casabe Sebuc n Alto Rio Caura Estado Bolivar Venezuela 2000 Pre pre Compumedia Printed by Litograf a ImagenColor SA Caracas Venezuela
25. 05 Gu a y planilla Fiscal tax 1 056 6 2 7 1 056 6 1 75 participaci n fiscal TOTAL 1 782 4 3 66 10 376 8 Average exchange rates 1997 1 US Bs 487 59 1999 1 US Bs 604 69 Sources GOV Ley de Timbre Fiscal Gaceta Oficial No 4727 Ex 27 5 94 Caracas Venezuela Government of Venezuela 1994 MARNR Planilla de Recolecci n de Informaci n de Concesiones Caracas Venezuela MARNR no date GOV Decreto 363 Gaceta Oficial No 5391 Ex 22 10 99 Caracas Venezuela Government of Venezuela 1999 17 16 Logging Fees as a Proportion of Production Value in the Guayana Region and Other Tropical Countries FIGURE 14 70 15 10 5 o amp of production valne at mill gate Source J G Collomb et al A First Look al Logging in Gabon Washintong DC WRI 2000 J G Collomb et al An Overview of Logging in Cameroon Washington DC WRI 2000 41 QUESTION 2 are they allocated Logging concessions make up less than 7 percent of the forests of the Guayana region Over half of the concessions are inactive Logging concessions are granted in forest reserves created by presidential decree or in forest lots established by the Ministry of Environment The land is owned by the state and leased out to con cessionaires for 20 to 40 years The majority of logging on forestry concessions in Venezuela takes place in the Guayana region particularly the eastern portion Nearly all
26. 39 Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica E Censo 90 en Bol var Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1995 Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica El Censo Ind gena de 1992 Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1993 pp 28 32 M Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC World Resources Institute 1998 p 9 Banco Central de Venezuela n d Indicadores Economicos Producto Interno Bruto Online at http www bcv org ve pdf 712 pdf June 27 2001 M Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC World Resources Institute 1998 p 11 Ib dem pp 7 8 Government of Venezuela GOV Gaceta Oficial de la Rep blica de Venezuela No 30 809 Oct 1 1975 A National Assembly whose members were elected in July 2000 subsequently replaced the Constitutional Assembly See C Delgado Este semestre habr un nuevo decreto para la reserva forestal de Imataca El Nacional March 17 2000 M Tabuas Min Ambiente llam a derrotar el neoliberalismo ecol gico E Nacional February 6 1999 C Delgado B Avanza la explotaci n en Imataca El Nacional June 24 1999 O Ortegano Nueva Pol tica Forestal El Manejo Integral Comunitario del Bosque in SEFORVEN Revista de la Direcci n del Recurso Forestal No 16 Caracas Venezue
27. 729 7620 arta wri org e mail Asociaci n Venezolana para la Conservaci n de reas Naturales ACOANA Avenida Humboldt con calle Coromoto Edificio Breto oficina n 5 Bello Monte Norte Caracas Venezuela Apartado postal 51532 Caracas 1050 A Dr Jos Ochoa G Apartado 51532 Caracas 1050 A Venezuela Telf 58 212 763 10 54 Fax 58 212 763 33 65 e mail jochoaGreacciun ve Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana UNEG Carrera Guri Edificio Alf rez Nivel Mezanina Local 3A Alta Vista Puerto Ordaz Estado Bol var Venezuela www uneg edu ve Provita Av Las Acacias Edif Torre La Previsora Piso 15 Oficinas 105 y 106 Los Caobos Caracas Venezuela Apdo 47552 Caracas 1041 A Venezuela Telf 58 212 794 22 34 Fax 58 212 794 25 56 e mail provitaGprovitaonline org http www provitaonline org Fundaci n Polar 2 Avenida Los Cortijos de Lourdes Edif Fundaci n Polar Piso 1 Caracas Venezuela Telf 58 0212 202 75 62 e mail ambiente fpolar org ve http www fpolar org ve ESTE LIBRO SE TERMIN DE IMPRIMIR EN LOS TALLERES DE LA LITOGRAF A IMAGEN COLOR CARACAS VENEZUELA EN EL MES DE MARZO DE 2002 EL TIRAJE CONSTA DE 1500 EJEMPLARES ESTE LIBRO SE TERMIN DE IMPRIMIR EN LOS TALLERES DE LA LITOGRAF A IMAGEN COLOR CARACAS VENEZUELA EN EL MES DE MARZO DE 2002 EL TIRAJE CONSTA DE 1000 EJEMPLARES
28. 88 960 0 800 0 88 960 0 Anzo tegui 885 965 9 248 376 8 1 134 342 7 Aragua 173 697 0 383 0 173 697 0 Bol var 17 980 854 1 16 553 0 18 242 551 6 Falc n 751 250 0 0 751 250 0 Gu rico 1 204 905 6 1 265 0 1 204 905 6 Miranda 421 651 9 1 211 0 421 651 9 Monagas 565 824 1 289 582 5 855 227 6 Nueva Esparta 13 750 0 0 13 750 0 Sucre 361 868 6 287 0 361 868 6 Zulia 1 704 632 0 1 570 0 1 704 632 0 Amazonas 16 362 918 2 0 16 556 407 6 Delta Amacuro 3 077 410 4 316 0 3 322 572 5 TOTAL 43 593 687 8 560 344 3 44 831 817 1 Source MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1996 pp 7 11 13 87 Notes In 1996 the Venezuelan government published forest cover estimates for 1995 based on an unpublished vegetation map Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice In addition to providing forest cover estimates for all 23 states and territories the Ap ndice also includes a deforestation analysis for 13 states see table below The Ap ndice reports internally inconsistent forest cover figures for several of the states listed In one table ofthe Ap ndice 1995 forest cover estimates for 5 of 13 states are listed higher than in another table in the same chapter The increase in forest cover for two of these states Monagas and Anzo tegui can be attributed to the inclusion of plantation area in one ofthe tables However for the remaining three Bol var Amazonas and Delta Amacuro pl
29. An area of conflict is defined as an overlap between protected areas with conflicting objectives or an area where uncertainty exists over the specificities of the protected area decree For information on conflicts see Chapter 2 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 21 Lowland forests can be considered the most vulnerable of forest types in the Guayana region given the small percentage less than 20 percent of these forests under strict protection and the relatively large percentage 58 percent that has been allocated for extractive uses These forests include key ecosystems for the conservation of certain groups of wildlife species that demonstrate a high degree of diversity in neotropical environments see Chapter 3 In addition lowland forests are important for the conservation of the nation s socio cultural diversity represented by its indigenous heritage see Chapter 4 Questions 10 11 22 Lack of on the ground management hampers the conservation of existing strictly protected areas Although the protected areas network is extensive little has been done to manage these areas effec tively see Box 4 For example Only 15 percent of protected areas in Venezuela have approved land use and zoning plans Planes de Ordenamiento y Reglamento de Uso a fundamental tool for protected areas man agement This situation is especially problematic in the Guayana
30. Bol var which resulted in cartographic errors in delin eating the boundaries of these areas We also encountered difficulties mapping the large number of established protected areas 362 total because of overlap between protected area boundaries the extent of overlap suggests a lack of information and poor coordination on the part of government officials when delineating protected areas 11 12 Our findings indicate the following Lack of reliable data on Venezuela s forest cover makes it extremely difficult to ascertain the extent of and change in the country s forests This is due primarily to different method ologies used to determine forest cover as well as to inconsistencies in government data Venezuela has succeeded in establishing a complex protected areas system which protects a significant portion of the nation s forests However overlaps in different types of protected areas uncertainty regarding protected area boundaries and the lack of systematic on the ground management undermines the country s forest conservation efforts This is partic ularly the case in the Guayana region where most of the largest protected areas are found While the exact extent of forests is not known it is clear that a significant portion of the country s forests remain intact A key challenge for continued conservation of these forests will be to develop the capacity to manage the existing protected areas network as well as to
31. E Expediciones cient ficas de FUDECI a la Serran a de Tapirapec del Estado Amazonas 1988 1989 Bolet n de la Academia de Ciencias F sicas Matem ticas y Naturales 171 172 1996 149 188 de Civrieux M Clasificaci n zool gica y bot nica entre los Makiritare y los Kari a Antropol gica 36 1973 3 82 Delascio F Aspectos biol gicos del Delta del Orinoco Caracas Venezuela Instituto Nacional de Parques 1985 Delascio F Etnobot nica Ye kuana Acta Terramaris 1 1989 39 42 Delascio F Vegetaci n y etnobot nica del valle de Culebra Mawadianejodo estado Amazonas Venezuela Acta Terramaris 5 1992 1 42 Delgado C L A Cioccia and O Brito Utilizaci n del fruto de Pijiguao Guilielma gasiapes en la alimentaci n humana I Antecedentes potencial nutricional y energ tico y caracter sticas de la planta y fruto Acta Cient fica Venezolana 39 1998 90 95 120 Dessene P and S Strhal Situaci n poblacional y jerarquizaci n de especies para la conservaci n de la familia Psittacidae en Venezuela In Biolog a y con servaci n de los psitacidos de Venezuela edited by L G Morales D Bigio A Luy and F Rojas Su rez 231 272 1994 Gr ficas Giavimar Caracas Venezuela Eden M Ecological aspects of development among Piaroa and Guahibo indians of the upper Orinoco basin Antropol gica 39 1974 25 56 Escalante B and L Moraleda Narracion
32. Editorial Salesiana 1987 Colchester M La ecolog a de los ind genas Sanema Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 11 140 Colchester M Sustentabilidad y toma de decisiones en el Amazonas venezolano Los Yanomami en la Reserva de la Biosfera del Alto Orinoco Casiquiare In Amazonas modernidad en tradici n edited by A Carrillo and M A Perera Caracas Venezuela GTZ Sada Amazonas CAIAH Orpia 1995 141 174 Contreras J Potencial de la biodiversidad amaz nica utilizaci n de dos variedades de t piro Solanum sessiflorum Dunal por comunidades ind genas Fenolog a y potencial productivo 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica Memorias del Instituto de Biolog a Experimental UCV 2 No 1 1999 111 114 Coopens W Las relaciones comerciales de los Ye kuana del Caura Paragua Antropol gica 30 1971 28 59 Coopens W Los Hoti In Los abor genes de Venezuela Monograf a No 29 edited by Walter Coopens 243 302 Fundaci n La Salle de Ciencias Naturales 1983 Cuello N and G Aymard Datos sobre la diversidad vegetal composici n flor stica y estructura en bosques ribere os del medio Casiquiare Departamento R o Negro del estado Amazonas utilizando el m todo de transectas de 0 1 ha Pittieria 21 Libro de res menes del XI Congreso Venezolano de Bot nica 1993 115 Facultad de Ciencias Forestales ULA Sociedad Bot nica de Venezuela M rida Venezuela de Bellard Pietri
33. Environment 13 However Article 39 of Decree 369 assigns forestry duties to the Ministry of Environment The Ministry of Environment is responsible for regulation formulation and monitoring of environmen tal policy in the Venezuelan state and the management and control of forest resources 14 The question of which Ministry has final responsibility for the management of forest resources was put before the Attorney General whose ruling on the matter had not been made public as of August 2001 For the time being the Forest Resources Department remains the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment But if the new law is interpreted to mean that the Forest Resources Department falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Production and Commerce it would be a shift in policy that would place more emphasis on the commercial value of wood and less on the sustainable management of forests for other ecosystem values Primary Legislation Relevant for Protection of Venezuela s Forests and Forest Peoples in order of legal hierarchy Legal Instrument Year Relevance Constitution of the 1999 Recognizes the right of all individuals to a safe and healthy environment Bolivarian Republic of Recognizes the right of indigenous communities to prior informed con Venezuela sent with regard to the use of natural resources in their territories Gives responsibility to the Venezuelan government for de
34. For example the majority have neither dryers plantas de secado nor the capacity to treat processed wood against fungi or insects 61 47 Only 18 percent of staff at the twenty four operating sawmills in the Guayana region are trained see Figure 18 and nearly all of these are working in sawmills operated by concessions where the Ministry of Environment requires the employment of trained professionals Because of outdated technology up to half ofthe wood processed in sawmills is wasted 82 Such inef ficiency is similar to that observed in sawmills of neighboring Guiana Shield countries 3 In contrast in northern European countries sawmill waste is considered a byproduct and is used as input to pulp or board production or as fuel NIUE Sawmill Capacity versus Production xs ER REL zeugan ERE EIEE BEEN SV Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for detail NEUE Proportion of Trained Staff Working at Sawmills of the Guayana Region 2001 ah Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details 48 The Guayana region lacks a transparent and reliable system for verifying the amount of wood extracted and processed in the region s sawmills Data obtained for this study were based on a survey of sawmill operators Sawmill owners are reti cent to provide data on volume of wood entering the mill and records kept by sawmills are neither reliable nor up to date Our data indicate that Sawmill record
35. Forest Reserves IUCN VI HER NO IUCN EQUIVALENT National Hydraulic Reserves Critical Areas with Priority for Recuperation 1 9 Areas for Protection of Public Works 5 0 Areas for Protection and Environmental Recuperation pun Integrated Rural Development Areas 1 4 Deep Water Coastal Marine Areas 0 3 Area of Historic Heritage 0 3 Agricultural Development Zone ay Rl ol of of RB on Area Reserved for the Construction of Reservoirs and Dams 0 6 Area of Touristic Interest 3 6 Security Zone SES Frontier Security Zone 24 54 63 308 299 For protected zones 14 zoning plans and 23 land use plans have been approved separately such that 44 zoning plans and 35 land use plans have yet to be approved For the rest of the protected areas zoning and land use plans have been approved together Of the 362 protected areas 54 have zoning plans and 63 have land use plans 308 do not have zoning plans and 299 do not have land use plans Source MARN DGSPOA DOT 2001 o 0HAPTERS 00 Non Extractive Value of Forests ofthe Guayana Region Venezuela s forests are valued for a range of ecosystem goods and services including wildlife non timber forest products and the potential for hydropower and ecotourism to name a few In the fol lowing section we assess the importance of some biological resources in the f
36. Forests help to slow global warming because they store vast quantities of carbon They control flooding purify water and cycle nutrients and soil ultimately influencing food production for bil lions of people And they house an incredible array of living organisms that provide the genetic material for valuable new products and a foundation for the resilience of natural systems Until recently there were few systematic data on the condition of the world s forests No one knew how much forest had been lost or how much remained as large intact and fully functioning natural ecosystems frontier forests This report The State of Venezuela s Forests A Case Study of the Guayana Region is the first Global Forest Watch product to examine the state of forests in the Guiana Shield region one of the world s most important forest frontier regions Launched by the World Resources Institute in 1998 Global Forest Watch GFW is a remarkable new alliance that unites nongovernmental organizations NGOs universities scientific researchers and local leaders from forested countries around the world GFW links satellite imagery with on the ground investigation by local groups to assemble powerful information about the risks to the world s great forests and then uses the Internet to make the information widely available Until now forest monitoring efforts have tracked deforestation and forest degradation after it has hap pened Once a frontier forest has be
37. Hout V G Jetten A J van Kekem M A Kellman Z Khan A M Polak T L Pons J Pulles D Raaimakers S A Rose J J van Der Sanden and R Zagt Ecology and logging in a tropical rain forest in Guyana with recommendations for forest management Tropenbos Series 14 Wageningen Holland Tropenbos Foundation 1996 129 ter Steege H and D S Hammond Forest Management in the Guianas Ecological and Evolutionary Constraints on Timber Production BOS NiEuWSLETTER 15 1996 62 69 Uhl C and I Vieira Ecological Impacts of Selective Logging in the Brazilian Amazon A Case Study from the Paragominas Region of the State of Par Biotropica 21 No 2 1989 98 106 Uhl C etal Natural Resource Managment in the Brazilian Amazon an integrated approach BioScience 47 No 3 1997 160 168 ULA MARNR Informe del Primer Taller para la conservaci n de la Biodiversidad en la Reserva Forestal Caparo Armando Torres L Compilador cuaderno comodato M rida Venezuela ULA MARNR No 21 1993 van der Hout P Reduced impact logging in the tropical rain forest of Guyana ecological economic and silvicultural consequences Tropenbos Series 6 Wageningen Holland Tropenbos Foundation Guyana 1999 Villasana R Autoecolog a de especies forestales y estratificaci n de comunidades de la Unidad II Reserva Forestal Imataca edo Bol var Venezuela Master of Science Thesis in Forest Mgmt M rida Venezuela
38. Hunting Human Ecology 7 1980 219 251 R B Hames Game Depletion and Hunting Zone Rotation Among the Ye kwana and Yanomamo of Amazonas Venezuela in Working Papers on South American Indians eds W T Vikers and K M Kesinger Burlington VT Burlington College 1980 1 20 J Ojasti El Uso Valor Manejo y Conservaci n de la Fauna Silvestre Amaz nica Informe Nacional de Venezuela Santiago Chile Informe para la Oficina Regional de la FAO 1995 p 155 J Ojasti Utilizaci n de la fauna silvestre en Am rica Latina Situaci n y pers pectivas para un manejo sostenible FAO Cuadernos T cnicos Conservaci n 25 1993 1 248 V Palma and S Grouwels Conservaci n y uso de la fauna silvestre en reas protegidas de la Amazon a Publ No 69 Caracas Venezuela Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica 1999 J Ojasti Uso y conservaci n de la fauna silvestre en la Amazonia Publ No 35 Caracas Venezuela Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica 1995 Ojasti Uso y conservaci n de la fauna silvestre en la Amazonia Publ No 35 Caracas Venezuela Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica 1995 C Knab Vispo J Rosales and G Rodr guez Observaciones sobre el uso de plantas por los Ye kuana en el bajo Caura Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 215 257 R V Buj a Los Kamarakoto Patolog a y medicina seg n el criterio etnoepidemio l gico Pem n Undergraduate thesis Caracas Venezuela Escuela de Antropol
39. Hydraulic Reserve ZP Protected Zone Chapter 3 Non Extractive Value of Forests of the Guayana region Biodiversity Table 4 Venezuela s Global Rank in Terms of Biodiversity Notes Number of species per 10 000 km This allows comparisons of number of species among countries of varying sizes by predicting the number of species that would occur in a uniform area The species area curve consists of the following formula S cA where S number of species A area and c and zare constants For more details see World Resources Institute World Resources 2000 2001 Washington DC WRI 2001 pp 317 318 Statistics for total number and number of endemic mammals were updated from J Ochoa G and M Aguilera Mam feros in M Aguilera et al eds Biodiversidad en Venezuela Caracas Venezuela CONICIT Fundaci n Polar in press and ranked according to data tables in WRI 2001 Figures 5 6 Map 7 Wildlife Species Richness in the Guayana Region Figure 5 Birds 855 512 Amphibians 128 147 Reptiles 98 194 92 Map 7 Threatened and Endemic Species by Sub Region of Guayana Wildlife Restricted to Forests of the Guayana Region Figure 6 Threatened Species by Sub region Known Endemic Species by Sub region Sources unpublished zoological collections comprised of the following e Colecci n de Vertebrados de la Universidad de los Andes CVULA M rida e Museo de Historia Natural de Guanare MH
40. Plonczak M Struktur und Entwicklungsdynamik eines Naturwaldes unter Konzessionsbewirtschaftung in den westlichen Llanos Venezuelas Tropen Subtropen 43 1989 140 Posada R Algunos aspectos sobre el proceso de producci n del Aserradero Yocoima Proyecto de Ingenier a de Industrias Forestales Informe de Pasant a Upata Venezuela Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana 1993 Ram rez S nchez J Incendios Forestales en Venezuela M rida Venezuela Instituto Forestal Latinoamericano 1996 Rollet B Inventario forestal de la Guayana Venezolana Estudio de preinversi n para el desarrollo forestal informe 3 Caracas MAC FAO 1967 Rollet B Etudes quantitatives d une for t dense humide sempervirente de plaine dela Guyane V n zuelienne Doctoral dissertation Toulouse France Facult de Sciences 1969 Rowe R et al Managing the World s Forests In Deforestation Problems Causes and Concerns edited by N Sharma Dubuque Iowa Kendall Hunt Publishing 1992 Su rez de Gim nez A Estudio bot nico ecol gico de algunas comunidades presentes en el arboretum El Buey Proyecto Sierra Imataca Trabajo de ascenso a Profesor Titular M rida Venezuela Universidad de los Andes 1995 ter Steege H A monograph of Wallaba Mora and Greenheart Tropenbos Technical series 5 Amsterdam 1990 ter Steege H R Boot L Brouwer J C Caesar R C Eck D Hammond P P Haripersaud P van der
41. Puerto Ayacucho have undergone extensive clearing primarily along roads leading to these cities Many small scale farmers come from other parts of the country often from places with better soil fer tility than in the Guayana region Thus the agricultural techniques non indigenous farmers practice may not be suitable to the forest ecosystems of the Guayana region where soil fertility is limited Ranching communities located in the Imataca Forest Reserve especially in the El Dorado Km88 area have extensive deforestation 109 Colonization along the forest frontier generates pressure to construct new roads and infrastructure Constructing a road connecting Canaima and La Paragua or one connecting either El Palmar or Tumeremo to Punto Barima on the Atlantic coast as some government officials are advocating would open access to intact forests How QUESTION 12 Conflicts among competing land uses represent serious threats to the integrity of forests in the Guayana region Land use conflicts are often an indicator of pressure on forest ecosystems Overlaying logging and mining concessions with settlements shows that the eastern part of the Guayana region is at the cen ter of competing interests see Map 13 Because population pressures are among the key factors driving deforestation in the llanos forests of northern Venezuela the existence of similar pressures in the Guayana region is cause for concern Potential land use conflicts include t
42. Same Status and Effects of a Mining Law Caracas Venezuela GOV 1999 translated from Spanish original available at http www camiven com msg8 htm last accessed July 18 2001 Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 34 Gold and diamond mining play an important role at a regional level Small scale mining is a regionally important activity in Bol var State as it generates employment and provides an economic alternative for low skilled workers during times of recession 84 The number of small scale miners operating in the region tends to increase during times of national economic crisis Illegal small scale miners the majority of whom operate in the Guayana region are estimated to pro duce 10 to 15 tonnes of gold per year with a value of approximately US90 to US130 million 85 This is in addition to production that is officially reported by the Venezuelan government 55 are they allocated Legislation regarding concession allocation has resulted in overlapping mandates The Venezuelan state holds the rights to minerals found beneath the soil The rights to extract these minerals are given out through a concession system managed by the Ministry of Energy and Mines MEM Concessions last for up to twenty years with possible extensions not to exceed an additional twenty years Originally MEM held sole responsib
43. This suggests that plantations could be a viable alternative to logging in natural forests However it is too early to assess the sustainability of plantations in Venezuela given that most have not completed more than one rotation 38 Note Industrial wood in roundwood equivalents industrial roundwood 1 Plywood 2 3 Sawnwood 1 82 Veneer sheet 1 9 Sources FAO FAOSTAT 2000 Online at http www fao org forestry include frames July 6 2000 Wood Production by Source 1993 1998 3 ev E ELA ELT Ed Ed LE 25 9 us ELA Ekik LL CLA NM Lii EE 22 BESS Caribbean pine plantations Official estimate Sources MARNR Bolet n Estad stico Forestal N 2 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1999 39 Forestry Plantations in Venezuela 1998 Company Location State Area ha Species PUBLIC SECTOR 542 000 MARN Anzo tegui Barinas M rida 550 Teak Pine Eucalyptus Cedar Apamate Portuguesa T chira Trujillo Mahogany Pardillo Bamboo Yaracuy CVG Proforca Monagas Anzo tegui 518 000 Caribbean pine CVG Programa Caucho Amazonas 230 Rubber Natural CONARE Aragua Barinas Lara M rida GAN Caribbean pine Eucalyptus Pino oocarpa Portuguesa T chira Trujillo Apamate Mijao Cedar Mahogany Pardillo Teak Yaracuy Carabobo Cojedes Leucaena Bucare Guayabon Cipres Fresno Gu rico Zulia Monagas Acacia Other Projects Barinas m Teak Melina Mahogany Cedar
44. efforts around a series of themes that included forest cover protected areas wildlife non timber forest product use logging mining and populations The scope of each theme was limited by the availability of data the expertise of team members available resources and time This analysis was meant to complement and update earlier research published in the WRI publica tion Al That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests as well as to provide an initial overview of forest ecosystems primarily focusing on the Guayana region of Venezuela As such this is only the beginning of future monitoring efforts planned by GFW Venezuela This analysis is focused primarily on the Guayana region see Map 1 Located south of the Orinoco River the Guayana region comprises the largest remaining block of intact forests in Venezuela While many forest fragments in the country s northern half are more threatened GFW Venezuela chose to begin its forest monitoring activities south of the Orinoco River because these ecosystems offer the greatest opportunity for long term sustainable management This report addresses the following questions What is the extent of Venezuela s forests and how well are forest ecosystems protected Why are forests in the Guayana region important e Where are development activities occurring and how do they impact the forests and indigenous communities of the Guayana region
45. for sustaining liveli hoods of traditional forest peoples Half of all wildlife species in the region are forest dependent Some species are found in areas threatened by development activities Thus maintaining forest cover is critical to these species survival Asignificant proportion of species used for non timber forest products by indigenous and local communities is at risk of local extinction This indicates that resources critical to sus taining traditional livelihoods could disappear greatly impoverishing the lives of indige nous peoples throughout the Guayana region 25 While the data limitations make it impossible to quantify the economic value of the Guayana region forests these forests clearly provide important ecological services and help to sustain the livelihoods of forest communities Such values must be taken into consideration when evaluating the relative benefits to be gained from rapidly extracting the region s natural resources Venezuela harbors a significant portion of the world s biodiversity Venezuela stands out globally for the biodiversity it harbors The country also ranks in the top twenty countries for number of endemic plants amphibians birds and reptiles see Table 4 Proportionate to its size Venezuela is home to large numbers of plant and animal species The country ranks among the top twenty in the world in terms of birds amphibians and plants per 10 000 square kilometers of land area
46. forest class is less reliable and can be easily confused with non forest vegetation by the ERS 2 satellite There is a lack of spatially accurate up to date national land cover data for Venezuela We have therefore chosen to use TREES data to approximate the forest landcover classes However TREES data are meant to show pan country or regional forest cover and are not designed for national scale analyses Thus due to the coarseness of the scale used in the TREES data we may underestimate forest cover in some areas and overestimate it in other areas In addition monitoring of Venezuela s forest cover especially the Guayana and Andean forests by satellite data is difficult due to the high cloud cover in this part ofthe world Only radar data will be able to continually monitor lowland cloud covered forests For a detailed analysis of the problems of spatial aggregation of coarse spa tial resolution data see P Mayaux and E F Lambin Estimation of tropical forest area from coarse spatial resolu tion data a two step correction function for proportional errors due to spatial aggregation Remote Sensing of Environment 53 1 1 16 1995 Forest cover and extent Notes Satellite based estimates DeFries derived from AVHRR 1992 93 satellite imagery Data are at a 1 km spatial resolution and were processed under the guidance of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme IGBP A linear mixture model was applied for various vegetat
47. large scale mines is not available but given the charac teristics of the Guayana region there is a significant potential for negative environmental impacts No data are available on the impacts of existing large and medium scale mines in the Guayana region Obtaining such information would require extensive field work which was not conducted forthis report However the Guayana region is characterized by high rainfall between 1500 and 4000 mm per year with few dry months throughout the year 101 Some of the wettest parts of the Guayana region have been allocated for mining High rainfall carries with it a potential risk that the tailings impoundments typically constructed to store cyanide and other waste from industrial min ing processes will overflow although it may also help to dilute any spills Gold mining and ore processing generally include production and use of heavy metals If improp erly managed waste containing heavy metals can contaminate nearby streams and groundwater 102 Given the importance of rivers for fish consumption at the local and regional level mining in the Guayana region must be carefully monitored to ensure that companies comply with strict environ mental standards 63 64 Venezuela has an environmental penal code to punish those who contaminate the environment but there are no standards for mine reclamation and bonds are low 103 For example according to its 1999 annual report Hecla Mining Co set aside
48. mam feros en bosques de tierras bajas de la Guayana Venezolana Biotropica 32 2000 146 164 Ochoa G J Los mam feros de la Regi n de Imataca Venezuela Acta Cient Venezolana 46 1995 274 287 Ochoa G J C Molina and S Giner Inventario y estudio comunitario de los mam feros del Parque Nacional Canaima con una lista de las especies registradas para la Guayana venezolana Acta Cient Venezolana 44 1991 245 262 Ojasti J R Guerrero and O E Hern ndez Mam feros de la expedici n de Tapirapec Estado Amazonas Venezuela Acta Biol Venezuelica 14 1992 27 40 P rez Hern ndez R Distribution of the family Didelphidae Mammalia Marsupialia in Venezuela In Advances in Neotropical Mammalogy edited by J Eisenberg and K Redford 363 410 Gainesville Florida The Sandhill Crane Press Inc 1989 Phelps W H Jr and R M De Schauensee Una gu a de las aves de Venezuela Caracas Venezuela Gr ficas Armitano 1978 Rodr guez J P and F Rojas Su rez Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana Caracas Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar Wildlife Conservation Society Profauna MARNR UICN 1995 S nchez H J and J Ochoa G Inventario y evaluaci n de la fauna silvestre de la mina de bauxita de la Serran a de Los Pijiguaos Estado Bol var Caracas Venezuela MARNR Ser Inf T cnicos DGSIIA 1988 Tate G H The mammals ofthe Guiana Region Bull Amer Mus Nat
49. mineral This compares favorably with royalties in other mineral pro ducing countries which range from 1 to 3 percent ofthe value of the mineral 82 However the president has the discretion to reduce royalties to 1 percent of the value of production see Table 9 The new mining law substantially increased area taxes and set them in tax units pegged to inflation Although area taxes increase over time they are offset by the amount of the royalty paid once exploitation begins 83 54 Venezuelan Gold and Diamond Production 1989 1999 MCU py prr P SS rau O imanda E Estimate Source MEM Direcci n de Planificaci n y Econom a Minera Anuario Estad stico Minero Caracas Venezuela MEM 1999 Mining Royalties RX Area adjusted depending on size of concession 0 17 tax units for 2 052 hectare concession Bs 2 244 or US 3 12 per month Royalties 3 4 of the value of refined gold and diamonds but can be reduced to 196 by the president Income tax 34 of net income from mining companies Notes 1 Tax unit value was assessed at 13 200 bol vares as of July 9 2001 Exchange rate Bs 720 75 1 US 2 Area tax rates vary according to the total size of the concession The area tax rate is shown for years 4 6 of a 2 052 hectare con cession as that is roughly approximate to the size of mining concessions in the Guayana region Sources Government of Venezuela Decree 295 Decree with the
50. natural resource extraction shifting culti vation logging and mining are among the primary activities affecting wildlife In particular some large mammals subject to high pressure from hunting such as the tapir Tapirus terrestris and the capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris are among the least abundant in the Guayana region 29 ENon Timber Forest Product Use in the Guayana Region Non timber forest resources are widely used by indigenous groups living in the Guayana region Non timber forest resources consist of biological resources other than wood found in forest ecosys tems In the Guayana region traditional and local communities use these resources as sources of food construction materials cosmetics handicraft materials and for religious purposes Our analysis of non timber forest product use included a literature review of over one hundred pub lished materials see Annex 3 for a complete list These sources indicate the direct use by local groups of at least 505 wild species 112 animals and 393 plants of which the most commonly reported use is for food and medicine 54 percent and 42 percent respectively Bushmeat satisfies most of the protein needs of traditional indigenous communities and it comprises an important part of the diet of small scale farmers living in the Guayana forests Most bushmeat comes from hunting tapirs white lipped peccaries large rodents primates currasows and armadillos 30 While mam mals and bir
51. of concession boundaries dependent on the accuracy of base maps Map 11 should only be used as a rough representational tool for identifying some areas where mining rights have been allocated The data obtained from the CVG included numerous errors such as incorrect geographic coordinates improper order of coordinates and text indications instead of numerical coordinates This is likely a result of errors in data entry as well as a failure to consistently provide geographic coordinates Concession contract area and accompanying statistics related to the area of the Guayana region under concession have been aggregated from the CVG Tecm n and MEM records Thus they should be 109 considered approximate as more accurate numbers would require an accurate map of concessions and contracts Contracts listed in the CVG report on environmental permits are systematically linked to the wrong companies Cross checking contract ownership with data obtained from corporate sources indicates that the CVG Tecm n database of ownership is more reliable For this reason the CVG report to the Ministry of Environment was used only for identifying compliance with environmental permits and not for identifying ownership The data include numerous gaps For example small scale mining contracts allocated by the CVG are only presented in an aggregated manner in the CVG report to the Ministry of Environment regarding environmental permits The CVG Tecm n
52. of the damage across the entire region Although Venezuela has a penal code to hold companies and individuals accountable for damage to the environment it is not clear how this law would be applied to companies whose assets are held primarily outside of Venezuela The apparent absence of adequate reclamation bonds may mean that Venezuelan citizens would bear the brunt of any required clean up costs if a company were to neglect its environmental responsibili ties Finally the ability ofthe government to administer the required level of monitoring and control is questionable given the state of recordkeeping on mining concessions and corporate partners and the lack of environmental permits for many concessions and contracts in the region How are settleme QUESTION 10 Over the last 40 years the population of the Guayana region has grown steadily especially in Bol var State In a period of forty years the population of Bol var State grew by a factor of seven from approximate ly 127 thousand inhabitants in 1950 to 900 thousand inhabitants in 1990 see Figure 23 In Amazonas and Delta Amacuro States growth was less dramatic but equally steady Although part of this growth is attributable to high birth rates migration from other parts of Venezuela played an important role During the mid 1980s Venezuela s development model which was based on the expansion of an investment in the urban centers in the north of the country entered into a
53. or a house Concession boundaries are approximate Our base layer for rivers was coarser than our data for logging concessions We adjusted concession boundaries to fit rivers and the international border of Venezuela which resulted in changes in the area of some concessions the Imataca Forest Reserve and the forest lots For this reason the area of some forest lots and the Imataca Forest Reserve may vary from official statistics At the most our statistics vary by 10 from official figures The database produced for this study does not include reliable data regarding the final destination of sawmill products or roundwood due to our inability to collect these data The criteria used by the Ministry of Environment to define volume and number of trees to be cut each year are not clearly defined It appears that one criterium for harvesting is the number of parent trees There are no reliable data on the area of forest or the number of trees affected by skidding trails Likewise there are no data on the area of forest cut to establish log yards Mitigation of environmental impacts from logging is not well incorporated in management and cutting plans For example there is no information on the effects of logging on the biodiversity ofthe surrounding ecosystem incorporated in either the management or cutting plans Venezuela s Gold and Diamond Production Compared to Other Major Producers 1999 Figure 19 Australi
54. ownership database did not include specific information including geographic coordinates for all small scale mining contracts The percentage of land allocated for small scale mining in Figure 22 was derived from adding the area listed in the CVG report to the Ministry of Environment to the database obtained from CVG Tecm n Concessions allocated by the MEM to associations and cooperatives were also added to the small scale mining database There appears to be some duplication of concessions in the CVG Tecm n registry This is likely to be the result of modifications in legislation which resulted in the CVG further sub dividing some mining contracts Although the exact area affected by duplicated contracts is not known it is likely to be less than 50 000 hectares Population in the Guayana Region by State 1950 1990 Figure 23 127 436 10 582 33 648 1961 213 543 11 757 33 979 1971 391 665 21 696 48 139 1981 668 340 45 667 56 720 9 1 Source Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica El Censo 90 en Bol var Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1995 110 Change in Selected Indigenous Populations 1982 1992 Figure 24 Group 1982 1992 change Data code Akawaio 491 911 85 5 3 Arahuaco 78 248 217 9 1 Arutani 9 45 400 1 Baniva 1 167 1 192 2 1 1 Bare 1 265 1 226 3 1 al Hiwi 7 256 11 608 60 3 Hoti 398 643 61 6 3 Kari a 6
55. period of stagnation that drove the country into an economic crisis 106 The resulting decline of urban develop ment opportunities spurred the migration of city dwellers particularly the poor to forested areas of the country In addition inhabitants from rural areas and impoverished people from the eastern and southern portions ofthe country also migrated to the region increasing the total population of the area This migration may explain the marked population growth in the forests of the Guayana region Although the major urban centers of the region Puerto Ayacucho Tucupita Ciudad Guayana and Ciudad Bol var have grown the most the number of rural settlements has increased as well This trend is visible on Map 2 where a high density of populations above 100 inhabitants surrounds urban centers 2 500 inhabitants A key characteristic of the region s urban centers is their dependence on forest resources Thus growth in urban areas of the Guayana region also implies an increase in area needed for agricultural production and increased demand for forest resources which often comes at the expense of the surrounding forest Population in the Guayana Region by State 1950 1990 1 Source Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica El Censo 90 en Bol var Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1995 65 Because basic infrastructure schools roads communications is concentrated in larger settlements the number of small settlements s
56. region where only the Imataca Forest Reserve and the eastern sector of Canaima National Park have approved these administrative tools see Table 3 Even in these protected areas the land use plans have not been implemented The zoning plan for the Imataca Forest Reserve has been challenged in court see Box 1 and the land use plan for the eastern sector of Canaima National Park has not been updated since its approval in 1991 Another management problem that has not been adequately addressed is that indigenous peoples have not been incorporated into protected areas management plans Many indigenous groups are long time residents in protected areas and may have been living in these areas before they were des ignated as protected 28 Given the increasing pressures to convert these areas to other uses see Chapter 4 itis unlikely that conservation measures will succeed if local inhabitants continue to be excluded as managers of these areas Capacity to Manage Protected Areas in Venezuela Thecreation of protected areas has been strongly supported in Venezuela beginning in the 1960s when the National Parks and Reserves Office was created under the Ministry of Agriculture However institutional reviews of the protected areas network have identified budget and personnel limitations in the administration and management of national parks At present half of the national parks and nearly all the natural monuments in the Guayana region lack the
57. region show a high degree of tax onomic and ecological diversity signifying that forests of this region are rich in number of both taxa species genus family and ecological groups defined by the presence of species with different trophic roles reproductive patterns roosts etc In particular species that depend on tree cover for their dietary or mobility needs are prevalent in forests e g arboreal or semi arboreal mammals rep tiles and amphibians and frugivorous birds and bats associated with the canopy The majority of these animals act as key regulators of forest dynamics and are highly sensitive to changes in the con dition of their habitats see Box 5 Mammals reptiles and amphibians in particular have high pro portions of species that occur only in forest ecosystems see Figure 6 Wildlife Restricted to Forests of the Guayana Region ania 1 INEA TELLA Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details 27 28 The Relationship between Forest Cover and Wildlife Studies have shown that logging in tropical forests can change the composition of wildlife in direct proportion to forest disturbance Selective logging and subsequent silvicultural techniques e g enrichment strip planting can result in a dramatic change in forest condition reducing the presence of those animal species dependent on primary habitats For example an investigation of understory birds in Venezuela found that of t
58. the concessionaire reaches the annual cutting parcel 3 Ticoporo 1972 Source CPDI 1999 Red Forest Green Non forest 0 40 80km Ticoporo 2000 Source Landsat 2000 Note The orientation and size of the reserve differs slightly in each image Sources 1972 Image Landsat MSS Centro de Procesamiento de im genes 1999 1998 compilation of images Top 6 54 from 1998 World Wildlife Fund Bottom 655 from 1 20 97 Centro de Procesamiento de Im genes 2000 image Landsat 7 available at www usgs landsat7 gov 006 054 Landsat7 06 02 2000 ID E1SC L7RWRS 002 2000733201 006 055 Landsat7 06 02 2000 ID E1SC L7RWRS 002 2000733208 52 1 O Encinas and F Pacheco Country Study Venezuela Industrial Logging in Ancient Forests Interim Report for Greenpeace International Amsterdam The Netherlands AlDEnvironment September 1999 J P P Veillon Las deforestaciones en los Llanos Occidentales de Venezuela desde 1950 hasta 1975 in L Hamilton et al eds Conservaci n de los Bosques H medos de Venezuela Caracas Venezuela Sierra Club Consejo de Bienestar Rural 1977 2 SeeGOV Ley Forestal de Suelos y Aguas 1965 Title IV Section 2 article 57 Caracas Venezuela Government of Venezuela 1965 Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 3 O Encinas and F Pacheco Country Study Venezuela Industrial Logging in
59. the themes addressed by the report Individuals who were sent a copy of the manuscript included an asterisk denotes reviewers who were unable to review the report Horacio Biord Hern n Castellanos Abigail Castillo Am rico Catal n Julio C sar Centeno Pedro Delf n Mar a del Carmen D az Gestoso Hugh Eva Otto Huber Anibal La Riva Armando John Madero Juhani Ojasti Abel Perozo Miguel Plonzcak Jim Roberston James Ross Jones Javier S nchez Euro Segovia Ivette Torres Compton Tucker Sven Wunder and Stanford Zent These individuals represented the following institutions Universidad Cat lica Andr s Bello Universidad Experimental de Guayana Direcci n General Sectorial de POA MARN Direcci n del Recurso Forestal MARN Universidad de los Andes Tropenbos TREES project Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient ficas Universidad del Oriente Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana Universidad de los Andes Placer Dome International Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela Museo de la Estaci n Biol gica de Rancho Grande United States Geological Survey University of Maryland and the Center for International Forestry Research However comments reflected personal opinions rather than institutional endorsements In addition several WRI staff provided valuable input Jean Gael Collomb Jaime Echeverr a Nels Johnson Lars Laestadius Carmen Revenga and Ralph Ridder Major Review Comments and How They We
60. used by indigenous and local communities to those listed in the Venezuelan red books of species Libro Rojo de la Flora Venezolana and Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana These books categorize plant and animal species according to their level of threat of extinction see Annex 1 for details Our findings indicate that Ofthe plants and animals reportedly used by indigenous communities 16 percent are registered as threatened according to both Venezuelan red books 39 Of these the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus used by indigenous communities for medicine food handicrafts and religious purposes is at greatest risk for extinction in the near future Approximately one third of animal species used for handicrafts and one quarter of those used for medicine are classified as threatened see Figure 8 Parrot feathers toucan beaks and the nails of various animals are the items most frequently used Nearly two thirds of plants used for construction and more than one quarter of those used for handicrafts are threatened see Figure 9 Some of these threatened plants are considered irreplaceable For example the Ye kwana ofthe lower Caura watershed have observed the decline of certain plant species considered to have no other substitute for the manufacture of handicrafts 40 Threatened Animals Used by Indigenous Groups by Type of Use SCOUT ANS n d 65 Yd A UMEN UR E ALI EE Fema fc 2useunranz Does not reflect
61. wood extracted and does not necessarily result in a low level of damage to sur rounding trees 9 see Question 5 below Furthermore high grading results in overharvesting of valuable species a practice that is not sustainable over time 80 Sawmill capacity in the Guayana region greatly exceeds production In 2001 the Guayana region had thirty six sawmills of which eight process wood from Caribbean pine Pinus caribaea plantations The remainder process wood from natural forests primarily from the Imataca Forest Reserve and surrounding forest lots Sawmills are located near major cities and towns and close to roads Installed capacity in the Guayana region is twice as high as the average volume of sawnwood processed per year see Figure 17 The total installed capacity of the sawmills in the Guayana region is about 194 thousand cubic meters of sawnwood per year but actual production is only approxi mately 95 thousand cubic meters per year Because concessionaires routinely export logs outside the Guayana region this indicates a failure to capture added value at a regional level Sawmills operating in the Guayana region are obsolete have low levels of technical staff and gener ate significant waste The level of technology used at the sawmills is low and most lack trained professionals to run daily operations In particular Many sawmills processing wood from natural forests make little or no investment to improve operations
62. 16 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales MARN Informe de la Situaci n Forestal de Venezuela In SEFORVEN Revista de la Direcci n del Recurso Forestal Caracas Venezuela MARN 2000 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1996 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela 1994 95 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1995 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables MARNR Mapa dela vegetaci n actual de Venezuela 1982 83 Sistemas Ambientales de Venezuela Serie II Sec I No 4 c digo II 1 4 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1983 116 Ortegano O Nueva Pol tica Forestal El Manejo Integral Comunitario del Bosque In SEFORVEN Revista de la Direcci n del Recurso Forestal No 16 Caracas Venezuela MARN 2000 Paolillo A S L Pardi B Wright and E Backus Evaluaci n de los parques nacionales y los refugios de fauna silvestre de Venezuela como reas de protecci n de las unidades de vegetaci n Caracas Venezuela Fundaci n BIOMA and Conservation International 1993 Rep blica de Venezuela Ley Org nica para la Ordenaci n del Territorio Gaceta Oficial No 3238 Extraordinario del 11 08 1983 Caracas Venezuela 1983 Steyermark J A PE Berry and B K Holst Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Vol 1 St Lo
63. 1997 Golden Bear advances on Choco 6 Drilling Online at http www vheadline com 9704 0922 htm June 28 2001 Placer Dome International Co August 2 1997 Placer Dome Starts Construction of Las Cristinas Mine Announces Addition to Gold Reserve Company New 81 82 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 Release Online at http www placerdome com newsroom content 1997 08 021997 1 html June 28 2001 Tombstone Explorations Inc April 29 1997 Valle Hondo Gold Resources Exceeds One Million Ounces Company New Release Online at http www tombstone exp com news 1997 news_apr29 97 htm June 28 2001 Vannessa Ventures Ltd April 8 1999 Progress Report Company News Release Online at http www vannessa com June 28 2001 Infomine El Foco Concession Online at http www infomine com June 28 2001 Tombstone Explorations Inc April 29 1997 Valle Hondo Gold Resources Exceeds One Million Ounces Company New Release Online at http www tombstone exp com news 1997 news_apr29 97 htm June 28 2001 Between 1982 1988 sedimentation levels averaged 10 15 mg liter From 1989 1997 sedimentation levels had increased to 15 20 mg liter Sedimentation lev els for non affected watersheds of the Caron average between 10 15 mg liter See A Flores Erodabilidad de la cuenca del r o Caron Estado Bol var Venezuela Master s Thesis Caracas Venezuela Universidad Ce
64. 281 1993 Allows the CVG to enter into contract agreements with third parties Decree 1384 1996 Annuls Decree 3281 Mining Law 1999 Returns right to grant concessions to the MEM defines and regulates mining at a national level The new mining law issued in 1999 defines the terms and types of concessions It places the man date for administration of concessions squarely with the Ministry of Energy and Mines and includes the following main provisions Minerals extraction is emphasized and concession owners are discouraged from holding on to undeveloped properties Exploration is limited to a period of three years with a possible one year extension No concession owner can hold more than 12 312 hectares 56 Concession owners are required to place a faithful performance bond of 5 percent of the estimated income from annual sales This bond is to guarantee that the property is developed rather than to ensure adequate reclamation or environmental performance Small scale miners are allowed to apply for concessions through a cooperative or association The new mining law is expected to simplify the concession system and centralize responsibilities At the same time it clearly provides incentives for mineral extraction demonstrating the govern ment s commitment to developing mineral resources As of August 2001 however all concession requests in the Imataca Forest Reserve are placed on hold pending a ruling from the Supr
65. 49 MARN Bolet n Estad stico Forestal No 2 A o 1998 Caracas Venezuela MARN 1999 p 103 The harvesting of Euterpe oleracea occurs on conces sions allocated by the Ministry of Environment to five nationally owned com panies We were unable to document the potential for regeneration given cur rent extraction rates and practices nor did we find documentation of the impacts of palm harvesting on plant and animal species that depend on this species for their survival which are important elements to guarantee the sus tainable harvesting of this species RJ Cabrera Problem tica de la Cacer a Furtiva de Aves Canora y de Ornato en Territorio Federal Amazonas in Memorias 62 Reuni n de la Comisi n de Supervivencia de Especies de la UICN Caracas Venezuela 1986 J Ojasti El Uso Valor Manejo y Conservaci n de la Fauna Silvestre Amaz nica Informe Nacional de Venezuela Santiago Chile Informe para la Oficina Regional de la FAO 1995 p 155 J Rodr guez and F Rojas Su rez Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana 2d ed Caracas Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar 1999 S Llamozas R Duno R Ortiz R Riina O Huber and F Stauffer Libro Rojo de la Flora Venezolana Fundaci n Instituto Bot nico de Venezuela Provita and Fundaci n Polar in press C Knab Vispo et al Observaciones sobre el uso de plantas por los Ye kuana en el bajo Caura Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 215 257 For further information on
66. 70 141 215 350 789 537 638 2 5 1 383 476 5 3 101 Status of Concessions in the Guayana Region Concession Owner Status AREA HA According to According to Management MARN Plan MP Imataca Forest COFORGUA In review 130 000 130 000 INPROFORCA Inactive 182 791 130 000 Hermanos Hern ndez Active 125 000 125 000 CVG Sierra Imataca Decreto 367 Inactive 236 094 236 000 CODEFORSA Active 122 400 134 000 SOMAGUA Inactive under investigation 160 900 162 000 INTECMACA Inactive under investigation 180 100 180 000 MADERORCA Active under investigation 125 100 130 000 COMAFOR Active 129 335 125 000 Fundaci n La Salle In review 130 000 130 000 UNEG In review 59 400 San Pedro El Dorado Tumeremo and Aserradero El Manteco Active 180 000 195 000 Aserradero Matamoros Active 195 000 180 000 Aserradero Yocoima Active 193 000 193 000 Elaboraci n de madera Bosco C A Inactive 78 882 Maderas Nuria I C A Active 171 720 Private lots and Ca o Blanco Active 29 228 Fundo Botij n Inactive under investigation 7 000 18 735 CVG Bosque Guri El Fr o Inactive 75 652 Decreto 1141 TOTAL 2 511 602 2 068 735 Original area of Flamerich lot Notes 8 49 of the CVG Bosque Guri El Frio concessions is in a special zone logging is prohibited UNEG and Fundaci n La Salle are applying for experimental research plots to conduct research o
67. 849 11 141 62 7 3 Kurripako 1 623 2 816 73 5 3 Mapoyo 76 178 134 2 1 Panare 2 379 3 314 39 3 3 Pem n 11 464 19 129 66 9 3 Piapoco 640 1 333 108 3 3 Piaroa 7 030 11 539 64 1 3 Puinave 491 774 57 6 3 Sape 9 28 211 1 1 Warao 19 573 24 005 22 6 2 Warekena 316 428 35 4 3 Yabarena 155 319 105 8 1 Yanomami 12 082 15 012 24 3 2 Ye kwana 3 038 4 472 47 2 3 Yeral Not counted 775 NA NA in the 1992 census count 3 Groups that do not reflect any problems in the 1982 or 1992 censuses Note There are no census numbers for the Yeral in 1982 as this group was not counted as a separate group until 1992 Source Mansutti Rodr guez A Una mirada al futuro de los ind genas en Guayana Bolet n Antropol gico 29 1993 7 27 Map 12 Areas of High Population Pressure or Intensive Use in Guayana Forests Sources GFW Venezuela analysis GPS coordinates for indigenous communities and expert consultation Mansutti Rodr guez A et al Diagn stico de los Conflictos Socio ambientales en Imataca L neas Estrat gicas de un Programa para el Resguardo y la Consolidaci n de los Asentamientos Humanos ubicados en la Reserva Forestal Imataca RFI Final Report to the World Bank Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CIAG UNEG 1997 Methodology Based on the above cited report to the World Bank and expert opinion polygons were delineated around settlements known to have an impact on forests 111 Limitations This map is purely repr
68. 9 125 Rojas Gil H and C Tineo reas prioritarias para la conservaci n de los vertebrados terrestres end micos y amenazados de extinci n del Parque Nacional Canaima estado Bol var Graduate thesis Caracas Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela Escuela de Biolog a Facultad de Ciencias 1998 Rosales J and O Huber Ecolog a del r o Caura Venezuela I Caracterizaci n Scientia Guaianae 6 1996 1 131 Rosales J C Knab Vispo and G Rodr guez Bosques ribere os del bajo Caura entre el salto Par y los raudales de Mura Su clasificaci n e importancia para los Ye kuana Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 171 213 Royero R I Narbaiza A Narbaiza J Contreras and G Vele Base de datos para la informaci n agroalimentaria ancestral y medicinal nativa para el desarrollo sustentable en diversas etnias del Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 85 88 Salazar D Through sickness and in health A tropical ethnoecology of traditional medicine as practiced by the Pemon indians ofthe Venezuelan Gran Sabana Doctoral dissertation Austin Texas University of Texas 1995 S nchez I Algunos aspectos ecol gicos del mamure Heteropsis sruceana Schott de inter s potencial para su domesticaci n y manejo Master s Thesis Caracas Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela 1999 S nchez L and D Mar n El Mamure Heteropsis spruceana Schott A
69. Ancient Forests Interim Report for Greenpeace International Amsterdam The Netherlands AIDEnvironment September 1999 What is the Venezuela s gold and diamond production is low compared to major producers although Venezuela isan important producer of some metals Venezuela s heavy metal production includes gold diamonds iron ore aluminum and bauxite Gold and diamonds are mined primarily in forests of the Guayana region while bauxite and iron ore are mined outside of forests An analysis of metal production data shows that Venezuela ranks low compared to other gold and diamond producers see Figure 19 Venezuela is an important producer of iron ore bauxite and aluminum ranking among the top fifteen producers globally for each metal see Table 8 78 Venezuela s Gold and Diamond Production Compared to Other Major Producers 1999 B3Tesren Sources US Geological Survey US Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook Washington DC USGS 1999 MEM Direcci n de Planificaci n y Econom a Minera Anuario Estad stico Minero Caracas Venezuela MEM 1999 Aluminum Bauxite and Iron Ore Production 1999 Aluminum 570 10 Bauxite 4 166 7 Tron ore 14 051 11 S Gross weight Source 1 Torres Minerals Yearbook International Venezuela Chapter 1999 Washington DC USGS 53 The prices of major minerals are at near record lows Gold prices have been on a downward trend for the las
70. Due to overlap in strictly protected areas and the uncertainty regarding the boundaries of natural monuments it is difficult to estimate the amount of forests that are legally protected for conservation purposes For this reason we have chosen to estimate a range of forests which might be considered protected The low end ofthe range 17 includes only national parks to account for the uncertainty that occurs when considering the boundaries of natural monuments The high end ofthe range 32 includes all area classified as strictly protected IUCN categories I IV that is national parks natural monuments and wildlife refuges including the overlap within these categories Total Degree of Forest Protection Guayana Region Figure 4 Extractive 96 Ecosystem type Strictly Strictly Overlap Overlap Area sq Protected Protected Use sq km Extractive sq km km sq km Use Lowland forests 210 953 1 39 761 0 18 8 121 375 0 57 5 13 324 1 6 3 Submontane 98 922 2 55 127 7 55 7 55 283 6 55 9 19 924 7 20 1 forests Montane forests 37 218 2 29 971 8 80 5 15 135 1 40 7 8 678 9 23 3 Notes The area of overlap between national parks and the Orinoco Casiquiare Biosphere Reserve was not counted as overlap because Venezuelan legislation clearly states that the national parks override areas of overlap in the 89 90 biosphere that is the national parks are meant to be t
71. Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 14 Our data are based on surveys and interviews with sawmill operators and we were unable to independently verify the results Ramiro Silva Venezuelan forestry expert personal communication 22 November 2000 J G Collomb et al An Overview of Logging in Cameroon Washington DC WRI 2000 p 20 Extraction rates in Guyana French Guiana and Suriname vary between 5 15 m ha and in some forest blocks extraction rates can reach up to 60 100 m ha See H ter Steege and D S Hammond Forest Management in the Guianas Ecological and Evolutionary Constraints on Timber Production BOS NiEuWSLETTER 15 1996 63 extraction rates in the Brazilian Amazone vary according to three intensity levels i low 14 24 m ha and 1 tree ha ii moder ate 24 32 m ha and 1 3 trees ha and iii high 232 35 m ha and 5 10 trees ha See D Nepstad et al Large scale impoverishment of Amazonian Forests by logging and fire Nature in press C Uhl et al Natural Resource Management in the Brazilian Amazon an integrated approach BioScience 47 3 1997 160 168 The official cubic meter is derived by a formula established by the Ministry of Environment V MARN 0 605 D L where V MARN the volume in m 0 605 conversion constant D cutting diameter at breast height in meters L commercial height in meters For more details on th
72. Hist 76 1939 151 229 118 Chapter 3 Non timber Forest Product Use Aymard G S Elcord E Mar n and A Chaviel Caracterizaci n estructural y flor stica en bosques de tierra firme en un sector del bajo Caura estado Bol var Venezuela Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 1 6 Bisbal F Consumo de fauna silvestre en la zona de Imataca estado Bol var Interciencia 19 No 1 1994 Bonilla J Aprovechamiento de la diversidad de recursos forestales no maderables Cap tulo 1 In Aprovechamiento sostenible de la diversidad biol gica en Venezuela edited by J Altuve et al Documentos T cnicos de la Estrategia Nacional para la Diversidad Biol gica 32 56 Guanare MARNR BioCentro UNELLEZ 1999 Braun A Palmas cultivadas en Venezuela Acta Bot nica Venezuelica 5 No 1 1970 7 94 Buj a R V Los Kamarakoto Patolog a y medicina seg n el criterio etnoepidemiol gico Pem n Undergraduate thesis Caracas Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela 1996 Cabrera R J Problem tica de la Cacer a Furtiva de Aves Canora y de Ornato en la regi n del Territorio Federal Delta Amacuro In Venezuela Memorias de la 62 Reuni n de la Comisi n de Supervivencia de Especies Caracas Venezuela 1987 SSC UICN MARNR FUDENA UICN pp 40 42 Castillo A Cat logo de las especies de Antofitas del bosque h medo del r o Cataniapo Territorio Federal Amazonas Acta Biol gica Venezuelica 14 No
73. Institute WRI who focused on Guayana as the Venezuelan last frontier forest We trust this book will be welcome by the people responsible of the decision making issues that affect this important area of our national territory Leonor Gim nez de Mendoza President Fundaci n Polar S What is Global Forest Watch Approximately half ofthe forests that initially covered our planet have been cleared and another 30 percent have been fragmented degraded or replaced by secondary forest Urgent steps must be taken to safeguard the remaining fifth located mostly in the Amazon Basin Central Africa Canada Southeast Asia and Russia As part of this effort the World Resources Institute in 1997 started Global Forest Watch GFW Global Forest Watch is identifying the threats weighing on the last frontier forests the world s remaining large relatively undisturbed forest ecosystems By 2005 our goal is to have Global Forest Watch chapters up and running in 21 countries These nations account for about 80 percent of the world s remaining forests In the longer term GFW monitoring will extend to nonfrontier forest regions where ongoing development threatens smaller tracts of unique and often highly diverse natural forests GFW is an independent network of national and or local organizations that monitor and map log ging mining road building and other forest development within major forested regions of the world Each organizat
74. NG Guanare Museo de la Estaci n Biol gica de Rancho Grande EBRG Maracay Museo del Instituto de Zoolog a Agr cola de la Universidad Central de Venezuela MIZA Maracay Museo de Biolog a de la Universidad Central de Venezuela MBUCV Caracas Colecci n de Vertebrados de la Universidad Sim n Bol var CVUSB Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Sim n Bol var MCNUSB Caracas Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Caracas MCN Caracas Museo de Historia Natural La Salle MHNLS Caracas American Museum of Natural History AMNH New York United States National Museum of Natural History USNM Washington 93 Scientists specializing in each ofthe wildlife groups Mammals Jos Ochoa G ACOANA Javier S nchez MARN and Francisco Bisbal MARN Birds Miguel Lentino Colecci n Ornitol gica William H Phelps Herpetofauna reptiles and amphibians Enrique La Marca Universidad de Los Andes Geography School Jes s Manzanilla Universidad Central de Venezuela Celsa Se aris Museo Natural de Historia La Salle Map Sources GFW Venezuela analysis see below Methodology The data for this section are based on a review and analysis of wildlife inventories conducted in forest ecosystems ofthe Guayana region Within this region five sub regions were identified based on biogeographic and environ mental criteria These sub regions which are represented on Map 5 include Southern Amazonas State
75. O relying on official government data estimates that Venezuela s forest cover in 2000 was about 495 000 square kilometers a difference of about 68 000 square kilometers Even historic forest cover estimates vary widely Satellite based estimates of Venezuela s forest cover vary by about 40 000 square kilometers ranging from 433 000 square kilometers to 472 000 square kilometers for the early 1990s In contrast FAO estimates that in 1990 Venezuela s forest cover was 519 000 square kilometers a difference of about 47 000 to 86 000 square kilometers from the satel lite based estimates The lack of a consistent baseline for forest cover greatly limits the accuracy of current forest cover and deforestation estimates euv ne Jo JOJHI19 oq Jo SPATTI 0M surep ejonzau9A 9961 Z amp renuqo Jo JUGOS Y vAouoc oq 01 Sumpioooy Sopopoqyaur uo srejop pue uoneuuojur a10UI JO Xouuy 99g 9661 WOY A1o8eurt ojreyes uomnjosar UNT uo poseq st 19409 159 04 ejep peusmqudun earraury qnos Jo 158104 V SAL Woy SOLO 19A09 sa10J uo BA z J re ee ml Bese 1059 atado v S a wont 001 0 Riis 2 E MTS 5 NATL UFAR E vI8woo09 AOD S910 q 13 FIGURE Venezuela s Forest Types EE n Sources O Huber and C Alarc n Mapa de Vegetaci n de Venezuela Caracas MARNR TNC 1988 O Huber Venezuelan Guayana Vegetation Map CVG EDELCA Missouri Bot Gardens 1995 H Eva and S Jones A Forest Ma
76. Una Mirada al futuro de los Ind genas en Guayana Bolet n Antropol gico 29 1993 p 24 S Zent Discriminaci n cultural de la biomedicina occidental y extinci n cultural entre los ind genas piaroa Estado Amazonas Venezuela in Salud y poblaci n ind gena de la Amazonia Vol 1 eds E Estrella and A Crespo Quito Ecuador Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica 1993 227 243 A Mansutti Rodr guez et al Diagn stico de los conflictos socio ambientales en Imataca L neas estrat gicas de un programa para el resguardo y la consoli daci n de los asentamientos humanos ubicados en la Reserva Forestal Imataca Final report to the World Bank Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CIAG UNEG 2000 p 38 Ib dem p 51 83 ata sources and technical notes Chapter 1 An Overview of Venezuela s Geography Economy and Forest Legislation Venezuela s Exports 1997 Figure 1 Food Agricultural Raw Materials 0 2 Fuels 79 5 Ores Metals 44 Manufactured Goods 13 4 Source Inter American Development Bank Basic Socio Economic Data for 21 December 2000 Washington DC IADB 2001 Base Data for Maps 1 13 Base layers for Maps 1 13 are from the following sources 3d ed Fairfax VA NIMA 1997 Scale 1 1 000 000 Fundaci n Instituto de Ingenier a Centro de Procesamiento Digital de Im genes FII CPDI Political Boundary of Venezuela Caracas Venezuela FII CPDI 2001 Rivers National I
77. Universidad de los Andes 1998 Wood T W M Gillis E Krunen G Mora J Castillo and J Romero Pab n Estudios preliminares para desarrollar t cnicas de manejo mediante regeneraci n natural en la reserva forestal Imataca Proyecto Ven 72019 Documento de trabajo No 13 Caracas MARNR FAO 1978 40 pp Chapter 4 Mining Barreto A and S P rez Puelles Estudio integral de la actividad minera en la cuenca hidrogr fica del Alto Caron II Jornadas Profesionales de EDELCA Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CVG EDELCA 1991 Berm dez Tirado R D H Bastardo R Pravia and S Ramos Monitoring of Mercury in the Lower Section of the Caron River Estado Bol var Venezuela Unpublished report Ciudad Bol var Venezuela June 1994 UNEG UCV UDO 18 pp Brice o H O Contaminaci n Mercurial del Bajo Caron Informe de Avance Litos C A 1989 Corporativa de Miner a Situaci n Actual de la Permisolog a Ambiental de los Contratos Vigentes de Pequeria Mediana y Gran Miner a en reas Asignadas a la CVG Report to the Ministry of Environment Ciudad Bol var CVG 1999 Flores A Erodabilidad de la cuenca del r o Caron Estado Bol var Venezuela Master s thesis Caracas Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela 1997 130 Government Industry Task Force on the Canadian Mineral Investment Climate International Task Reference Charts for the Mining Industry Background Study on Mineral Taxation Concerns
78. a 2d ed Caracas Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar 1999 pp 455 458 Limitations The data do not include the use of species found in aquatic ecosystems e Not all of the bibliographic references included information on the forest ecosystem associated with each non timber forest product A discussion on the use of non timber forest products is often not the primary objective of many publications Not all studies are easily accessible particularly those anthropological studies focusing on indigenous communities Thus some references with important information may have been left out ofthe database The majority of studies were restricted to areas surrounding local communities and very few studies provided information at the statewide level None of the studies presented integrated information across the Guayana region The majority of studies have been conducted in the southern part of the Guayana region 6996 ofthe references reviewed included information on the use of non timber forest products in Amazonas State while only 1596 ofthe studies encompassed data on non timber forest product use in Delta Amacuro State Floristic inventories in some parts of the Guayana region are incomplete Many expeditions have focused on the tepuyes while collection of botanical material in high diversity lowland forests has been carried out only sporadically Knowledge about fauna ofthe Guayana region is based primarily on basic qualitativ
79. a 302 580 Brazil 40 900 Canada 158 275 China 170 000 United States 341 000 Guyana 13 500 Venezuela 5 946 Botswana 20 000 Brazil 900 D R Congo 18 000 Russia 23 000 South Africa 10 000 Venezuela 95 ol logic oo logic ical Survey Washington DC USGS 1999 MEM Direcci n de Planificaci n y Econom a Minera Anuario Estad stico Minero MEM Caracas Venezuela 1999 106 Price of Gold 1975 2000 Figure 20 Year Average 0z 1975 515 3 1976 378 2 1977 420 6 1978 509 6 1979 728 7 1980 1281 9 1981 871 5 1982 684 8 1983 733 5 1984 596 7 1985 507 5 1986 578 0 Venezuelan Gold and Diamond Production 1989 1999 Figure 21 1987 675 7 ES CER Year Gold kg Diamonds 000 carats 1989 529 2 1989 5 113 213 1990 507 0 1990 6 334 337 1991 457 7 1991 4 220 214 1992 4221 1992 8 547 478 1993 429 0 1993 8 985 411 1994 446 0 1994 10 094 583 1995 433 8 1995 7 259 296 1996 425 9 1999 kinds E 1997 355 0 1997 22 322 248 Z um a ee 2999 28003 Sources NEM Diecaon Generale Plentficanioary dites 2000 279 0 Minera Anuario Estad stico Minero Caracas Venezuela MEM 1999 Prices were adjusted for average inflation indexed to 2000 U S dollars Sources The Gold Institute Online at http www kitco com charts historicalgold html World Gold Council Gold Dem
80. a s forests and how has forest cover changed over the last decades What is the status of protected areas in Venezuela s forests and in the Guayana region specifically How have protected areas been managed in Venezuela To answer these questions we used government maps of protected areas a regional map of forest cover developed by the Tropical Ecosystem Environment Observations by Satellites Project TREES derived from the use of the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer AVHRR sensor and a national vegetation map published in the mid 1980s We compared these map data to statistics released by the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO for national deforestation These results reveal significant inconsistencies between datasets and raise questions about the reliability of current forest cover estimates We encountered several difficulties in analyzing the protection status of forest cover due to the lack ofa georeferenced map of protected areas and an official map of political boundaries Schematic maps available from government offices have technical deficiencies resulting from the fact that pro tected areas are mapped individually and then transferred onto a national scale map using outdated cartographic methods and inaccurate base maps Until 1998 presidential decrees establishing pro tected areas did not require prior technical consultation with the official cartographic office Instituto Geogr fico de Venezuela Sim n
81. abor genes de Venezuela Monograf a No 29 edited by Walter Coopens Caracas Venezuela Fundaci n La Salle de Ciencias Naturales 1983 303 380 Vitazkova S Ye kuana knowledge of mammals in the Boca de Nichare region of Venezuela Master s thesis Ithaca New York Cornell University 1994 Wilbert W La etnobot nica en su contexto cultural 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 No 1 1999 23 26 Wilbert W Manicaria saccifera and the Warao in the Orinoco Delta A biogeography Antropol gica 81 1994 51 66 Williams B B Milano G Vele A Fern ndez and F Michelangeli Sistema de base de datos relacional aplicado a la etnobot nica y a la prospecci n bioqu mica del bosque tropical de Yutaj estado Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 219 222 Zent S and E L pez Etnobot nica cuantitativa de los ind genas Hoti de la regi n circum Maigualida estados Amazonas y Bol var Venezuela Final report presented to CONICIT 2001 Zent S and E L pez Ethnobotanical convergence divergence and change among the Hoti Informe t cnico 2000 Chapter 4 Logging Barrios G Evaluaci n de la segunda fase del ensayo sistema Celos en la unidad de manejo forestal CVG edo Bol var M rida Venezuela ULA Internship report 1996 Buschbacher R J Natural Forest Management in the Humid Tropics Ecological Social and Economic Considerati
82. address important legal and administrative concerns regarding the status of some protected areas in the Guayana region QUESTION 1 cover changed Venezuela s forests encompass a diverse range of ecosystems Approximately half of Venezuela s national territory is forested Most of this forest nearly 90 per cent is located south of the Orinoco River in the Guayana region see Map 3 Venezuela s forests can be classified as predominantly lowland forest see Figure 2 The exact extent of Venezuela s forest cover is not known Estimates of Venezuela s current forest cover can be obtained using regional and global maps pro duced by various international organizations based on satellite imagery The estimates derived from these sources vary depending on the definitions and methodologies they used to identify forest cover Because of these variations establishing a reliable and accurate baseline estimate for Venezuela s forest cover is extremely difficult and estimates of forest cover are not directly compara ble to each other International estimates of Venezuela s forest cover can be divided into two categories those that rely on data retrieved from coarse resolution satellite imagery and those derived from national invento ries and government data The most recent satellite based estimate places Venezuela s forest cover at 427 000 square kilometers in 1996 see Annex 1 for details about the sources of satellite based esti mates while FA
83. al species list of the Imataca forest is currently under way at the Herbario MER of the Faculty of Forest Sciences Universidad de los Andes M rida Table 7 Logging Fees Applied to the Guayana Region Notes We calculated logging fees for 1997 and 1999 based on log production and prices at the mill gate by wood species harvested in the Guayana region in 1997 Statistics for prices and production by wood species are not available for 1999 To account for an increase in price between 1997 and 1999 we assumed an increase of 50 R Silva personal communication July 12 2001 Between 1997 and 1999 Venezuela s non coniferous industrial roundwood production decreased by 9 FAO FAOSTAT 2001 Online at http www fao org forestry July 13 2001 Since Bol var State accounts for much of the country s non coniferous industrial roundwood production we assumed a 9 decrease in production for 1999 Prices have been weighted to production per cubic meter for each wood species harvested see below Total Weighted Price and Roundwood Production Guayana Region 221 818 1999 199 294 Source MARNR Estadisticas Forestales A o 1997 Serie No 5 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1999 Logging Fees as a Proportion of Production Value in the Guayana Region and Other Tropical Countries Figure 14 Guayana region 1997 Guayana region post 1999 12 Gabon 15 Cameroon 18 J G n gte DC WRI 2000 J G Col
84. aleza Zonia Rivas Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Direcci n General Sectorial de Planificaci n y Ordenamiento Ambiental DarA REVIEW WORKSHOP OCTOBER 31 2000 Am rico Catal n Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Direcci n General de los Recursos Forestales Armando Hern ndez Fundaci n Polar Carolina Iglesias Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Cartosur Edgard Yerena Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Naturaleza Freddy Serrano Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Julio Delgado Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Otto Huber Universidad Sim n Bol var Euro Segovia Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Direcci n General de los Recursos Forestales Alfredo Arteaga Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Eric van Praag Observatorio Mundial de Bosques Venezuela James Ross Jones Audubon de Venezuela Julia Miguel Instituto Geogr fico de Venezuela Sim n Bol var Tahis Tejeras Instituto Geogr fico de Venezuela Sim n Bol var Zoyla Mart nez Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Naturaleza E Not List does not include authors of this report 115 RARER Bibliography Chapter 2 Forest Cover and Protection Bevilacqua M reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial In Biodiversidad en Venezuela edited by M Aguilera E Gonz
85. alth Small scale miners wash metallic mercury through sluices Metallic mercury can be absorbed through the skin present inga health risk to miners who handle the material in their sluicing operations The mercury gold amalgamation that results from washing is subsequently burned to release the mercury leaving gold particles behind Mercury can enter into the environment in two ways 1 when miners fail to capture mercury as it is washed through the sluice and 2 when min ers burn the mercury amalgam to separate the gold from the mercury When mercury is oxidized it remains in organisms and can bioaccumulate over time Oxidation occurs when miners breathe mercury vapors released during the burning process In a process that is not entirely understood by scientists metallic mercury can also be transformed into methylmercury when it is released into rivers and streams This toxic compound is subsequently consumed by aquatic organisms increasing in concentration as it moves up the food chain Mercury poisoning can result in damage to the nervous system birth defects or death Even minimal exposure to methylmercury can have serious consequences and women and children are particularly at risk In pregnant women methylmercury can be transferred through the placenta to the fetus leading to severe birth defects even in cases where the mother s symptoms are mild Group Meeting Vienna July 1 3 1997 Information on the impacts of medium and
86. ancial Havens Banking Secrecy and Money Laundering 1998 cited June 28 2001 Available from http www globalpolicy org nations finhav99 htm Veiga M Mercury in Small scale Gold Mining in Latin America Facts Fantasies and Solutions Paper presented at the UNIDO Expert Group Meeting Introducing new technologies for abatement of global mercury pollution derived from small scale gold mining Vienna Austria July 1 3 1997 World Bank World Development Indicators Washington DC World Bank 2000 Wunder S Oil Wealth and the Fate ofthe Forest Venezuela Unpublished CIFOR Draft Bogor Indonesia CIFOR 2001 Chapter 4 Settlements CAICET Evaluaci n del impacto de la miner a de oro sobre la salud y el ambiente en la Amazon a venezolana Caso San Juan de Manapiare Informe Fase II Puerto Ayacucho Venezuela CAICET 1997 Comisi n Estatal de Ordenaci n del Territorio del Estado Bol var Cartograf a de la Propuesta del Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial del Estado Bol var Ciudad Bol var Venezuela IAMOT MARNR 1998 131 Mansutti Rodr guez A Una mirada al futuro de los ind genas en Guayana Bolet n Antropol gico 29 1993 7 27 Mansutti Rodr guez A I Aray and E Lares Informe Final del proyecto de ubicaci n de las comunidades ind genas contempor neas en el estado Bol var Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CIAG UNEG 1997 Mansutti Rodr guez A A Flores A Perozo V Rigoris L Hern
87. and Contract Ownership Figure 22 Category Areata Yooftotal Government 731 455 5 39 Foreign held 455 022 5 24 Small scale national 414 019 0 22 Unknown 264 948 7 14 Rescinded 13 322 0 1 TOTAL 1 878 767 7 100 108 Source GFW Venezuela 2001 see below for details Sources Empresas con contratos rescindidos E Universal Caracas Venezuela November 27 1997 Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana Vicepresidencia Corporativa de Miner a Situaci n Actual de la Permisolog a Ambiental de los Contratos Vigentes de Peque a Mediana y Gran Miner a en reas Asignadas ala CVG Report to Ministry of Environment Ciudad Bol var CVG 1999 CVG Tecm n Estado Actual de los Contratos Vigentes de Mediana Miner a firmados por CVG con Terceros Actualizados a Julio del A o 1996 Ciudad Guayana Estado Bol var CVG Tecm n September 1999 Gacetas Oficiales Official Gazettes for mining concessions granted by the MEM Internet search of multinational mining companies with holdings in the Guayana region Small scale mining communities GFW Venezuela Database on Communities and Settlements 2001 Methodology Figure 23 Table 11 Map 11 Data on mining concessions granted by the Ministry of Mines were obtained from the official gazettes in which concession boundaries are published Geographic coordinates were extracted for each concession boundary Data on contracts granted b
88. and Up 11 in Q4 2000 Gold Demand Trends 34 Feb 2001 Online at http www gold org Gedt Gdt34 Gdt34 pdf June 28 2001 Inflation data from International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook Database May 2001 Online at http www imf org external pubs ft weo 2001 01 data index htm July 10 2001 107 Question 6 The value of gold and diamond mining for the Venezuelan economy According to the SENIAT mining companies paid 535 million bol vares in taxes and the state run CVG Minerven paid 1 878 million bol vares between 1993 1997 Source C Rodner R quiem para un bosque Debates IESA 3 No 4 April July 1998 The average exchange rate for this period was Bs 263 96 US 1 Source Banco Central de Venezuela Tipo de Cambio de Referencia Bs US Online at www bcv org ve cuadros 2 253 htm July 19 2001 Total production of gold for the same period was 60 379 kg Sources US Geological Survey US Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook 1999 Washington DC USGS 2000 US Geological Survey US Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook 1997 98 Washington DC USGS 1999 Average price of gold for the same time period was 369 40 Note that this is in real value rather than inflation adjusted dollars Source World Gold Council Gold Demand Up 11 in Q4 2000 Gold Demand Trends 34 February 2001 Online at http www gold org Gedt Gdt34 Gdt34 pdf June 28 2001 Mining Concession
89. antation area alone is not enough to explain the discrepancy in estimates Venezuela s Deforestation in Thirteen States 1982 1995 Distrito Federal 97 966 0 88 960 0 9 006 0 9 2 692 8 0 7 Amazonas 16 612 558 0 16 556 407 6 56 150 4 0 3 4 319 3 0 0 Anzo tegui 983 023 0 1 134 342 7 151 319 7 15 4 11 640 0 1 2 Aragua 262 478 0 173 697 0 88 781 0 33 8 6 829 3 2 6 Bol var 18 709 134 0 18 242 551 6 466 582 4 2 5 35 891 0 Delta Amacuro 3 360 195 0 3 322 572 5 37 622 5 1 1 2 894 0 Falc n 970 210 0 751 250 0 218 960 0 22 6 16 843 1 Gu rico 1 435 140 0 1 204 905 6 2302344 16 0 17 710 3 Miranda 504 257 0 421 651 9 82 605 1 16 4 6 354 2 Monagas 750 154 0 855 227 6 105 073 6 14 0 8 082 6 Nueva Esparta 13 750 0 13 750 0 0 0 Sucre 578 559 0 361 868 6 216 690 4 37 5 16 668 5 Zulia 3 949 197 0 1 704 632 0 2 244 565 0 56 8 172 658 9 Total 48 226 621 0 44 831 817 1 3 394 803 9 261 138 8 88 ource Original rae 1996 calculations for all other columns are based on formulas entered into a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Notes 1982 and 1995 forest cover numbers from MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuel The Ap ndice reports an average annual deforestation rate of 0 54 between 1982 and 1995 for 13 of 23 states see Table 2 7B page 13 However these est
90. are exempt from producing an environmental impact assessment Decree 2214 1992 Establishes norms for regulating activities in forest reserves forest lots and other forested protected areas Defines land use zones to be considered in forest reserves Decree 1742 1991 Prohibits the use of mercury except in specialized labs and facilities Assigns the regional Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana CVG the responsibility ofregulating and controlling the use of mercury with coordi nation and assistance from the Ministries of Environment and Mines Decree 1738 1991 Prohibits any mining that can destroy the environment Requires environmental impact studies to define which mining activities have the potential for irreparable damage to the environment Assigns monitoring of mining activities to the Ministry of Environment with support from the Ministry of Mines and the National Guard Decree 1740 1991 Prohibits the act of burning mercury in open air or using techniques that allow mercury to escape into the environment Requires any person using mercury to get necessary permits from the Ministry of Environment Decree 636 1990 Prohibits any activity in forest reserves or forest lots that are contrary to the objectives for which the reserve or lot was created Decree 276 1989 Defines administration and management of national parks and natural monuments Prohibits certain activitie
91. arth According to Map 7 the Caron watershed and the northern sector of the State of Amazonas have the highest concentrations of endemic wildlife species in Venezuela Both of these subregions are char acterized by a high degree of development pressure which could negatively impact forest ecosys tems and associated wildlife This poses challenges in the case of some species whose known distri bution is limited to Venezuela and therefore constitute a high conservation priority e g Lonchorhina fernandezi bat Crypturellus casiquiare mountain chicken Colostethus sanmartini frog The Imataca Orinoco Delta subregion although subject to a high degree of intervention in its natural ecosystems has a lower degree of known endemism Wildlife of the Guayana region includes thirty five species whose populations are at risk with mam mals and birds representing the groups with the most taxa in this condition To determine the potential status of wildlife populations in the Guayana region we evaluated species whose populations may be at risk of local extinction due to a combination of development pressures and the species degree of sensitivity to changes in habitat see Annex 1 for details Amazonas State and the Caura subregion show the greatest number of species that are at risk for local extinction see Map 7 Both of these subregions demonstrate a growing amount of forest degrada tion Hunting bushmeat trade and forest conversion from
92. ation of cultural landscape 3 3 NA 3 3 3 jl NA NA NA Recreation and tourism S 2 3 E 2 2 2 3 3 NA Key 1 Primary objective 2 Secondary objective 3 Potentially applicable objective NA Not applicable Sources M Bevilacqua reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n in M Aguilera et al eds Biodiversidad en Venezuela Caracas Venezuela CONICIT Fundaci n Polar in press MARNR Plan del Sistema Nacional de reas Protegidas 1ra Etapa Marco Conceptual Serie de Informes T cnicos Caracas Venezuela DGSPOA IT 213 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables 1985 91 Area of Forests in Venezuela by Category of Protected Area ECOSYSTEM 19 686 3 2 680 7 3 4 0 22 512 0 LB 1 285 6 7 527 0 2 255 1 0 0 0 71 2 11 138 9 MN 9 039 8 22 477 1 29 551 4 11 733 3 0 231 5 13 5 73 046 6 PN 47 554 6 22 417 3 30 108 9 20 860 6 909 0 541 7 414 5 122 806 6 RB 3 216 0 38 855 2 30 967 2 12 078 6 786 2 3514 155 2 86 409 8 REFA 695 1 135 2 0 0 0 0 3 4 833 7 RER 11 586 0 71 531 4 30 810 5 5 406 0 1 351 8 119 2 792 4 121 597 3 RFS 851 4 0 0 0 3 4 0 47 0 901 8 RNH 18 046 3 1 217 0 438 0 0 0 0 3 4 19 789 9 43 656 6 27 740 5 19 855 1 101 845 8 AB Forest Areas Under Protection LB Forest Lots MN Natural Monuments PN National Parks RB Biosphere Reserve REFA Wildlife Reserve RFR Forest Reserve RFS Wildlife Refuge RNH National
93. atively small proportion attributed to imports and exports see Figure 10 Venezuela imports a significant portion of its pulp and paper which is used primarily for newspaper and packaging for food products 42 In 1999 imports represented 35 percent of consumption although imports have declined throughout the 1990s see Figure 11 43 36 Imports Exports and National Production of Roundwood 1993 1998 Gag Ae m x wem Values represent the average of production between 1993 and 1998 Sources MARNR Bolet n Estad stico Forestal No 2 Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables 1999 p 67 Pulp and Paper Imports 1990 1999 HUIR E ee a Note Total imports according to FAO differ from official statistics Sources FAO Pulp and Paper Imports Forestry Statistics 2000 Online at http www fao org forestry include frames July 6 2001 37 Itis possible that imports of some wood products such as plywood and veneers could rise in the future Wood product imports from Brazil and Peru appear to be cheaper and of higher quality than wood products produced in Venezuela For example to construct the new Caruachi dam in southern Venezuela wood products have been imported from Brazil and the demand for veneer is increasingly satisfied by imports from Peru 4 The significance of this trend at a national level is not yet clear Venezuela s overall wood production declined in th
94. blish an environment ministry 1977 Venezuela has a long history of environmental awareness Over the last fifty years the wealth generated from oil has allowed the country to develop the most extensive protected areas system in Latin America Venezuelan laws are organized hierarchically with the constitution representing the highest order of law followed by framework laws ordinary laws presidential decrees and ministerial resolutions see Table 1 The latter are generally established to set norms for implementing specific laws Venezuelan legislation has long recognized the importance of maintaining forest cover for the health of watersheds especially given the arid nature of much of the northern half of the country Major legislation linking forest conservation with watershed protection dates back to 1965 when the Forest Soils and Water Law Ley Forestal de Suelos y de Aguas was passed Subsequent decrees have prohibited activities that can have negative impacts on watersheds especially mining e g Decree 269 Many ofthe country s protected areas the largest of which are located in the Guayana region were created to protect watersheds and to guarantee the nation s supply of water and electric ity For example Canaima National Park was extended to include the greater Caron River basin precisely to protect the source of hydropower for the Guri reservoir However evidence presented in this report suggests that Venezuela s positive hi
95. c monitoring of development trends over time and space The inability to accurately gauge the cumulative impacts of mining logging and population growth on the forests of the Guayana region makes it difficult to promote sound conservation and manage ment practices In some areas development pressures are so high that scientists may not have time to adequately research the diversity of these ecosystems before the forest is gone 74 72 This report identified several important information gaps which will need to be filled if the region s policymakers are to make informed decisions about the future of the Guayana region s forests The most critical data gaps included the following Accurate and reliable base maps Venezuela does not have a cartographic standard and important basic information is either not publicly available or restricted in geographic scope Accurate topographic and hydrological maps are especially lacking for the Guayana region and southern Amazonas specifically Three years ago the government revived the Cartosur project an effort led by the official cartographic office to map the Guayana region using radar and satellite imagery with the objective of providing such important basic information To date no maps have been published Accurate geo referenced land use maps Maps of logging and mining concessions agricultural production and protected areas need to be standardized and corrected To date there is
96. caci n y mane jo Master s Thesis Caracas Venezuela UCV Facultad de Agronom a 1999 34 o GHAPTERA 000 Forest Development Trends Venezuela s forests are the source of a variety of economic and social activities This section ad dresses indicators focusing on three major themes logging mining gold and diamond and human settlements While not inclusive of all human related activities in the country s forests these repre sent some of the socioeconomic factors impacting forests especially in the Guayana region Our objective was to answer the following questions How important are mining and logging for the national economy e Who is involved in development activities in the forests of the Guayana region Are companies complying with policies and regulations What is the impact of development activities especially logging and mining in the region s forests What are the impacts of population change on the forests of the region Data for this analysis were difficult to collect and in many cases not publicly available Venezuela does not maintain a cartographic database of logging and mining concessions As in the case of pro tected areas concession boundaries are identified through publication of geographic coordinates in an official gazette However no map accompanies the decree establishing these boundaries and in many cases there are no geographic coordinates In the case of mining concessions we were onl
97. ch wood will be harvested per year and the relative abundance of exist ing commercial species Each year the concessionaire presents an annual cutting plan from which the Forest Resources Department assigns a quota of wood to be extracted Concessionaires are only allowed to extract trees greater than 40 centimeters in diameter at breast height dbh The volume extracted varies according to each concession and logging fees are assigned based on the annually established quota Thus concessionaires have an incentive to meet their quotas as the tax rate remains the same no matter how much wood is extracted To ensure contributions to the local econ omy Venezuelan forest policy requires all concessionaires to operate their own sawmills 42 Status of Logging Concessions in the Guayana Region ue ATLANTIC OC EAN Concession Stotus hh Review EN c hoctre i Suspended 3 Not Allocoted Bl nor Cergrorad for Logging C Boundary of Imaraca Foses Reserve BRAZIL 50 0 50 Kilometern Foses Non F owes Geographic WGS 84 EN wee Soola 1 5 500 000 Rood To date concessions have only been allocated in Bolivar State Active concessions currently being logged Inactive concessionaires have stopped logging Suspended logging has stopped pending government investigation of infractions In review inactive pending government review of the management plan For information
98. chment strips Note that the curve for enrichment strips has the lowest level for both numbers of individuals and numbers of species with only three species representing approximately 65 percent of individuals A similar pattern was found in logged forests without enrichment strips 70 percent of individuals represented by only five species even though the abundance of individuals and species richness was higher The reduced diversity in intensively logged areas may have negative impacts on the regenerative capacity of the forest and its potential for wood production For example commercially valuable trees such as Pachira quinata saqui saqui and Ceiba pentandra ceiba depend on particular bat species for pollination Effects of Logging on Bat Populations in the Guayana Region Source Copyrighted 2000 by the Association for Tropical Biology PO Box 1897 Lawrence KS 66044 8897 Reprinted by permission Notes 1 FE Putz etal Biodiversity conservation in the context of tropical forest management The World Bank Environment Department Papers Biodiversity Series Impacts Studies Washington DC World Bank 75 1 80 J M Thiollay Influence of selective logging on bird species diversity in a Guianan rain forest Conservation Biology vol 6 47 63 1992 D J Mason Responses of Venezuelan understory birds to selective logging enrichment strips and vine cutting Biotropica vol 28 296 309 1996 J Ochoa G Efectos
99. cording to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 58 Foreign Mining Companies with Holdings in the Guayana Region by Size of Total Holdings ote Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Parent Company Headquarters Area ha Subsidiaries Stock Exchange Gold Fields Ltd South Africa 134 398 Guayana Gold Fields Chivao Gold Fields Caron Johannes Gold Fields Precambrian Gold Fields Cuyun Gold burg Fields Orinoco Gold Fields Chicanan Resources Paris Chicanan Gold Fields Yuruan Gold Fields Lo NYSE Incre ble Resources Vetas D Vuelvan Caras TSE TSE Crystallex Canada 77 410 Inversora Mael CA Minera Venamo CA AMEX Zaruma Resources Inc Norway 45 296 Minera R o Carichapo Minetoco TSE Intemin CA Minera 6560433 Corporaci n Minera Toronto Tombstone Canada 97909 410879 Corporaci n 1818 Tombstone AVV Aruba Hoda Mima Co 35 181 Hecla Resources Investments Limited Hecla de E US iano Venezuela EH a Greenwich Resources de Venezuela Greenwich Gre h Re i reenwich Resources UK 23 000 e RCN London Grupo Vannessa Ventures SA Venezuelan Mining Co Ltd Aruba Inversiones Vipego CA Minera Tapaya CDNX Mesa Mens Ed 16809 CA Minex CA Corporaci n Mineral Sor Teresita CA Representaciones Carson Gold International CA Daniela Canada 13 738 res La Fort
100. could lead to significant deforestation in the absence of immediate action Decision makers in the Guayana region face a considerable challenge to generate sound development strategies that both ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and improve the livelihoods of local populations xviii ___ HARTER An Overview of Venezuela s Geography Population Economy and Forest Legislation Geograpi Venezuela has a land area of approximately 890 000 square kilometers of which half is forested Venezuela can be divided into three physical regions The coastal and Andean mountain chains have maximum altitudes ranging from 2700 meters near the coast to over 5000 meters in the Andean highlands above sea level Vegetation in the mountain region varies from cloud forests to alpine scrub p ramos including mountain savanna and xerophytic ecosystems The Orinoco plains encompass much of the central part of the country north of the Orinoco River and reach 250 meters above sea level This region covers approximately one fifth of the national ter ritory and includes dry savanna shrub land and evergreen and semi deciduous forests in the Western plains llanos closest to the Andean mountain range The Guayana region is the largest of the three physical divisions consisting of half of the national territory Characterized by a diverse topographical landscape from sea level to over 3000 meters above sea level this region is c
101. d data from TREES and Huber s maps of potential vegetation types TREES data were resampled to the scale of Huber s maps 1 2 000 000 resolution TREES classes were then aggregated into forest and non forest the latter including fragmented forest Each TREES forest pixel was then coded according to ecosystem type from Huber s data to produce a dataset on forest type This layer was used to estimate forest cover by ecosystem type In addition the layer was used with the protected areas dataset to estimate percentage of protection for each forest type lowland submontane and montane Additional methodology for Maps 4 6 The MARNR Mapa de reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial 1983 with updated boundaries in 1999 paper map was digitized corrected with the MARNR 1998 published map and checked by protected areas experts in Venezuela Protected areas were divided in two categories strictly protected corresponds to IUCN categories I to IV and those designated for resource use IUCN categories V and VI Although IUCN lists Wildlife Reserves as category IV we chose to categorize these protected areas as designated for resource use since the primary objective of this category according to Venezuelan law is for wildlife use Wildlife Reserves encompass less than 20 000 hectares Forest lots lotes boscosos are not part of the protected area ABRAE system However because these areas are also designated for extractive us
102. de la extracci n de maderas sobre la diversidad de peque os mam feros en bosques de tierras bajas de la Guayana Venezolana Biotropica vol 32 146 164 2000 2 DJ Mason op cit 3 P Charles Dominique Inter relations between frugivorous vertebrates and pioneer plants Cecropia birds and bats in French Guyana in A Estrada y T H Fleming Eds Frugivores and seed dispersal pp 119 135 Dordrecht Holand Dr W Junk Publishers 1986 J Kikkawa and PD Dwyer Use of scattered resources in rain forest of humid tropical lowlands Biotropica vol 24 293 308 1992 J Ochoa G Efectos de la extracci n de maderas sobre la diversidad de peque os mam feros en bosques de tierras bajas de la Guayana Venezolana Biotropica vol 32 146 164 2000 A D Johns Effects of Selective Timber Extraction on Rain Forest Structure and Composition and Some Consequences for Frugivores and Folivores Biotropica vol 20 31 37 1988 Threatened and Endemic Species by Sub Region of Guayana BEVA BRAZIL These are schematic sub regions based on general geographic and administrative zones For source information see Annex 1 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 29 Some of the areas under greatest development pressure within the Guayana region exhibit excep tional reptile amphibian and bird endemism species found nowhere else on e
103. don 1993 Melnyk M The Direct Use Values of Tropical Moist Forest Goods A Case Study of the Huottuja Piaroa Amerindians of Venezuela Ambio 29 No 7 November 1997 Meneses C Deforestaci n en el bosque lluvioso tropical Una perspectiva multitemporal Proyecto Pan Amazon a Caso Venezuela Pittieria 21 Libro de res menes del XI Congreso de Bot nica 1993 79 Facultad de Ciencias Forestales ULA Sociedad Bot nica de Venezuela M rida Venezuela Michelangeli F Prospecci n bioqu mica del bosque de Yutaj estado Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 15 18 Mondolfi E Lista provisional anotada de los mam feros de la cuenca del r o Caura Venezuela Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 11 63 Mu oz M B Milano A Fern ndez G Vele B Williams E Rodr guez and F Michelangeli Reporte de actividad biol gica de plantas de uso medicinal colectadas en Yutaj estado Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 207 219 Narbaiza I La guama Inga edulis un recurso etnobot nico con potencial en la pro ducci n animal 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 69 72 Narv ez A and F Stauffer Productos de palma Arecacea en los mercados de Puerto Ayacucho estado Amazonas Venezuela 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 73 76 Ojasti J Consumo de fauna silvestre por una comunidad ind gena en el estado Bol
104. ds are more commonly used for food 31 more than 30 percent of the bibliographic refer ences cite the use of invertebrates as an important source of protein during periods of meat and fish scarcity 30 At least thirteen plants and animals found in forests of the Guayana region are known to be used by more than half ofthe local indigenous groups and many non timber forest species have multiple uses see Table 5 For example Four palm species Bactris gasipaes Mauritia flexuosa Leopoldinia piassaba and Euterpe precatoria and four mammal species Tapirus terrestris Tayassu pecari Agouti paca and Cebus species are reportedly used by more than 60 percent of the Guayana region s indige nous groups Most of the species with reported traditional uses are plants many of which have multiple uses see Figure 7 For example in the case of the moriche palm Mauritia flexuosa the roots leaves shoots fruit seeds stem and even the pulp and larvae ofa beetle found on the stem are used for food medicine handicrafts and the construction of housing However very few indigenous communities rely solely on wild flora and fauna to satisfy subsistence needs 3 Currently non timber forest products complement the diets of local communities who meet their caloric needs in part through shifting agriculture practiced within the forest 33 Selected Non Timber Forest Resources Used by Indigenous Groups in the Guayana Region
105. during one annual cutting cycle and end 1 3 years later For this reason volumes extracted from one compartment do not always correspond to the calendar year indicated in the cutting plan resulting in confusion in annual production records Actual volume cut and number of trees harvested are most likely an underestimate due to the lack of data for some years and concessions Total production is likely to be higher than that reflected in the above tables Methodology Management plans annual cutting plans and other company documents were reviewed to compile data reflected in the above tables The list of reviewed documents includes 122 titles Data on sawmills were compiled from interviews with official company representatives for each sawmill and with the Ministry of Environment and forestry experts Logging concessions maps were derived from the original decree allocating each concession The boundaries ofthe Imataca Forest Reserve and surrounding forest lots were adjusted according to expert opinion to fit the boundaries of the logging concessions 105 Limitations There is no standard cartographic base map that can be used to accurately locate concession boundaries The most recent base map is from 1987 and contains various errors Many concessions have been established without defining geographic coordinates In these cases concession boundaries are identified by incidental non geographic points e g a road
106. e Penal Environmental Law 1992 Establishes penalties for 1 acts that degrade the environment based on the minimum wage and jail sentences and 2 public sector employees who permit activities that damage the environment without an environmental impact assessment Law Protecting Wildlife 1970 Establishes wildlife reserves wildlife refuges and wildlife sanctuaries Establishes norms for hunting with the acquisition of the necessary per mits Law of Forests Soils and 1965 Regulates conservation and use of natural resources found in forests Water Prohibits extractive activities in national parks Establishes protected zones for major watersheds Prohibits deforestation or annexation of forest reserves without prior approval from the congress Legal Instrument Decree 369 Year 1999 Relevance Partially updates the Framework Law of Central Administration Gives the Ministry of Production and Commerce the mandate to define policies planning and regulate forestry activities Simultaneously gives the Ministry of Environment the mandate to man age forest resources Decree 363 1999 Revises fees charged for administrative services including logging fees Defines fees in a standardized tax unit which is targeted to inflation Decree 1257 1996 Establishes regulations for developing environmental impact assess ments States that timber concessionaires who develop management plans
107. e nous settlements for the amenities they provide Indigenous communities are becoming more sedentary eventually increasing in size This trend results in part from the Venezuelan government s policy of providing basic services education health finances and security only to larger settlements thus promoting population concentration FIGURE 24 e AUC Rs zm x i Source Mansutti Rodr guez A Una mirada al futuro de los ind genas en Guayana Bolet n Antropol gico 29 1993 727 66 Population growth continued sedentarization and urbanization associated with intensive use of for est resources constitute a key threat to the integrity of the forests of the Guayana region In order to evaluate the impact of settlements on the Guayana region forests we used field data and the advice of experts to identify areas where economic activities are known to have an effect on forest cover The resulting map Map 12 shows the following Non indigenous agricultural settlements located at the nexus between forest and cleared areas are associated with the highest levels of forest conversion Mining communities that evolve into permanent settlements threaten the forests of the Guayana region by providing a platform for further expansion of non indigenous settlements The largest population centers have significant impact on the surrounding forest cover The forests closest to the cities of Upata Ciudad Guayana and
108. e logging we have chosen to include them in Map 5 Limitations The TREES Huber overlay resulted in a coarser version of the regional scale TREES map While experts agreed that the representation of forest ecosystems was more accurate under this scenario the forest cover area is slightly underestimated For this reason the analysis is appropriate for determining percentages of ecosystems that are protected but not for representing total forest cover We have chosen to maintain the TREES layer in its original format as a more accurate representation of Venezuela s forest cover Venezuela lacks a digital georeferenced national scale protected areas map that has been reviewed by the official cartographic office known as the Instituto Geogr fico de Venezuela Sim n Bol var For this reason Maps 4 and 5 are based on schematic maps created by the Ministry of Environment Management Objectives of National Protected Areas ABRAE categories Natural Monuments mpoumHUOoS Wildlife Reserves Biosphere Reserves Forest Reserves There are differences between the estimated area of ABRAE according to Maps 4 and 5 and the area listed by the Ministry of Environment These differences could be due to the quality of the base maps that were digitized as well as to the fact that the Ministry calculates the area of protected areas using manual methods see below For this reason the Ministry s numbers are approximate and ex
109. e Relationship Between Forest Cover and Wildlife and one reviewer felt the information provided was too simplistic We added references to other research that demonstrate the impact of logging on biodiversity provided more rele vant details on the types of impacts especially on bird and bat species and included a more clear explanation of the figure within the box We also modified the figure slightly so the differences between the lines would be more apparent A couple of reviewers felt that Figure 2 should represent forest cover by elevational criteria or by physiological classes but not both We chose to use elevational criteria as that fits more closely our analysis of the distribution of forests under pro tected status To represent elevational classes we used a combination of O Huber s 1988 Vegetation Map for Venezuela and the TREES satellite data for 1996 see Annex 1 for details In addition to maintaining the consis tency of analysis with the protected areas section the O Huber map is deemed to be of high quality for represent ing vegetation classes We were criticized for our use of the TREES data as a base forest cover layer for Venezuela due to the fact that these data are relatively coarse and do not adequately represent small forest patches While we agree in principal with this criticism see our discussion of the limitations of this dataset in Annex 1 we felt that this was the most appropriate source to use Desp
110. e at http www panda org fore standtrade latest news publications pub 1 html last accessed July 26 2001 J C Centeno 1996 The Need to Reforest the Earth unpublished paper Online at http www ciens ula ve jcenteno theneed html July 20 2001 I Torres The Mineral Industry of Venezuela Washington DC USGS 1997 See Box 6 in Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 16 The decline in mining activity in Venezuela could also be attributed to legal uncertainty regarding Placer Dome s claim on the Las Cristinas property See Miranda et al op cit p 18 for further details Gold production from U S Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook Washington DC USGS 1999 Value based on 1999 average price of 279 ounce The Gold Institute Online at http www kitco com charts historicalgold html World Gold Council February 2001 Gold Demand Up 11 in Q4 2000 Gold Demand Trends 34 Online at http www gold org Gedt Gdt34 Gdt34 pdf June 27 2001 GDP in 1999 was 103 9 billion according to the World Bank World Development Indicators Washington DC World Bank 2000 C Rodner R quiem para un bosque Debates IESA 3 4 April July 1998 See Annex 1 for details Government Industry Task Force on the Canadian Mineral Investment Climate International Task Reference Charts for the Mining Industry Background
111. e inventories which were conducted in easily accessible areas near rivers Some information is also available from studies conducted on tepuyes or isolated mountain ranges There is no available information regarding the abundance of wildlife populations e Data on unpublished research projects are incomplete and difficult to access Research project teams are reluctant to distribute information while data collection is on going Data on medicinal and religious uses of non timber forest species are only available at a qualitative level given that intellectual property rights have not been established with respect to the use of these species Studies on the distribution abundance and status of fauna and flora populations in the Guayana region are lacking especially with respect to those species used by local communities In addition few studies document the impact of human activities on wildlife in the Guayana region This limits the potential for evaluating the impact of extraction on these species Only a few recent studies quantify the dependency of local communities on flora and fauna in the Guayana region Very little data exist on the trade of wildlife for pets There are no data regarding the economic value of Venezuela s biodiversity and particularly that of non timber forest resources Chapter 4 Forest Development Trends Imports Exports and National Production of Roundwood 1993 1998 Figure 10 Y
112. e last twenty years and an increasing share comes from plantations Sawnwood comes from both plantations and natural forest concessions Concessions also provide wood for plywood and veneer Pine plantations currently provide pulpwood for production of hard board and plans are in place to produce particleboard and medium density fibreboard for global export An oriented strandboard project is also being developed to use this same resource 4 Analysis of wood production in Venezuela reveals that Industrial wood production has declined since 1980 although production peaked in 1992 see Figure 12 In the period from 1993 to 1998 wood production from plantations increased nearly 2 5 times while production from cutting licenses declined by more than half see Figure 13 Government policy has shifted away from promoting wood production from unregulated cut ting licenses also known as deforestation licenses to production from logging concessions 46 However these figures do not reflect illegal logging that occurs sporadically throughout the Guayana region 47 As 0 1998 plantations covered approximately 729 000 hectares of which nearly 75 percent are managed by state owned companies e g CVG Proforca Conare 48 see Table 6 Most plantations are located outside of natural forests In 1998 Caribbean pine Pinus caribaea which is produced solely on plantations com prised more than half of national roundwood production 2
113. e official cubic meter see J C Centeno Estrategia para el Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela Report com missioned by WRI June 1995 p 29 J C Centeno Estrategia para el Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela Report com missioned by WRI June 1995 p 29 According to data collected from management plans of concessionaires operat ingin Guayana region See Annex 1 for details Ramiro Silva Venezuelan forestry expert personal communication 22 November 2000 J Ochoa G An lisis preliminar de los efectos del aprovechamiento de maderas sobre la composici n y estructura de bosques en la Guayana Venezolana Interciencia 23 1998 197 207 C Uhl and I Vieira Ecological Impacts of Selective Logging in the Brazilian Amazon A Case Study from the Paragominas Region of the State of Par Biotropica 21 2 1989 98 106 R J Buschbacher Natural Forest Management inthe Humid Tropics Ecological Social and Economic Considerations Ambio 19 5 1990 253 257 J C Centeno Estrategia para el Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela Report com missioned by WRI June 1995 p 37 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 R Posada Algunos aspectos sobre el proceso de producci n del Aserradero Yocoima Proyecto de Ingenier a de Industrias Forestales Upata Informe de Pasant a Universidad Experimental de Guayana 1993 p 37 J C Centeno El Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela M rida Venezuela IFLA 1990
114. e region but to other parts of the country as well Atthe levels of production estimated for small scale miners in the Guayana region mercury released into the environment is likely to be more than 10 tonnes per year 96 Mercury exposure can have serious human health impacts see Box 8 Several studies conducted in the lower Caron River during the early 1990s found that mercury had not yet resulted in contaminating sources of drinking water However one analysis found that some fish species in the river were already beginning to demonstrate signs of contamination and another study concluded that half the miners living in the lower Caron River manifested signs of mercury poisoning 98 The extent of deforestation attributed to mining is not known However one study estimates that small scale miners deforest approximately 40 000 hectares per year 99 The indirect impacts of mining are likely to be more serious An analysis of population change in the region suggests that some mining communities become frontier settlements eventually providing a point of departure for further settlement and migration see Question 10 The number of small scale miners appears to have declined in the last few years due to depressed gold prices 100 This would suggest that impacts may have diminished although an increase in gold prices and a lack of eco nomic alternatives could reverse this trend The Impact of Mercury on the Environment and Human He
115. ear National Production m Imports m Exports m 1993 1 161 061 5 79 817 2 29 379 7 1994 981 668 6 33 816 9 9 285 7 1995 1 087 926 1 39 125 8 071 9 1996 1 440 306 3 2 866 1 790 7 1997 1 618 075 8 301 4 550 1998 1 027 177 9 12 993 8 4 523 7 AVERAGE 1 219 369 2 29 486 65 9 600 283 Source MARNR Bolet n Estad stico Forestal No 2 Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables 1999 p 67 Pulp and Paper Imports 1990 1999 Figure 11 Industrial Wood Production 1980 1999 Figure 12 Year Pulp Paper Imports Year Industrial Wood Production 000 m 000 metric tonnes 1980 762 1990 1 680 1 1981 794 1991 1 918 3 1982 486 1992 3 177 1 1983 490 1993 2 144 0 Ue 490 1994 1 993 4 1285 63g 1995 2 343 8 2988 208 1987 703 1996 1 544 1 ACHE GET 1997 1 928 7 Gg GS 1990 698 E 5 e 1991 737 Dui eT EE gaye SE 1 148 2001 1993 804 1994 770 1995 755 1996 775 1997 520 1998 530 1999 443 Note Industrial wood production is represented as an aggregate of industrial wood sawnwood plywood and veneer sheet produc tion All units are in roundwood equivalents where industrial wood 1 sawnwood 1 82 plywood 2 3 and veneer sheet 1 9 See S Wunder Oil Wealth and the Fate of the Forest Venezuela Unpublished draft Bogor Indonesia CIFOR 2001 p 21 Source FAO FAOSTAT 2000 Onl
116. el Recurso Forestal Yr 10 16 2000 12 15 G Barrios Evaluaci n de la segunda fase del ensayo sistema Celos en la unidad de manejo forestal CVG Edo Bol var Internship paper M rida Venezuela Universidad de Los Andes 1996 T W Wood et al Estudios preliminares para desarrollar t cnicas de manejo de bosques Proyecto Ven 72019 Caracas Venezuela Documento de trabajo No 13 1978 A Linares Establecimiento de la metodolog a del muestreo de regeneraci n en la Unidad CVG de la Reserva Forestal Imataca Master s thesis M rida Venezuela Universidad de Los Andes 1989 L Hern ndez et al Una visi n sobre el manejo forestal en la Guayana Venezolana Estado Bol var Informe para el Consejo Regional de Gobierno Ambiente Miner a y Ordenaci n del Territorio del Estado Bol var Ciudad Bol var Venezuela 1994 p 8 R J Buschbacher Natural Forest Management in the Humid Tropics Ecological Social and Economic Considerations Ambio 19 5 1990 253 R Rowe et al Deforestation Problems Causes and Concerns in Managing the World s Forests ed N Sharma Dubuque Iowa Kendall Hunt Publishing 1992 p 34 C Uhl and I Vieira Ecological Impacts of Selective Logging in the Brazilian Amazon A Case Study from the Paragominas Region of the State of Par Biotropica 21 2 1989 101 79 80 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 J B Kauff
117. ela s forest cover in 1979 was 67 185 977 hectares 4 c digo 11 1 4 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1982 83 MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1996 p 8 J Malleux FAO personal communication July 18 2001 H Ortiz Chour FAO personal commu nication July 13 2001 Most of Venezuela s deforestation has occurred north of the Orinoco River In the last forty years about 80 percent of Venezuela s estimated deforestation has occurred north of the Orinoco River 21 Most forest loss has occurred in moderately diverse forests especially in the lowland and submontane forests of the Western plains lanos as Table 2 illustrates 22 From 1825 to 1950 forest cover in the llanos grew due to farmers abandoning rural areas as a result of political unrest in the countryside and migration to urban centers However from 1950 to 1975 forest cover decreased dramatically largely due to the development of roads and an increase in population see Table 2 Sources MARNR Mapa de la vegetaci n actual de Venezuela 1982 83 Sistemas Ambientales de Venezuela Serie II Secci n I No 15 Forest Change in the Llanos 1825 1988 1825 1950 1950 1975 32 5 16 1975 1988 Sources J P Veillon Las deforestaciones en los Llanos Occidentales de Venezuela desde 1950 hasta 1975 in L Hamilton et al Conservaci n de los Bosques H medos de Venezuela Caracas V
118. eme Court on the legal merits ofthe current zoning plan Because most mining concessions and contracts are located in this reserve the impacts of the current law are not yet known A large number of mining concessions have been allocated but most are in exploration or prospect ing stages According to official records a total of 1 8 million hectares has been given out in mining concessions in the Guayana region representing approximately 4 percent of the total land area of the region On average mining concessions and contracts average 2 400 hectares each The Guayana region has only 3 operating industrial mines El Albino La Camorra Tomi and one mill Revemin operated by foreign multinational companies An analysis of the concessions and contracts allocated to mining companies reveals that Most concessions and contracts are located in the Imataca Forest Reserve which has the mineral rich greenstone belt This is also the same area where logging takes place Ofthe 750 mining concessions and contracts in the Guayana region most are in stages of prospecting or exploration A significant proportion of mining concessions has been allocated to foreign junior mining compa nies Twenty six foreign mining companies were identified as having interests in Venezuelan mining con cessions and contracts of which the vast majority 85 percent are junior companies focusing pri marily on exploration or prospecting see Table 11
119. en cleared or degraded critical values are lost and it is generally too late to manage the impacts GFW provides early warning data on forest development and the environmental and economic trade offs development entails GFW empowers local organizations to monitor and report on their forests assisting growing civil society institutions to gain access to remote sensing technology and the power of the Internet These organizations are connected to a worldwide network of partners bound together by a commitment to accurate information and open dialogue about forest management Grounded in the idea that more public information helps create better outcomes GFW aims to become an independent source of timely and practical information on who is developing forests where and how in 2000 Global Forest Watch partners in Cameroon Canada and Gabon published reports on the state of their nation s forests Based on maps of forest cover and development these reports docu mented the values of forests in Africa and North America identified the location and ownership of logging concessions and examined the capacity of governments to adequately monitor large scale development in forests Each report revealed the extent to which the lack of high quality publicly available information impedes effective forest management The Global Forest Watch Venezuela project builds on previous research conducted by WRI and its partners in Venezuela which resulted in the
120. ence number origin of the publication and characteristics of the research project thematic content of the publication and description of non timber forest product use Interviews with ecology anthropology pharmaceutical and resource conservation experts complemented the information in the database Plant and animal species with reported uses in the literature were integrated into the database in a standardized format to avoid duplication of information The database does not include species identified at thetaxonomic level of family nor those identified solely by local common names Sixty seven percent of the literature reviewed was published in professional journals that are widely distributed while the remainder consisted of technical reports and special studies that are less accessible Threatened species were defined according to criteria established in the Venezuelan red books of species Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana and Libro Rojo de la Flora Venezolana These criteria include the following Critically threatened Extremely high threat of extinction from the wild in the immediate future Threatened Very high risk of extinction from the wild in the near future Vulnerable Not highly or critically threatened but at high risk of extinction from the wild in the near future 95 96 Further details on definitions of threat may be obtained from J P Rodr guez and F Rojas Su rez Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolan
121. enezuela Sierra Club Consejo de Bienestar Rural 1977 A Catal n E Proceso de Deforestaci n en Venezuela entre 1975 1988 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1989 Between 1975 and 1988 more than a third of all forests north of the Orinoco River were converted primarily for agricultural uses Two of the most critical areas affected were the area south of Maracaibo Lake loss of 90 percent of forests and the llanos loss of 45 percent of forests 23 According to the Venezuelan government deforestation has five principle causes expansion of the agricultural frontier illegal logging in natural forests permanent settlement of forest areas designated for forestry poorly planned mining and forest fires 24 and in the Guayana region specifically Venezuela has an extensive protected areas network but not all forest ecosystems are equally pro tected Designated as Areas Under Special Administration ABRAE protected areas in Venezuela are managed for specific purposes according to special laws National legislation defines twenty five categories of ABRAE with management objectives ranging from strict protection of natural ecosys tems to use of natural resources As of August 2001 362 ABRAE had been established representing approximately 46 percent of the national territory for total area by category see Annex 1 25 Map 4 shows Venezuela s strictly protected areas defined in this study as national parks natural monuments and wildli
122. ents hos 65 Question 10 How are settlement patterns changing in the Guayana region 65 Question 11 What is the impact of population change on the forests of the Guayana region 67 Question 12 How do forest uses in the Guayana region overlap 67 Summary and Analysis 69 Conclusions 71 ANNEXES Annex 1 Data sources and technical notes Annex 2 The GFW Review Process Annex 3 Bibliography 112 xii 0 5 00 2 es SOR Ns ES PB BBB peo Goo RO pre 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Qu og cep Poe px List of Figures Maps Tables and Boxes Figures Venezuela s Exports 1997 Venezuela s Forest Types Degree of Protection of Venezuela s Forests Degree of Forest Protection Guayana Region Wildlife Species Richness in the Guayana Region Wildlife Restricted to Forests of the Guayana Region Proportions of Plants and Animals Used by Indigenous and Non Indigenous Communities Threatened Animals Used by Indigenous Groups by Type of Use Threatened Plants Used by Indigenous Groups by Type of Use Imports Exports and National Production of Roundwood 1993 1998 Pulp and Paper Imports 1990 1999 Industrial Wood Production 1980 1999 Wood Production by Source 1993 1998 Logging Fees as a Proportion of Production Value in the Guayana Region and Other Tropical Countries Administrative Process for Obtaining and Operating a Logging Concession Execution of Concessio
123. er for the Guri Dam which provides almost three quarters of the nation s electricity 5 Venezuela s forests also harbor many species of plants and animals which are important sources of food medicine and construction materials for forest dwelling communities The Venezuelan economy is highly dependent on petroleum income which generated 27 percent of GDP in 2000 and is a significant source of growth for the manufacturing and services sectors 6 Fuel exports make up 80 percent of export revenues see Figure 1 Logging contributes little to the na tional economy providing less than one percent of Venezuela s GDP 7 Mining also contributes little to the national economy although Venezuela is an important producer of some metals such as iron ore and aluminum The decline in oil prices in the mid to late 1980s resulted in increased pressure on the nation s forests A stronger emphasis was placed on developing the southern half of the country particularly for gold and diamond mining A combination of low gold prices and higher petroleum prices slowed industrial development in this region in 2000 but the Venezuelan government continues to express an interest in increased mining exploitation DewMad4iM kadra God 12 9 00 299900999009 00000000008 Source Inter American Development Bank Basic Socio Economic Data for 21 December 2000 Washington DC IADB 2001 in and Institutions As the first country in Latin America to esta
124. ercial Use of Non Timber Forest Products The Case of Mamure Known locally as mamure the Heteropsis spruceana is a liana with hanging roots that climbs trees native to the lowland forests of the Guayana region The roots have been used since ancestral times by indigenous communities in the con struction of housing furniture woven baskets and other items The fruit of the liana is also traditionally eaten during hunting activities The roots are increasingly being used in furniture manufacturing on local national and international levels The furniture is similar to rattan but production costs are lower Between 1990 and 1994 a total of 78 tons of mamure were harvested for furniture production in Amazonas State Between 1994 and 1999 total production had decreased to 21 tons Extensive areas of forest have been impacted to satisfy the demand for furniture For instance overharvesting has resulted in exhausting the roots of highest commercial value in areas near the indigenous community of Cataniapo Although liana harvesting for commercial uses has declined since 1996 the lack of data regarding the species its reported scarcity and its restriction to forest ecosystems of Bol var and Amazonas indicate the need for greater control and man agement of extraction to guarantee the sustainable use of the species Source 1 S nchez Algunos aspectos ecol gicos del mamure Heteropsis spruceana Schott de inter s potencial para su domesti
125. erritorio Federal Amazonas Venezuela In Cerro La Neblina Resultados de la expedici n 1983 1987 edited by C B Carias 695 765 Caracas Fund Desarrollo Cien F s Mat y Nat y Edit Sucae 1988 Giner S and G Barreto Caracterizaci n de la avifauna y mastofauna de las sabanas del norte del Estado Bol var Acta Cient Venez 48 1997 47 57 117 Gorzula S and J C Se aris Contribution to the herpetofauna of the Venezuelan Guayana I Data base Scientia Guaianae 9 1998 1 160 Handley C O Jr Mammals ofthe Smithsonian Venezuelan Project Brigham Young Univ Sci Bull Biol Ser 20 1976 1 91 Huber O and G Febres Gu a ecol gica de la Gran Sabana Caracas The Nature Conservancy and Chevron 2000 La Marca E Cat logo taxon mico biogeogr fico y bibliogr fico de las ranas de Venezuela Cuadernos Geogr ficos 9 1992 1 197 Linares O Mam feros de Venezuela Caracas Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela 1998 Mason D J Responses of Venezuelan understory birds to selective logging enrichment strips and vine cutting Biotropica 28 1996 296 309 Mondolfi E Ecolog a de la Cuenca del R o Caura Venezuela II Estudios especiales In Lista provisional anotada de los mam feros de la Cuenca del R o Caura Venezuela edited by O Huber and J Rosales 11 63 1997 Ochoa G J Efectos de la extracci n de maderas sobre la diversidad de peque os
126. es Used by Indigenous Groups in the Guayana Region Forestry Plantations in Venezuela 1998 Logging Fees Applied to the Guayana Region Aluminum Bauxite and Iron Ore Production 1999 Mining Royalties Legal Mechanism for Granting Mining Concessions in the Guayana Region Foreign Mining Companies with Holdings in the Guayana Region by Size of Total Holdings Boxes Zoning the Imataca Forest Reserve Government Forest Cover Estimates Protecting the Guayana Highlands through Natural Monuments Capacity to Manage Protected Areas in Venezuela The Relationship between Forest Cover and Wildlife Commercial Use of Non Timber Forest Products The Case of Mamure The Role of Logging in Deforestation in the Llanos The Impact of Mercury on the Environment and Human Health Providing Better Information for Informed Decision Making xiii Glossary Ecological diversity For the purposes of this report ecological diversity refers to patterns of variety and relative abundance of ecological groups across spatial and temporal scales in the natural world Criteria for defining diversity include food preferences frugivores carnivores insectivores nectari vores etc strategies for the use of space terrestrial arboreal flying etc and the choice of roosts among others Enrichment strip planting A silvicultural management practice applied by loggers after selective harvesting Corridors measuring approximately 3 to 5 meters wide are cut
127. es Warao Origen cultura e historia Fundaci n La Salle de Ciencias Naturales 1992 Est vez J D Dumith G Romero G Carrillo and D Valero Diversidad biol gica en Amazonas bases para una estrategia de gesti n Caracas Venezuela Sada Amazonas Fundaci n Polar 1997 Fern ndez A V Milano G Vele B Williams E Rodr guez and F Michelangeli Plantas medicinales de la regi n de Yutaj estado Amazonas 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica 2 1999 145 148 Memorias del Instituto de Biolog a Experimental Ediciones IBE Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Central de Venezuela Caracas Venezuela Fern ndez M E Etnozoolog a campesina e ind gena Panare en la regi n del r o Manapiare estado Bol var Venezuela Trabajo Especial de Grado Caracas Venezuela Universidad Central de Venezuela Escuela de Agronom a Facultad de Agronom a 2000 Flores C and P M Ashton Harvesting impact and economic value of Geonoma deversa Arecaeae an understory palm used for roof thatching in the Peruvian Amazon Economic Botany 54 No 3 2000 267 277 FUDECI Summary of the project Rescate de informaci n agroalimentaria de tecnolog a ancestral y medicina nativa Mimeograph n d Fuentes E Los Yanomami y las plantas silvestres Antropol gica 54 1980 3 138 Fuentes O and A Rodr guez Acosta The venomous sapito minero Dendrobates leucomelas Steindachner 1864 Dendrobat
128. esentational and is meant to roughly identify areas where human based activities such as agriculture small scale mining and ranching are probably having an impact on forest cover Field visits and finer scale monitoring are required to further identify the nature and extent of these impacts Map 13 Land use Conflicts in the Guayana Region Forests Data for Map 13 derived from GFW Venezuela analysis GPS coordinates for indigenous communities logging concessions mining concessions expert consultation See descriptions for Map 2 Map 8 and Map 11 for details EAnnex2 The GFW Review Process Global Forest Watch Venezuela is a national network that has sought to include many individuals involved in for estissues The process leading to this report lasted over two years and included several technical workshops to define the scope of the project identify indicators and present preliminary results of data collection efforts Many individuals representing government nongovernmental organizations universities local community groups and the private sector participated in various stages of the process see Table A 2 Review Process This report underwent an external review process lasting approximately five weeks Twenty two copies of the draft manuscript were sent to external reviewers in Venezuela and elsewhere Fifteen sets of comments were returned and incorporated into the final draft The external reviewers included experts in all of
129. established after indigenous communities had already settled in them Recent trends observed in indigenous communi ties population growth sedentarization and increased use of firearms and other new technologies pose a challenge for preserving the lifestyles of indigenous communities while still maintaining the relative intactness of strictly protected forests Summary and Analysis Although still relatively low population in the Guayana region has grown exponentially in the 1980s due primarily to migration from other parts ofthe country Even the indigenous population has greatly increased due mostly to high birth rates and declines in the mortality rate At the same time the trend toward sedentarization and growth of indigenous settlements is almost certain to result in a more intensive use of nearby forest resources by these communities However the strongest pressures on the forest ecosystems of the Guayana region come from non indigenous populations and uses The continued growth of non indigenous natural resource dependent settlements around the forest edge is likely to lead to new population centers increasing the demand for new roads and new infrastructure Most of the region s forest loss has occurred due to expansion of the economic frontier e g for mining and agriculture The apparent overlap among indigenous communities small scale miners and farmers and logging and mining concessions is a key indicator of pressure on the G
130. ests in the Guayana region Map 11 Mining in the Guayana Region is the result of plotting geographic coordinates listed in government databases The CVG Tecm n database was used to identify mining contracts and coordinates found in official gazettes were used to determine mining concessions granted by MEM In both cases some concessions and contracts were incorrectly plotted due to either errors in geographic coordinates or the order in which the coordinates were listed Unfortunately we were unable to correct these errors due to mechanical difficulties which resulted in the separation of the attribute data from the coordinates We have chosen to show mining concessions and contracts as general polygons where a group of concessions or contracts has been awarded Small scale mining points are approximate locations of mining communities As such they represent a proxy for where small scale miners can be found Limitations There is no official government database listing mining concessions The Ministry of Energy and Mines is developing a digital database of mining companies with concessions and contracts in the Guayana region but once complete these data will not be publicly available For concessions allocated by the MEM geographic coordinates are not provided consistently In some cases the decree identifies concession boundaries according to rivers roads or other objects trees and houses making the accurate representation
131. ettle ments tend to function as isolated enclaves within indigenous territories Small scale miners are the most mobile of the non indigenous populations as they tend to follow gold and diamond strikes However some mining communities have become stable over time acting as service centers for min ers and their families In these settlements miners can obtain access to schools telecommunica tions and health care among other services Such settlements facilitate the dispersal of non indige nous populations further into the forest BET ZN Settlements in the Forests of the Guayana Region Type of Settlement Mura BRAZIL md AS Mining Smoll scole Ohw Services Center Tossi ki L Urbon Center 2500 people indgenous Group M BS forest z et 5S0 0 50 Kilometers Non Forest gt B woe Geographic WGS 84 ANI food mmm Seale 1 5 500 000 Agriculture indigenous mining tourist and other settlements as well as encampments and services centers have less than 2500 people See Annex 1 for source information According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana Forests and the EGoHiigl The country s forests provide an array of economic social and ecological services that are of vital importance to the nation s economy and culture For example forested watersheds in the Guayana region help regulate the flow of wat
132. fe refuges Analysis of protected area data shows the following trends Depending on how the land area allocated for protected areas is measured see Figure 3 and Box 2 between 17 and 32 percent of Venezuela s forests are strictly protected in these cate gories demonstrating the country s commitment to conservation of its natural heritage 26 Ofthe country s forest types lowland forests are the least well protected Assuming that 32 percent of the nation s forests are strictly protected only 20 percent of lowland forests are strictly protected see Figure 3 even though they make up more than 60 percent of the nation s forests vuv ne JO JOJK119 oq JO SPINP OM sume P ONZOUOA 9961 4 Areniqoj JO JUAS Y eaouos oq 0 Surp1oooy y uoreurrojur samos 10 xeuuy 999 A seio8ajeo NN 01 Surproooe sasn uorjeA1asuo2 10 payajord are payajord IDLAS aq 0 paxeprsuoo seary m z gt m a 5 Dd y cm pr 0000058 ii 0 i 1 18 19 tutong FOJ VON s S e i 904 EX emm 001 0 ols Saco meme ty WNDN ved rove RUNE x o 4 OF NONI wowneow ponen 71 Ii noni Oye apra EXT i zvua vis Woon a NADO DREN Cr OOO 2 ONY ODIA c VAS NFUIIgivso g 3 e sasoding WOREAJGSUO 10 pa 93 014 APIS seary 17 Natural monuments in southern Venezuela protect a majority of montane and submontane forests although how much protection they actually provide remains uncertain
133. g and mining concessions in otherwise intact forests which contribute to increased pressure on and access to these forests Furthermore incompatible land uses overlap with one another creating the potential for conflict at the expense ofthe integrity ofthe forests GFW Venezuela has attempted to collect the best available data to document these trends However there is a lack of basic data and information on the forests of the Guayana region While northern Venezuela has been relatively well researched much of the Guayana region lacks even basic cartog raphy such as detailed topographic maps and an accurate hydrology map The lack of data is espe cially problematic because it precludes sound planning and informed decision making Access to data and information is also a problem Important information on forest cover the status of mining concessions compliance with environmental permitting and sanctions against both mining and logging concessions are either not available or considered confidential This makes it difficult for citizens to hold those that own and manage forest resources such as companies and government officials accountable for their decisions Even GFW Venezuela s requests for basic cartographic data such as the official territorial boundary have not been answered to date The Guayana region represents the last major forest frontier in Venezuela The results of this report outline the early stages of a development trend that
134. h forestry experts Questionnaire of sawmill operators filled out with the help ofthe director of each sawmill Sources for Maps 8 10 MARNR SEFORVEN Unidades de Manejo de la Reserva Forestal Imataca y Lote Boscoso San Pedro Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1987 Scale 1 500 000 Comisi n Estatal de Ordenaci n del Territorio del Estado Bol var reas destinadas a producci n forestal permanente based on national cartography and SEFORVEN 2000 Comisi n Estatal de Ordenaci n del Territorio del Estado Bol var Propuesta Asignaci n de Uso del Estado Bol var Ciudad Bol var Venezuela IAMOT 1999 Technical Notes All production volumes are expressed in official cubic meters derived through a formula established by the Ministry of Environment V MARN 0 605 D L where V MARN the volume in m 0 605 conversion constant D cutting diameter at breast height in meters L commercial height in meters Toestimate roundwood volume ministry officials multiply V MARN by a co efficient of 0 55 In addition in some annual cutting plans the roundwood volume is estimated through the Paragua formula for standing timber the result of which is a lower volume than that obtained using the MARN roundwood formula Compartments are the operational unit of cutting plans In general a concession is divided in compartments of varying sizes depending on the number of years of the contract Harvesting in one compartment can begin
135. he core of the reserve and as such remain protected for conservation purposes Overlap includes all areas where strictly protected areas overlap with areas designated for extractive or natural resource uses Sources MARNR Mapa de reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial Photocopy Caracas Venezuela Direcci n General Sectorial de Planificaci n y Ordenaci n del Ambiente 1983 with updated boundaries in 1999 unpublished draft Scale 1 1 000 000 MARNR Mapa de reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial Photocopy Caracas Venezuela Direcci n General Sectorial de Planificaci n y Ordenaci n del Ambiente 1998 printed Scale 1 2 000 000 H Eva and S Jones A forest map of South America Ispra Italy Tropical Ecosystem Environment Observation by Satellite TREES unpublished data Scale 1 1 000 000 O Huber and C Alarc n Mapa de Vegetaci n de Venezuela Caracas Venezuela MARNR The Nature Conservancy 1988 Scale 1 2 000 000 O Huber Venezuelan Guayana Vegetation Map Caracas Venezuela CVG Edelca Missouri Botanical Gardens 1995 Scale 1 2 000 000 Methodology Huber s Venezuelan Guayana Vegetation Map was digitized and added to the digital version ofthe Mapa de Vegetaci n de Venezuela area north of the Orinoco to obtain an ecosystem layer The Guayana map is an update to the original work published for the whole of Venezuela To obtain forest ecosystems we combine
136. he following Settlements and concessions Overlap between communities and natural resource concessions occurs most noticeably in the Imataca Forest Reserve Agricultural mining and indigenous settlements are located within and around both logging and mining concessions Without careful planning concessions could open the Imataca Forest to further deforestation 67 BE Areas of High Population Pressure or Intensive Use in Guayana Forests BRAZIL Type of Pressure ES Mineg Agrevo Bl Mubicle Use Mining j Agr culture and or Forestry gt E Forest 0 0 5 Komen Moa fonsi 2 BH voe Y Geographic WGS 84 ry a 1 5 500 000 V Rood For information on sources and methodology see Annex 1 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 68 by these actors In addition because concessions restrict local communities access to natural resources some groups may have no other alternative but to move to other relatively intact forests e Small scale mining and indigenous communities The overlap between areas of smallscale mining and indigenous populations is significant a potential source of conflict between indigenous peoples and non indigenous small scale miners 110 e Strictly protected areas and indigenous communities Indigenous lands overlap with strictly protected areas although most of these areas were
137. he twenty two bird species occurring in pri mary forest two increased in number after selective logging but sixteen declined and four were no longer recorded The creation of enrichment strips changed the composition even more 2 For some species of small tropical mammals e g bats small rodents and marsupials logging provides several benefits including more food resources provided by pioneer plants fungi and invertebrates on the forest floor and more roosting cavities associated with fallen trees 3 However logging is usually only beneficial to a relatively small number of species and the loss of other sensitive species may have ecological consequences Many wildlife species affected by logging pro vide fundamental services and regulate key ecological processes in forest ecosystems e g pollination dispersion of seeds and micorrhiza regeneration of degraded areas and control of insect populations Their absence in logged forests therefore can also have negative impacts on plant population dynamics Furthermore declines in the population of some animals or even local extinction can have repercussions on the survival of their predators as well Changes in bat communities have been observed in logged areas of the Venezuelan Guayana region Figure below shows therelationship between the absolute numbers of individuals and the number of different species under three scenarios primary forests selective logging and selective logging with enri
138. hough this was not articu lated in the decree Also not all ofthe area within the polygons is above 800 meters In the case of some monuments only a small part of the area is above the 800 meter cut off Because the decree does not determine which boundary prevails it is unclear whether the entire polygon is protected or only the portion above 800 meters The inconsistency in the decree s provisions creates the potential for land use conflicts see Map 6 particularly where overlap already exists between natural monuments and other areas designated for natural resource uses e g between nat ural monuments and forest reserves Conflicting interpretations of the decree are also possible where the mountain range is almost entirely below 800 meters However the fact that the Ministry of Environment has chosen to include buffer areas could imply it is committed to protecting these diverse ecosystems beyond an arbitrary 800 meter elevational limit 18 Sources O Huber Conservation of the Venezuela Guayana In Berry PE Holst B K Yatskievych K Eds Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Introduction Portland Oregon Missouri Botanical Garden Saint Louis and Timber Press 1995 pp 193 202 Rep blica de Venezuela Decreto N mero 1233 Gaceta Oficial N 4250 Caracas Venezuela Government of Venezuela Jan 18 1991 O Huber Notas Explicativas Sobre el Decreto de los Tepuyes Pantepui No 5 Caracas Venezuela 1993 O Huber perso
139. how the decline in forest resources is affecting the Piaroa communities near Puerto Ayacucho see M Melnyk The Effects of Sedentarization on Agriculture and Forest Resources in Southern Venezuela Rural Development Forestry Network Paper 166 London ODI Regent s College 1993 J C Centeno Estrategia para el Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela Report com missioned by WRI June 1995 p 39 44 Consumption Imports Production Exports FAO 2000 Forestry Statistics Online at http www fao org forestry fo database dbase e stm july 25 2001 Ramiro Silva Venezuelan forestry expert personal communication 22 November 2000 J Ross Jones Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela personal communication June 24 2001 Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 10 Margarita Polo Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana personal communication March 2001 MARN Informe de la Situaci n Forestal de Venezuela Revista Seforven Revista de la Direcci n del Recurso Forestal No 16 October 2000 p 9 MARN Bolet n Estad stico Forestal No 2 A o 1998 Caracas Venezuela MARN 1999 p 47 77 78 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 For more details on the administrative requirements of logging concessions see Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not
140. ibliographic references on non timber forest product use in the Guayana region 2001 94 Methodology Threatened Animals Used by Indigenous Groups by Type of Use Figure 8 Food Medicine 29 10 Handicrafts 17 8 Other Sources GFW Venezuela Database o grapl st proi J P Rodr guez and F Rojas Su rez Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana 2d ed Caracas Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar 1999 Threatened Plants Used by Indigenous Groups by Type of Use Figure 9 Food Medicine Construction Handicrafts e Other ln eem Sources GFW Venezuela Database of bibliographic references on non timber forest product use in the Guayana region 200 S Llamozas et al Libro Rojo de la Flora Venezolana Caracas Venezuela Fundaci n Instituto Bot nico de Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar in press Data represent a literature review of published and unpublished scientific research conducted over the last 30 years on the use of wild non cultivated species used as non timber forest products in the Guayana region Over 150 published references were reviewed of which 103 were incorporated into the database The data base also includes an additional 38 secondary references which were not reviewed due to difficulties in accessing these publications Data from each publication were collected and organized in a Microsoft Access database which includes the following refer
141. idae its medical importance and the phenotypic variations in specimens from two regions of the Amazon State Venezuela Acta Botanica Venezuelica 17 No 2 1997 53 57 Fundaci n La Salle de Ciencias Naturales Caracterizaci n de las comunidades vegetales y de vertebrados presentes en los ecositemas acu ticos y terrestres del sector Delta Occidental Museo de Historia Natural La Salle 1997 Fundaci n Tierra Viva Los Warao la gente del agua Escuchar y Cambiar No 2 1992 Galiz L J Marcano and J A Manjarres Inventario de las especies liqu nicas de un rea del Alto Orinoco y sondeo para el aprovechamiento de sus sustancias como recurso terap utico Creaci n de la base de datos Pittieria 21 Libro de res menes del XI Congreso Venezolano de Bot nica 1993 77 Facultad de Ciencias Forestales ULA Sociedad Bot nica de Venezuela M rida Venezuela 121 Garc a P M Perera H Escandel and P Cortez Manejo integral de los bosques naturales Jornadas sobre desarrollo sostenible del medio rural Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Ministerio de Agricultura y Cr a Fundaci n Polar 1999 Gil E and R Royero Biodiversidad y conocimiento ancestral avances y notas para su estudio 1er Simposio Venezolano de Etnobot nica Memorias del Instituto de Biolog a Experimental UCV 2 No 1 1999 149 152 Gim nez G M Hasegawa M Rodr guez O
142. ies are required to obtain three types of environmental permits which are obtained at successive stages of mine development a permit to occupy the concession a permit to allow exploration and a permit allowing extraction An Environmental Impact Assessment is required at both the exploration and extraction phases although there is no requirement that it be made pub lic 99 We analyzed data provided by the CVG listing environmental permits by contract The status of environmental permits for concessions allocated by the MEM was not available The data revealed that 61 62 e gnus Only slightly more than 20 percent of contracts awarded by the CVG for medium and large scale mining have up to date permits for occupying the area of the concession Nearly three quarters of the contracts awarded by the CVG lack environmental permits for exploration None ofthe contracts listed in CVG records has been awarded an environmental permit for extraction 91 A large number of permit requests are still pending in the Ministry of Environment The Ministry of Environment has not given a response in over 40 percent of requests for permits to occupy the contract area Most of the contracts are located in protected areas ABRAE which means the Ministry must take the objectives of the protected area into account when evaluating whether to grant environmental permits for mining According to the CVG there are twenty five additional small scale mi
143. ility for allocating mining concessions However inthe early 1990s MEM delegated this responsibility to the state owned development corporation known as the Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana CVG located in the Guayana region The CVG was given the mandate to issue contracts with third parties while MEM retained its right to issue mining concessions As a result mining concessions and contracts have been allocated according to a complicated system that includes eight separate legal mechanisms see Table 10 In theory CVG and its joint venture partners were required to apply formally to the MEM for a con cession but this process rarely occurred The CVG s right to issue contracts with mining companies was rescinded in 1996 by presidential decree and a new regulation was established in 1999 requir ing all concessionaires to register their claims with the MEM UNTAR Legal Mechanism for Granting Mining Concessions in the Guayana Region Decree 1046 Designates El Dorado Chicanan Km 88 as mining areas Resolution 106 1986 Ministry of Energy and Mines delegates authority for granting contracts under Decree 1046 to the CVG Decree 845 1990 Designates Icabar San Salvador de Patil Guaniamo Los Picachos de Oris and other areas for mining Decree 1409 1991 Designates new areas for mining expansion in Bolivar State Resolution 2 1991 M pU bid Nines He eee authority for granting contracts Decree 3
144. imates appear to have been incorrectly calculated The above table reflects the 1982 and 1995 forest cover estimates as reported in the Ap ndice with the derived forest change estimates calculated automatically using Microsoft Excel Our calculations revealed that the annual deforestation rate in these 13 states would appear to about 1 For the purposes of this table we have assumed that the numbers for Anzo tegui Monagas Bolivar Amazonas and Delta Amacuro are correct in table 2 7B of the Ap ndice rather than the 1995 forest cover numbers provided in table 2 2 of the same document Maps 4 6 Figures 2 4 Note Venezuela s Forest Types Figure 2 Forest Type by Elevation 96 Lowland 60 2 Submontane 28 Montane 10 4 Mangrove 1 1 Tepui 0 3 Elevational cut offs are as follows Lowland 500 meters Submontane 500 1 500 meters Montane gt 1 500 meters Mangrove 100 meters Tepui gt 1 500 meters Degree of Protection of Venezuela s Forests Figure 3 Ecosystem type Total Area Total Area Area of Strictly Not of Forests Strictly National Protected Protected sq km Protected Parks sq km sq km Lowland forests 229 469 4 44 894 5 22 417 3 19 6 80 4 Submontane forests 106 861 4 59 660 3 30 108 9 55 8 44 2 Montane forests 39 677 3 32 593 8 20 860 6 17 9 Does not exclude overlap between strictly protected categories or uncertainty regarding protected area boundaries Note
145. ine at http www fao org forestry include frames July 6 2001 97 Wood Production by Source 1993 1998 in cubic meters Figure 13 Source 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Cutting Licenses 565 541 3 443 875 0 393 073 9 394 287 2 366 910 4 238 124 9 Concessions 365 838 2 298 253 8 280 301 4 430 824 9 385 523 0 406 267 0 _Plantations 154 149 0 160 765 0 415 257 0 616 241 0 580 967 5 382 786 0 Caribbean pine plantations Official estimate Source MARNR Bolet n Estad stico Forestal N 2 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1999 List ofthe most important timber species harvested inthe Guayana region in descending order according to their level of production in 1997 Scientific name Common name Bs cubicmeter USS cubic meter Erisma uncinatum Mureillo 67 270 119 06 Hymenaea courbaril Algarrobo 86 934 153 87 Manilkara bidentata Purguo 60 312 106 75 Peltogyne spp Zapatero 72 659 128 60 Ceiba pentandra Ceiba 56 017 99 15 Catostemma commune Baram n 50 578 89 52 Tabebuia serratifolia Puy 87 753 155 32 Parkia nitida Caro caro 54 110 95 77 Mora exelsa Mora 71 312 126 22 Carapa guianensis Carapa 60 435 106 96 Simaruba amara Cedro Blanco 61 278 108 46 Pouteria spp Capure 60 169 106 49 Andira spp Pil n 64 407 113 99 Copaifera officinalis Aceite 59 762 05 77 Brosimun spp Charo 48 273 85 44 Pterocarpus vernalis Drago 46 113 81 62
146. intensity of use Sources GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details J P Rodr guez and F Rojas Su rez Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana 2d ed Caracas Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar 1999 33 Threatened Plants Used by Indigenous Groups by Type of Use Does not reflect intensity of use Sources S Llamozas et al Libro Rojo de la Flora Venezolana Caracas Venezuela Fundaci n Instituto Bot nico de Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar in press GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Because the Guayana region remains relatively intact plant and animal species found in this region demonstrate a better state of conservation than elsewhere in Venezuela However some of the species identified as threatened or vulnerable at a national scale are found primarily in the Guayana region The literature indicates that local populations are beginning to report a decline of wildlife species near their communities which is related to the sedentarization of indigenous communities an increase in indigenous populations and the use of firearms see Chapter 4 Question 11 In many cases this trend is evident in the greater distances indigenous peoples travel to hunt and harvest non timber forest products The loss of species critical for subsistence needs could decrease the nutritional value of the diets of traditional communities as well as limit the options for commercialization of non timber forest products 41 Comm
147. ion characteristics woody shrubby deciduous evergreen Woody vegetation is defined as mature vegetation greater than 5 meters in height This category most resembles mature trees Rather than using a classification scheme such as that used by TREES DeFries identifies per centage of tree cover 0 100 Thus no minimum thresholds of tree cover were assigned per cell to define forest DeFries data show areas of partial forest cover which may not be classified as forest but nonetheless provide important goods and services DeFries et al used a 60 tree cover cut off to represent forests Applying the global dataset to Venezuela reveals that tree cover at a threshold of 60 would place Venezuela s tree cover at approximately 433 000 km in the early 1990s For a discussion of the DeFries data see E Matthews et al Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems Forests Washington DC WRI 2000 15 International Geosphere Biosphere Programme IGBP The IGBP Global Land Cover map is also based on 1992 1993 AVHRR satellite imagery but classifies forests according to type evergreen needleleaf and evergreen broadleaf forests deciduous needleleaf and deciduous broadleaf forests and mixed forests According to IGBP forest cover consists of a minimum of 60 tree cover in any 1 km cell 10 canopy cover and tree height over 2 meters According to this dataset Venezuela s forest cover in the early 1990s was about 472 000 km Tropical Ecosystem E
148. ion gathers and reports similar information with an emphasis on comparable prefer ably mapped information that covers entire forest ecosystems We also recognize that forests straddle political boundaries At the global level we hope that the pub lication of national reports using comparable data and mapping techniques will provide in the aggregate a valuable picture of global trends in development activities and environmental condi tions in the world s forests GFW s principal role is to provide access to better information about development activities in forests and their environmental impact By reporting on development activities and their impact GFW fills a vital information gap By making this information accessible to everyone including gov ernments industry NGOs forest consumers and wood consumers GFW promotes both transpar ency and accountability We are convinced that better information about forests will lead to better decisionmaking about forest management and use which ultimately will result in forest manage ment regimes that provide a full range of benefits for both present and future generations To this end GFW i tracks existing and planned development activities ii identifies the actors including companies individuals government agencies and others engaged in this development iii monitors the implementation of laws and regulations established in the interest of forest stew ardship and iv provides da
149. ite the limitations of satellite imagery this is the only map of forest cover that is relatively recent The only other publicly available maps of Venezuela s forest cover rep resented forest cover from the late 1970s Furthermore our intent in this first publication was to document the extent of forest cover at a coarse scale with a particular emphasis in the Guayana region an area of primarily closed canopy forests For these reasons we deemed the TREES data to be sufficient for our objectives Future fine scale monitoring efforts will require the use of more detailed forest cover maps 113 Table A 2 Participants in Workshops Held by GFW Venezuela Name Institution SCOPING WORKSHOP NOVEMBER 17 1998 Carolina Ram rez Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Seforven Julio C sar Centeno Universidad de los Andes Tropenbos Anna Ponte AVVA Frontera Gran Sabana Astur De Martino Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana Mary Prado Conicit Paula del Giorgio EcoNatura Otto Huber Fundaci n Instituto Jard n Bot nico Carmen Meneses Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Minu Parahoe CELOS Suriname James Ross Jones Audubon de Venezuela Zoyla Mart nez Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Naturaleza Francisco Guerra Centro de Procesamiento Digital de Im genes Armando Hern ndez Fundaci
150. ition this study includes forest lots lotes boscosos because these areas are desig nated for logging although they are not technically part of Venezuela s protected areas network Strictly protected areas Areas protected for conservation purposes as defined by the IUCN World Conservation Union Categories I through IV In Venezuela these correspond to national parks natu ral monuments and wildlife refuges Logging and mining are not allowed in strictly protected areas Reduced impact logging Logging practices that seek to reduce the impact of logging on forests namely by limiting road building and skidder trails mapping the location of trees to be harvested and felling trees in a direction that minimizes damage to surrounding stands Taxonomic diversity The richness in numbers of taxonomic components species genus family etc in a given community ecosystem or locality Tepui A unique table top mountain found only in the Guiana Shield The summits of these moun tains may reach up to more than 2 500 meters in altitude and contain many plants and animals found nowhere else in the world Acronyms ABRAE reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial Venezuela s protected areas network AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer CVG Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GFW Global Forest Watch IUCN World Conservation Union MARN Ministry of Environme
151. ive logging concessions today The remaining reserves have been converted to agricultural plots and logging concessionaires have long since ceased operations In northwestern Venezuela forest reserves have been intensely affected by the invasion of small scale farmers often with the tacit support of local political interests A combination of population pressures fertile soils and political interests has resulted in forest conversion for agriculture in the llanos These factors have been further aggravated by lack of political will on the part of local politicians and the National Guard to restrict access on logging roads Nowhere is this more evident than in the Ticoporo Forest Reserve where only one logging concession out of three remains in operation Created in 1955 the reserve spanned 270 000 hectares of forest By 1972 one third of the forest reserve had been invaded illegally by small scale farmers who sought land under the national Agricultural Reform Law Venezuelan law explicitly prohibits deforestation in forest reserves without prior approval from the National Congress Despite this agricultural invasions at times accompanied by intense fires have continued throughout the 1990s resulting in the elimination of forest cover see satellite images In the remaining active logging concession 75 percent of the area has been invaded by small scale farmers many of whom are illegally extracting valuable hardwoods such as mahogany before
152. izot J Poisons Yanomami de chasse de guerre et de peche Antropol gica 31 1972 3 20 Llamozas S R Duno R Ortiz R Riina O Huber and F Stauffer Libro Rojo de la Flora Venezolana Fundaci n Instituto Bot nico de Venezuela Provita and Fundaci n Polar in press L pez E Etnobot nica Hoti Explorando las interacciones entre la flora y el ser humano del Amazonas venezolano Doctoral dissertation University of Georgia Athens Georgia 1999 123 L pez E and S Zent Amazonian indians as ecological disturbance agents The Hoti of the Sierra de Maigualida Venezuelan Amazon Informe T cnico 2000 Los Finkers J Los Yanomami y su Sistema Alimenticio Monograph Puerto Ayacucho Venezuela Vicariato Apost lico de Puerto Ayacucho 1986 Mansutti Rodr guez A Pueblos comunidades y fondos Los patrones de asentamientos Uwtjuja Antropol gica 69 1988 3 36 MARN Primer Informe de Venezuela sobre Diversidad Biol gica Caracas Venezuela Oficina Nacional de Diversidad Biol gica 2000 Melnyk M Productos forestales comestibles Una oportunidad para el desarrollo sostenible In Amazonas modernidad en tradici n edited by Antonio Carrillo and M A Perera Caracas Venezuela GTZ CAIAH Sada Amazonas Orpia 1995 295 310 Melnyk M The contributions of forest foods to the livelihoods of the Huottuja Piaroa people of southern Venezuela Doctoral dissertation London University of Lon
153. known for being havens for their non disclosure banking policies 86 The lack of transparency in financial transactions makes it difficult to establish mining companies track records Many mining concessions can be considered speculative ventures and the companies may have nei ther the capital nor the intent to develop a mine By nature mining is a speculative activity especially gold and diamonds Mining often starts with exploration activities led by junior mining companies Typically these companies make high risk investments in places with political uncertainty or unproven reserves in the hopes of striking a major find that can be sold to another junior or a major mining company Our data indicate that More than half 59 percent of the junior mining companies trade exclusively on the Canadian Venture Exchange CDNX or the U S over the counter Bulletin Board OTCBB These markets are made up of very small speculative companies engaged in high risk activities They are more likely to go bankrupt than other more established companies Nearly one quarter of the foreign companies are either not engaged in mining at all or are involved additionally in other non mining related activities One company engages in venture capital deals that is it invests in highly speculative business enterprises Four companies are either exploring alternative investments or have acquired technology and Internet companies For example Bol var Goldfield
154. l government data from 1985 to 1995 To arrive at 1990 baseline forest cover FAO applied a linear extrapolation of these data FAO defines forests as any area at least 0 5 hectares in size with 10 tree cover FAO does not distinguish between natural forests and plantations although the two are vastly different in terms of species composition and diversity and other factors It is important to note that the 1990 baseline published in FRA 2000 represents an upward revision of previous estimates for that year due to changes in methodologies For a detailed discussion ofthe limitations of FAO methodology see E Matthews Understanding the FRA 2000 Forest Briefing No 1 Washington DC WRI 2001 According to the FRA 2000 Venezuela s forest cover in 1990 was approximately 519 000 km Sources FAO Forest Hesource Assessment 2000 Rome Italy FAO 2001 MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1996 DeFries R S M C Hansen J R G Townshend A C Janetos and T R Loveland A New Global 1 km Data Set of Percentage Tree Cover Derived from Remote Sensing Global Change Biology 6 2000 247 254 Eva H D A Glinni P Janvier and C Blair Myers Vegetation Map of South America at 1 5 000 000 Luxembourg European Commission TREES Publications Series D2 EUR 18658 EN 1998 Venezuela s Forest Cover in Thirteen States 1995 Distrito Federal
155. la MARN Oct 2000 p 5 Government of Venezuela GOV Decreto 369 Decreto con Rango y Fuerza de Ley Org nica de la Administraci n Central Gaceta Oficial de la Rep blica de Venezuela Article 33 No 36 807 Oct 14 1999 Ib dem FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2000 Rome Italy FAO 2001 FRA 2000 Global Tables Table 4 Online at http www fao org forestry fo fra index jsp A Catal n Direcci n General de Recursos Forestales MARN personal com munication June 29 2001 O Huber personal communication July 11 2001 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1996 p 12 13 The estimates published for the remaining 10 states are not compara ble to the 1982 forest cover estimates published for the additional states S Wunder Oil Wealth and the Fate ofthe Forest Venezuela Unpublished CIFOR Draft Bogor Indonesia CIFOR 2001 p 7 Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables MARNR Balance Ambiental de Venezuela Ap ndice 1996 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1996 pp 7 11 13 The government deforestation statistics do not take into account an additional 10 states However these states are known to have high deforestation rates making net reforestation unlikely See J P Veillon Las deforestaciones en los Llanos Occiden
156. lgunos aspectos agroecol gicos de inter s potencial para su manejo La Iglesia en Amazonas Puerto Ayacucho Venezuela Vicariato Apost lico de Puerto Ayacucho 85 1999 30 35 Silva N La percepci n Ye kuana del entorno natural Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 65 84 Silva N Utilizaci n alimentaria de los recursos naturales entre los Yekuana Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 85 109 Sponsel L Yanomama warfare protein capture and cultural ecology a critical analysis of the arguments of the opponents Interciencia 8 No 4 1983 204 210 St John T V and C Uhl Mycorrhiza in the rain forest at San Carlos de R o Negro Venezuela Acta Cient fica Venezolana 34 1983 233 237 Stauffer F Contribuci n al estudio de las palmas Arecaeae del estado Amazonas Venezuela Scientia Guaianae 10 2000 1 197 Stauffer F Datos preliminares para la actualizaci n de la flora de palmas Arecaceae de Venezuela Acta Botanica Venezuelica 22 No 1 1999 77 107 T cnica Minera C A Inventario de recursos naturales de la regi n Guayana Informe de fauna Vol I Regi n Delta del Amacuro Puerto Ordaz Venezuela Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana 1995 126 T cnica Minera C A Inventario de recursos naturales de la regi n Guayana Informe de fauna Vol II Regi n Imataca Guri 101 vols Puerto Ordaz Venezuela Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana 1995 Thomas D J Los Pem n In Los
157. lomb et al An Overview of Logging in Cameroon Washington DC WRI 2000 Notes Production value for Gabon and Cameroon is free on board cubic meters Volumes for the Guayana region are expressed in official cubic meters Value of production per cubic meter has been weighted to production of the most important species in the Guayana region 99 Figures 15 17 Maps 8 10 Summary of Production by Concessionaire Management Plan Estimates versus Actual Cuts Concession Owner Management Plan Estimated Estimated average No annual cuts average yearly volume with research harvest parcels area Total ha ha year m year m ha year COFORGUA 3 654 23 063 6 3 INPROFORCA 5 346 71 849 13 4 Aserradero Hnos Hern ndez 3 808 30 614 8 0 7 MADERORCA 3 850 22 432 5 8 5 CODEFORSA 3 256 60 017 18 4 8 COMAFOR 3 850 44 427 5 11 5 5 INTECMACA 4 325 83 941 19 4 9 CVG Imataca 3 860 38 600 10 0 5 SOMAGUA 3 625 30 000 8 3 4 Total Imataca Forest Reserve 11 2 Matamoros 4 700 51 105 10 9 13 El Manteco 5 085 63 712 12 5 13 Yocoima 4 180 35 510 8 5 15 Maderas Nuria I 4 032 33 120 8 2 Maderas Bosco 3 298 5 39 455 5 12 0 4 Total Forest lots 10 4 PRIVATE LOTS AND SPECIAL DECREE Ca o Blanco 10 Fundo Botij n 612 2 393 3 9 1 CVG Guri 2 711 21 254 7 8 3 Total private lots and special decree 5 9 Grand Total 9 2 Notes no data or no extraction
158. magery and Mapping Imagery Vector Map Level 0 Digital Chart of the World 3d ed Fairfax VA NIMA 1997 Scale 1 750 000 WPCD Nairobi UNEP GRID 1991 International Travel Maps ITM An International Travel Map Venezuela Vancouver ITM 1994 Scale 1 1 750 000 Map 2 Settlements in the Forests ofthe Guayana Region Sources 1 DCN 1970 1973 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1970 1973 1 DCN Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1977 Data derived from GFW Venezuela analysis GPS coordinates for indigenous communities Definitions Settlements An area of permanent residence for a given population A settlement ranges from a small house in which only one person lives up to a large city Encampment A settlement with one or more residences in which the inhabitants are workers with a particular company Generally encampments are temporary homes for their inhabitants 84 Political boundary National Imagery and Mapping Agency Vector Map Level 0 Digital Chart of the World Roads International Travel Maps ITM An International Travel Map Venezuela Vancouver ITM 1994 Cities Birbeck College University of London Department of Geography World Cities Population Database Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Cartograf a en escala 1 100 000 Edici n Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Cartograf a en escala 1 500 000 Edici n Methodology
159. man and C Uhl Interactions of Anthropogenic Activities Fires and Rain Forests in Amazonia Basin in Fire in Tropical Biota ed J Goldammer Ecological Studies 84 1990 117 134 The agrarian reform law stipulates that the government must indemnify squat ters who have improved the land by clearing it for agriculture Politicians and cattle ranchers have taken advantage of this provision to encourage small scale farmers to invade public lands including forest reserves Once cleared the land is then handed over to cattle ranchers M Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 p 15 M Polo Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana personal communication May 11 2001 A state government resolution was issued opening the forest reserve for agri culture Government of Delta Amacuro state Gaceta oficial del estado Delta Amacuro No 017 extraordinario Tucupita Venezuela 15 December 1996 MARN Bolet n Estad stico Forestal No 2 Afio 1999 Caracas Venezuela MARN 1999 p 34 It is likely that these data are underestimates due to the lack of reliable data on forest fires See J Ram rez S nchez Incendios Forestales en Venezuela M rida Venezuela Instituto Forestal Latinoamericano 1996 World Wide Fund for Nature WWF The Forest Industry in the 21st Century London UK WWF March 14 2001 onlin
160. marily on exploration and to a limited extent extraction activities Once a junior company dis covers an economically viable deposit it usually enters into a joint venture partnership to develop the deposit or sells it to a larger company for development Llanos A landscape designation roughly corresponding to a plain The Venezuelan llanos cover most of the country s land north of the Orinoco River and include a variety of vegetation types including grasslands and forests in the northwestern part of the country see Map 1 Protected areas for natural resource use Areas protected for sustainable natural resource uses includ ing logging and other extractive uses Encompassing IUCN World Conservation Union categories V and VI these areas in Venezuela include forest reserves forest areas under protection forest lots bios phere reserves and protected zones In this study wildlife reserves are also included under this defi nition because their primary objective is wildlife use although they are listed as IUCN category IV xiv Protected areas Allareas protected for conservation recreation and sustainable natural resource use as defined by IUCN World Conservation Union categories I through VI In this report protected areas also include national hydrological reserves which are not included in the IUCN protected areas categories but are protected under Venezuelan law for the conservation and sustainable use of watersheds In add
161. n Guajibo lared peccary Panare Yanomami Hydrochaeris Chig ire capy Food medicine handicrafts Ye kuana Piaroa Pem n Guajibo bara Panare Yanomami hydrochaeris Note Because the above list was compiled from information in the available literarure it is not comprehensive Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details 31 Proportions of Plants and Animals Used ius and Non Indigenous Communities 32 Other includes construction of tools utensils and magical religious uses Note Some species are used for multiple purposes Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Non timber forest products found in the Guayana region have important commercial uses for both indigenous and non indigenous groups Unfortunately non timber forest product use has not been quantified Data on the volume and value of products extracted are not available although there appears to be interest on the part of some sec tors of government in stimulating the development of these products 34 However the available liter ature suggests that the majority of indigenous communities sell part of the resources they obtain from forests to purchase ammunition and other manufactured goods 35 For example the Piaroa communities closest to Puerto Ayacucho take products derived from forest resources such as seje palm oil wild honey handicrafts and smoked meat to sell in the local market 36 Among the species most frequen
162. n pressures are high facilitate deforestation in the Guayana region The legal status is unclear for half of the area protected for conservation purposes in the Guayana region This lack of clarity results from overlaps between protected areas with conflicting objectives and uncertainty regarding protected area boundaries established in official documents Basic data on Venezuela s forest ecosystems are out of date or incomplete Key forest ecosystems may disappear before scientists have an opportunity to study them Venezuela has not conducted any forest inventories and the most recent publicly available vegetation map at a national scale was produced in 1983 Official records do not accurately identify the location or ownership of mining concessions The most recent database is over five years old Venezuela lacks basic cartographic data especially for the Guayana region where accurate and complete topographic maps are not publicly available Executive Summary Venezuela s forests include much of the country s biological diversity and its indigenous peoples Spanning a wide range of ecosystems these forests have long been used by local populations to sat isfy subsistence needs and wood production at a national level Beginning in 1999 the Global Forest Watch Venezuela team set out to document the state of the country s forests identifying values associated with and threats to forest ecosystems The team focused data collection
163. n silvicultural techniques Acronyms MP Management Plan COFORGUA Corporaci n Forestal Guayana INPROFORCA Industrializadora de productos forestales C A 102 Management Area ha Contract Years No of Compartments Sawmill Reserve 95 000 MP not yet approved 26 Yes 137 926 25 25 Yes 95 200 25 25 Yes 115 800 30 30 Yes 94 440 30 30 Yes 76 044 25 22 Yes 177 000 40 40 No 107 009 25 25 Yes 115 500 30 30 Yes 102 684 30 MP not yet approved 30 No MP not yet approved No Altiplanicie de Nuria Forest Lots 139 400 30 30 Yes 14 000 30 30 Yes 136 800 30 30 Yes 65 969 20 20 Yes 128 904 30 30 No Special Decree 29 228 20 20 No 3 060 17 5 5 No 54 220 20 20 No 1 688 184 42 CODEFORSA Corporaci n de Desarrollo Forestal SOMAGUA Sociedad Maderera de Guayana INTECMACA Industria T cnica de Maderas MADERORCA Maderas del Orinoco COMAFOR Consorcio Maderero Forestal UNEG Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana 7 19 No 103 Sawmill Capacity versus Production Figure 17 CityorRegion Company Name Roundwood Maximum Average Annual entering mill Installed Volume of m year Capacity m Sawnwood m year Aserradero El Cristo 24 000 11 000 8 800 Aser Angostura 2000 3 000 3 120 2 400 Aser San Miguel C A 3 000 7 200 3 600 Aser Orinoco I
164. n Management Plans Sawmill Capacity versus Production Proportion of Trained Staff Working at Sawmills of the Guayana Region 2001 Venezuela s Gold and Diamond Production Compared to Other Major Producers 1999 Price of Gold 1975 2000 Venezuelan Gold and Diamond Production 1989 1999 Mining Concession and Contract Ownership Population in the Guayana Region by State 1950 1990 Change in Selected Indigenous Populations 1982 1992 Maps Political and Administrative Boundaries Settlements in the Forests of the Guayana Region Forest Cover Areas Strictly Protected for Conservation Purposes Areas Designated for Natural Resource Use E N 2 10 11 12 13 hop A E e E BS So PN Pw f bu Actual and Potential Conflicts Between Protected Areas ABRAE in the Guayana Region Threatened and Endemic Species by Sub Region of Guayana Status of Logging Concessions in the Guayana Region Irregularities in Logging Concessions in the Guayana Region Logging Concessions in the Guayana Region by Percent Logged Mining in the Guayana Region Areas of High Population Pressure or Intensive Use in Guayana Forests Land Use Conflicts in the Guayana Region Forests Tables Primary Legislation Relevant for Protection of Venezuela s Forests and Forest Peoples Forest Change in the Llanos 1825 1988 Zoning and Land Use Plans by Type of Protected Area ABRAE Venezuela s Global Rank in Terms of Biodiversity Selected Non Timber Forest Resourc
165. n Polar Carolina Bertsch Provita Willem Ferwerda Netherlands Committee for IUCN Julio Delgado Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Vegetation Department Milagro Agudo Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Hugo Arnal The Nature Conservancy Fernando Delgado Centro Interamericano de Desarrollo e Investigaci n Ambiental y Territorial Nalua Silva Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana Jos Poyo Consejo Nacional Ind gena Venezolano WORKSHOP TO DEFINE CRITERIA AND INDICATORS STATE OF THE FOREST REPORT NOVEMBER 18 19 1999 Armando Hern nded Fundaci n Polar lvaro Atilano Comisi n Especial para la Reserva Forestal Imataca Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Edgar Quintero Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Direcci n General Sectorial del Recurso Forestal Elba Quintero Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Direcci n General Sectorial del Recurso Forestal Eric van Praag Observatorio Mundial de Bosques Venezuela Franklin Rojas Provita 114 Gydris Adri n Comisi n Especial para la Reserva Forestal Imataca Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables Mar a Bastidas Centro de Procesamiento Digital de Im genes Nalua Silva Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana Rafael Leal AVVA Frontera Gran Sabana Zoila Mart nez Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Natur
166. nal commu nication April 27 2001 eueAnz jo o aq jo sprrqi o 1 surre e enzeuoA JGL ZT amp reniqo jo juaureardy vAauor ai 0 Surprooy y xeuuy aos uorjeurojur SDMOS 104 1A A SOLOBALO NONI 01 puodsoaroo asn samosas femeu 10 po19jo1d seory e pp sz AW WOM moje jum Meo DTI la NO paros Aou e t Tzvas MA NON Soay 9005 pape QANDAH 10 102004 zr VIS NF 8 uV e 19 saw T a91nosox TUEN 105 poreuse seary The status of protection of almost half of the forests in the Guayana region is unclear Map 5 shows protected areas allocated for natural resource uses e g logging hunting and water shed conservation Many of Venezuela s protected areas ABRAE overlap partially or totally with one another an aspect recognized in article 17 of the Framework Law for Land Use Zoning According to this law It is not considered incompatible to assign one or more types of protected areas to the same land area as long as these are compatible with one another However it is not clear which category prevails in the case of overlap between protected areas with competing objec tives e g overlap between areas designated for natural resource use and those protected strictly for conservation purposes Ly 618 10 Degree of Forest Protection Guayana Region NA i Note Does not include forests not protected in IUCN I VI Thus
167. ndustrial S A 8 000 7 200 3 000 Ciudad Bol var 38 000 28 520 17 800 Promaca 5 000 8 820 1 800 Aserradero Sta Mar a 1 500 12 000 1 800 Aserradero Imataca C A 2 160 8 225 2 350 MADERORCA Maderas Orin 5 000 12 000 7 200 EWE 1 728 2 160 1 680 Ciudad Guayana 15 388 43 205 14 380 Elaboraci n de Maderas Bosco C A 20 000 8 000 1 470 Maderas T B C A Todisco Buck 800 2 880 1 680 Aserradero Tumorronay 400 4 800 2 400 Maderas Gredo C A 2 000 4 800 2 400 Aserradero COVEMAT 6 000 7 200 3 600 Guayana Wood Company 2 400 5 000 2 100 Guasipati and Tumeremo 31 600 32 680 13 650 Asseraderos Hnos Hern ndez 1 300 5 280 5 040 DIMASURCA Distrib 2 000 2 000 4 800 de Maderas del Sur Aserradero Adri tico C A 2 640 2 160 Aserradero Yocoima 18 000 25 000 22 000 Aserradero Matamoros 15 000 15 000 3 750 Santa Rosa 7 000 8 400 2 400 Maderas Industriales 3 228 9 400 3 525 Upata 46 528 67 720 43 675 El Manteco Aserradero El Manteco C A 12 000 20 000 4 000 Tucupita Aserradero Santa In s 1 000 2 000 1 500 TOTAL 144 516 194 125 95 455 104 Table Sources Concession management plans Planes de ordenaci n y manejo forestal Concession contracts Concession annual cutting plans Annual cutting reports Authorization communications Site visits to a select number of concessions Hermanos Hern ndez sawmill Yocoima sawmill Interviews with official company representatives and with the Ministry of Environment as well as wit
168. ne excludes the area of overlap between strictly protected areas See Annex 1 for details Potential conflicts of use may also occur in the case of overlap between pro tected zones and forest reserves if logging results in forest degradation Although protected zones do not explicitly prohibit logging forest degradation that could accompany these activities see Chapter 4 Question 5 would be in conflict with the objectives of a protected zone For the sake of consistency we have not included this potential conflict in our analysis of overlapping pro tected areas noris itincluded in Map 6 For a history of indigenous occupation of the Imataca Forest Reserve area see A Mansutti Rodr guez et al Diagn stico de los conflictos socio ambientales en Imataca L neas estrat gicas de un programa para el resguardo y la consoli 75 76 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 daci n de los asentamientos humanos ubicados en la Reserva Forestal Imataca Final report to the World Bank Ciudad Bol var Venezuela CIAG UNEG 2000 pp 21 22 J Ojasti Uso y conservaci n de la fauna silvestre en la Amazonia Publ No 35 Caracas Venezuela Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica 1995 J Los Finkers Los Yanomami y su Sistema Alimenticio Monograph Puerto Ayacucho Venezuela Vicariato Apost lico de Puerto Ayacucho 1986 R B Hames A Comparison ofthe Efficiencies of the Shogun and the Bow in Neotropical
169. necessary person nel to implement zoning plans and ensure the integrity of protected areas In addition medium and long term manage ment strategies are lacking for most protected areas Consequently the decision making authority of protected area offi cials is significantly limited The protected areas network is characterized by a lack of systematic planning and poorly articulated regulations which has led to a total or partial overlap of incompatible protected area categories see Question 2 and maps 4 6 b lack of consistency in designating management categories within protected areas c contradictions between prohibited and accepted activities and d the extensive protection of some ecosystems while other vulnerable areas remain unprotected Furthermore zoning and land use plans for protected areas often differ in concept and methodology Management pro grams are identified by diverse names without clear definition of terminology and objectives In addition zoning and land use decrees are usually limited to a statement of the strategic vision and an outline of implementation programs which identifies the relevant authorities for executing tasks their corresponding responsibilities a list of programs sub programs and activities However these plans are often not economically or operationally viable because they do not have a comprehensive implementation plan Zoning plans often lack key elements such as prioritized activities deline
170. ng inspector Signature of termination Final report on cutting cycle Presentation of 2nd cutting plan Data indicate that concessionaires have trouble complying with existing policies and regulations Map 9 shows two kinds of irregularities in concession activities a not owning a sawmill and b being under investigation by the Ministry of Environment for infractions According to interviews with sawmill operators and an analysis of management plans 44 BRAZIL 3e S0 0 50 Klomees E m W Geoyoshc WGS 84 e Scale 1 5 500 000 Irregularities in Logging Concessions in the Guayana Region BEE f ee Irregular Activity 17 E Yes No Not Applicable ESE Forest Non Forest I Woe PL Rood By Venezuelan law all concessionaires must operate a sawmill Irregular concession holders are defined as those who are currently under investigation for forestry infractions or do not operate a sawmill For information on sources see Annex 1 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 45 Nearly half of the concessions 42 percent do not have their own sawmills and are thus not in compliance with their contracts Concessionaires who do own sawmills stated that they sometimes export logs outside the Guayana region If true this indicates a failure to capture added value at a regional level 51 Some experts estimate that approxima
171. ning areas Permits have been obtained to occupy land in 40 percent of these areas and permits are pending for the remainder Approximately 29 percent of these areas have permits for exploration 92 Some mining companies have engaged in exploration without active environmental permits Few mining companies are actively engaged in exploration or extraction on their concessions due to the depressed gold market However a review of corporate news releases suggests that Nearly one quarter of foreign companies with holdings in Venezuela appear to have actively explored on their contracts without the required environmental permits 93 Tombstone Explorations announced drilling results in 1997 on its Valle Hondo and Zulo concessions despite the fact that the company has not applied for environmental permits to occupy the territory or to conduct exploration activities 94 Small scale mining has negative health and environmental impacts in the Guayana region The impact of small scale mining on the forests of the Guayana region has not been well docu mented A few localized studies and the existing literature indicate that In the 1990s sedimentation in the sub watersheds of the Caron River increased by 1 3 to 2 times the amount registered in the 1980s Areas of active small scale mining registered the highest rates of sedimentation with more than three times normal levels 99 The Caron River supplies water and electricity not just to th
172. no digital geo referenced database of logging and mining concessions for the Guayana region that can be publicly accessed In addition there is no geo referenced map of protected areas at a national scale Some of this information may be accessed separately through various entities CVG Ministry of Energy and Mines Ministry of Environment but the quality and reliability of the data are not consistent e An up to date vegetation map showing actual forest cover Venezuela has not conducted a forest inventory and the most recent publicly available vegetation map at a national scale represents vegetation circa 1977 Publication of a new vegetation map reflecting forest cover at a national scale should be a high priority Data on wildlife and the use of non timber forest products Certain parts of the Guayana region have been relatively well researched while others especially the Imataca Forest Reserve and Delta Amacuro State have not Research on the abundance use and economic value of species found in lowland forests is particularly lacking Data on the impacts of logging on forests of the Guayana region The proportion of biomass leftin the forest versus the volume transported to sawmills the area of forest affected by skidder trails and secondary roads and the regeneration of replanted species are all critical data gaps in knowledge about the effects of logging on forests of the region These data are important for developing adapti
173. nt Observation by Satellite TREES unpublished data Scale 1 1 000 000 Methodology and Limitations The new TREES map is derived from the ATSR 2 sensor Along Track Scanning Radiometer onboard the ERS 2 Satellite from 1999 2000 The map represents forest cover in 1996 The data are at 1 km resolution 0 009 degrees and are received in the 0 55 0 65 0 85 1 6 11 and 12 microns The data can be downloaded in near real time from the European Space Agency s ESRIN site The data are automatically remapped to Geographic Plate Carre projection using the embedded geolocation points that come with the data The data are classified using an unsu pervised clustering algorithm ISODATA Classes are then assigned by expert interpretation TREES classified for esttype based on elevation We have chosen to aggregate lowland submontane montane and mangrove classes 85 86 because of errors in topographical base data that underestimate lowland forest cover Dense forest lowland sub montane montane and mangrove is defined as forest covering more than 70 within a 1 km pixel area Fragmented forest is considered to be 40 70 forest cover within a 1 km pixel area We have clipped TREES data to our boundary layer for Venezuela and coded the fragmented forest layer to be non forest We chose to exclude fragmented forest from our representation of forest cover because we sought to show closed canopy forest In addition the fragmented
174. nt and Natural Resources formerly Ministry of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources MARNR MEM Ministry of Energy and Mines NOAA U S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration TREES Tropical Ecosystem Environment Observations by Satellites Project WRI World Resources Institute XV xvi Key Findings Venezuela is still home to large tracts of intact forest which offer tremendous opportunity for conser vation and sustainable development Approximately half of the country is forested and most of the forests can be found south of the Orinoco River in the Guayana region Approximately one fifth to one third of the country s forest land is protected for conservation purposes Forest ecosystems of the Guayana region are home for much of the country s wildlife and other non timber forest species which help sustain the livelihoods of indigenous peoples Forests of the Guayana region are at risk from logging mining agriculture and population pressures Colonization ofthe forest by small scale farmers and miners represents the greatest pressure on forest ecosystems of the Guayana region Population pressures and conflicts in land use create the potential for forest loss Logging mining agricultural communities and indigenous settlements overlap throughout Bol var State and especially in the Imataca Forest Reserve Current logging and mining practices promote forest degradation and where populatio
175. ntral de Venezuela 1997 Scientists estimate that roughly 1 kilogram of mercury is released for every kilo gram of gold produced See M Veiga Mercury in Small scale Gold Mining in Latin America Facts Fantasies and Solutions Paper presented to UNIDO Expert Group Meeting Introducing new technologies for abatement of global mercury pollution derived from small scale gold mining Vienna July 1 3 1997 p 5 H O Brice o Contaminaci n Mercurial del Bajo Caron Informe de Avance Litos C A 1989 R D Berm dez Tirado et al Monitoring of Mercury in the Lower Section of the Caron River Estado Bol var Venezuela unpublished report June 1994 p 31 32 M Rodr guez Giusto et al Contaminaci n Mercurial en Mineros y Afines del Bajo Caron Ciudad Guayana Confidential report to the CVG Plexus June 1990 This assumes there are 40 000 small scale miners operating in the Guayana region and that each deforests on average 1 hectare of forest per year after tak ing into consideration net reforestation See S Wunder Oil Wealth and the Fate of the Forest Venezuela Unpublished CIFOR Draft Bogor Indonesia CIFOR 2001 p 13 Placer Dome reports that the number of small scale miners working at the com pany s Las Rojas concession has decreased J Robertson Director of Environment Placer Dome Inc personal communication June 15 2001 P E Berry B K Holst and K Yatskievych ed
176. nvironment Observation by Satellite project TREES derived from AVHRR 1992 satellite imagery TREES data are at a 1 km resolution and forest cover is defined as any pixel with at least 70 tree cover This definition corresponds more closely to closed canopy forest However the coarse resolution of the data may not detect small patches of forest Because TREES uses a classification system for forest cover changes in forests appear to be more abrupt and may seem more homogeneous than is actually the case See J P Malingreau et al AVHRR for Global Tropical Forest Monitoring the Lessons ofthe TREES project Remote Sensing Reviews 12 1995 29 40 According to this dataset forest cover in the early 1990s was approximately 463 000 km TREES from ATSR onboard the ERS 2 satellite TREES is in the process of publishing new global forest cover data based on the ERS 2 satellite reflecting 1996 imagery The same classification system at least 7096 tree cover used for the AVHRR data applies but the 1992 and 1996 datasets are not entirely comparable as they come from different satellites According to the latest available TREES data Venezuela s forest cover in 1996 was approximately 427 000 km See details on TREES methodology for the 1996 map under the dis cussion for Map 3 above Inventory based estimates FAO 1990 baseline data from FRA 2000 For estimates of Venezuela s forest cover published in FRA 2000 FAO relied primarily on officia
177. og a Facultad de Ciencias Econ micas y Sociales UCV 1996 E Fuentes Los Yanomami y las plantas silvestres Antropol gica 54 1980 3 138 N Silva Utilizaci n alimentaria de los recursos naturales entre los Ye kuana Scientia Guaianae 7 1997 85 109 M A Melnyk The contribu tions of forest foods to the livelihoods ofthe Houttuja Piaroa people of south ern Venezuela Doctoral Dissertation University of London 1993 J Bonilla Aprovechamiento de la diversidad de recursos forestales no made rables Cap tulo I in Aprovechamiento sostenible de la diversidad biol gica en Venezuela Vol 1 eds J L Altuve A Bonavino D Taphorn J Ojasti L Perdomo T Caranto a and L Morante Documentos T cnicos de la Estrategia Nacional para la Diversidad Biol gica Guanare MARNR BioCentro UNELLEZ 1999 S Gorzula Una evaluaci n del estado actual de la fauna silvestre en el estado Amazonas Venezuela Technical report Caracas Venezuela GTZ MARNR mimeographed 1993 J Ojasti Utilizaci n de la fauna silvestre en Am rica Latina Pub No 25 Rome Italy FAO 1993 A Narv ez and F Stauffer Productos de palma Arecacea en los mercados de Puerto Ayacucho estado Amazonas Venezuela First Venezuelan Symposium on Ethnobotany at the Memorias del Instituto de Biolog a Experimental 2 1 Caracas Venezuela UCV 1999 73 76 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 45 46 47 48
178. omprised primarily of evergreen forests especially in the south Semi deciduous forests can be found in the north near the Orinoco River and savanna vegetation dominates near the Guri Reservoir and in the southeast near the border of Brazil and Guyana The Guayana region is part of the larger Guiana Shield an ancient geological structure covering parts of Colombia Brazil Venezuela Guyana Suriname and French Guiana The Venezuelan Guayana region is characterized by unique geological features known as tepuyes or table top mountains which can reach above 2000 meters in altitude Many plant species living on the tops of these moun tains are found nowhere else in the world vut n9 JO rojo oq JO SPINP OM sure e onzouoA YIGT L amp reniqoj JO quouroaiSy euo oq 0 Surp1oooy y uoneuiojut somos JOHAN 10 t xeuuy oog ICI seueSpurr op NSIC oruerurese oxq op oque pue ouoSy Surddejy pue AxoSeur euoneN Woy ejonzeuoA 10 setrepunoq MON via woon MEN seve puanog eapensturupy pue rounoa Population Venezuela s population consists of approximately 24 million inhabitants of which more than 85 per cent live in urban areas north of the Orinoco River see Map 1 The country s average population density is twenty six people per square kilometer In comparison the Guayana region is sparsely populated As of 1990 approximately one million people lived in this region with a density of about two people per squa
179. on sources see Annex 1 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 43 After extracting valuable commercial wood species concessionaires are normally required to estab lish plantation corridors enrichment strips in some areas of logged compartments These corridors are thirty to fifty meters apart and three to five meters wide All remaining trees in the enrichment strips are cleared to make room to plant valuable commercial species which concessionaires must maintain throughout the life of their contracts 90 Administrative Process for Obtaining and Operating a Logging Concession Phase 1 Public Auction Submission of concession request by concessionaire Selection of winning concessionaire Granting of signal to start pre project phase Allocation of research parcel to facilitate develoment Phase 2 Pre project of management plan Phase Presentation of pre project for management plan Revision and approval of pre project Permit to develop management plan Development of management plan Phase 3 eh elopment i e Revision of management plan a for aaa Approval of management plan Signing of administrative contract Presentation of first cutting plan for year 1 Revision of cutting plan Authorization of first cutting cycle Phase 4 acion e Signature of initiation phase Execution of first cutting cycle Supervision by Ministry engineeri
180. onas 1999 Hames R B A Comparison of the Efficiencies of the Shogun and the Bow in Neotropical Hunting Human Ecology 7 1980 219 251 Hames R B Game Depletion and Hunting Zone Rotation Among the Ye kwana and Yanomamo of Amazonas Venezuela In Working Papers on South American Indians edited by W T Vikers and K M Kesinger 1 20 Burlington VT Burlington College 1980 Heinen D The Warao indians of the Orinoco Delta an outline of their traditional economic organization and interrelations with the national economy Antropol gica 40 1975 25 55 Heinen D R Lizarralde and T G mez El abandono de un ecosistema el caso de los morichales del Delta del Orinoco Antropol gica 81 1994 1996 3 36 122 Hern ndez L P Williams R Azuaje Y Rivas and G Pic n Nombres ind genas y usos de algunas plantas de la Gran Sabana Venezuela Una introducci n a la etnobot nica regional Acta Botanica Venezuelica 17 No 1 2 3 4 1994 69 127 Hoffman S D Subsistence in transition Indigenous agriculture in Amazonas Venezuela Doctoral dissertation Berkeley California University of California 1993 Huber O J Steyermark G Prance and C Ales The vegetation ofthe Sierra Parima Venezuela Brasil some results of recent exploration Brittonia 36 No 2 1984 104 139 Jaff K and M C Muller Notas etnomirmecol gicas Ye cuana Acta Terramaris 1 1989 43 50 Jaff
181. ons Ambio 19 No 5 1990 253 257 Centeno J C El desarrollo forestal de Venezuela M rida Venezuela IFLA 1990 Centeno J C Estrategia para el Desarrollo Forestal de Venezuela Report commissioned by WRI June 1995 Collomb J G et al An Overview of Logging in Cameroon Washington DC WRI 2000 CVG IPETO Estudio forestal exploratorio de la Reserva Forestal La Paragua Estado Bol var Caracas Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana 2 Tomos 1976 de Graaf N R A silvicultural system for natural regeneration of tropical rain forest in Suriname Ecology and management of tropical rain forests in Suriname 1 Wageningen The Netherlands Wageningen Agricultural University 1986 127 FAO Estudio de preinversi n para el desarrollo forestal de la Guayana Venezolana Informe final Tomo V El Plan de Ordenaci n Forestal Rome Italy FAO 1970 Finol H Silvicultura de la Mora de Guayana Mora gonggrijpii M rida Venezuela IFLA MARNR 1992 Franco W Los Suelos del Lote Boscoso San Pedro y Reservas Forestales Imataca Guarapiche y Ticoporo Trabajo de ascenso a Profesor Titular M rida Venezuela Facultad de Ciencias Forestales ULA 1988 Franco W Propuesta Ticoporo La problem tica de Manejo de Bosque en Venezuela con nfasis en la Reserva Forestal de Ticoporo y altenativas para su soluci n Revista Forestal Venezolana a o XXI No 31 ene dic 1987 M rida Venezuela Facultad de Ciencias Fo
182. opt reduced impact logging techniques 85 Logging in the Guayana region has been found to significantly impact the frequency with which some bird and bat species are found Opportunistic species that thrive on disturbance become more frequent while those that are more sensitive to changes in the canopy cover decline 66 Preliminary data show that logging in the Imataca Forest Reserve killed or damaged 30 to 40 percent of the surrounding adult trees in a one hectare area 87 However because these effects were observed in an area that had been recently logged additional research is needed to establish how much regeneration occurred after extraction 49 EEUU Logging Concessions in the Guayana Region by Percent Logged a tt ES Porcent Logged 0 mI 1 20 20 75 mm 75 100 B No Apclicoble E Fores Non Forest NN woe Seale 5 500 000 N tood s0 0 50 Kilomees For information on sources please see Annex 1 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 50 The capacity for regeneration of commercial tree species harvested in the Guayana region is not well understood even after seventeen years of logging in this region With a few exceptions 88 there have been no studies focusing on silvicultural techniques appropriate to the region indicating the lack of scientific knowledge underlying current forestry practices For mo
183. orests We also added a paragraph summarizing the major findings of the report Global Forest Watch s mandate is to provide up to date high quality data Thus we do not engage in policy analysis nor do we provide recommendations in our products It is our hope that other organizations will use the data presented in this report to make decisions de velop policies and present recommendations Some reviewers felt that we did not sufficiently acknowledge the impacts of agricultural clearing ranching and forest fires on forest cover Due to limited resources we were unable to include new data on these activities but we added existing informa tion from the literature and from government statistics to emphasize the direct role these activities play in Venezuela s deforestation In addition we revised Box 7 The Role of Logging in Deforestation in the Llanos to acknowledge the primary role of agriculture in forest conversion in the lanos region We also added language in the introductory sections citing agriculture as a primary cause of deforestation Some data were deemed outdated or incorrect We updated data in several sections including logging fees mining production statistics and details of regulations and forest cover statistics Most of this was as a result of new data provided by our reviewers We also corrected erroneous statements and contradictions in data Some reviewers had trouble understanding the figure in Box 5 Th
184. orests of the Guayana region based on existing information for two components wildlife and non timber forest products Although Venezuela s forests have many values e g carbon storage vegetation and nutrient cycling we chose to focus on a few representative indicators due to limits in data availability and resources Thus although we include general data on biodiversity the bulk of our analysis focuses on wildlife restricted in this report to vertebrate groups for which there is more information In addition we have not assigned economic values to these indicators because ofthe lack of data Rather the indicators represent values and services provided by the forests of the Guayana region which can be contrasted with the potential costs of future economic development in the region see Chapter 4 The data were drawn from published and unpublished studies To the degree that particular regions or taxonomic groups have not been adequately researched our data do not represent a complete inventory of biological resources As such any conclusions are limited by gaps in information and further research is needed to fully determine the nature and importance of the Guayana region s wildlife and indigenous use of non timber forest products The results of our analysis show that Forests of the Guayana region harbor an array of plant and animal species that are impor tant for maintaining the overall health of forest ecosystems as well as
185. ous communities has led to rapid defor estation in recent years Although not yet under production this area is also zoned for logging Northern Amazonas The completion of the Ciudad Bol var Puerto Ayacucho highway has led to the penetration of forests in this region Significant tracts of montane submontane and lowland forests still remain but growing population and development pressures could significantly impact forest ecosystems in this portion of Amazonas State Global Forest Watch Venezuela aims to continue its monitoring activities at a more detailed scale in these three critical zones as well as in other zones as these are identified Our hope is that further monitoring will provide better information about the condition of these forests as well as more accurate data regarding development activities and other potential pressures on forest ecosystems so that sound planning and forest management can be implemented before the forests undergo widespread clearing and degradation Areas for Future Monitoring in the Guayana Region tuae ieee 73 74 Endnotes 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Oficina Central de Estad sticas e Inform tica E Censo 90 en Bol var Caracas Venezuela OCEI 1995 The trend towards urbanization is strongly linked to periodic booms in the oil sector See S Wunder Oil Wealth and the Fate ofthe Forest Venezuela Unpublished CIFOR Draft Bogor Indonesia CIFOR 2001 pp 38
186. p of South America TREES unpublished Government and FAO statistics on forest change reveal inconsistencies making it difficult to assess deforestation rates Government estimates for deforestation do not provide a consistent and transparent picture of how much forest has been lost over different regions and time periods FAO s estimate in Forest Resources Assessment 2000 indicates that Venezuela s deforestation rate between 1990 and 2000 was 0 4 percent which is about average for South America 15 However the government data on which this estimate is based are not internally consistent The Venezuelan government has never conducted any forest inventories 16 and the satellite imagery the government used to determine national vegetation cover is more than ten years old As a result the Venezuelan government pro vided the FAO with a variety of forest cover estimates based on various maps that are difficult to compare see Box 2 A review of government forest cover statistics reveals the following e Lack of clarity regarding the reference date for estimates Government estimates for the early 1980s were based on a 1983 vegetation map but the satellite imagery used to produce this map is dated between 1972 and 1977 Likewise the government s 1995 vegetation map appears to have been based on 1988 satellite imagery see Box 2 17 e Lack of comparability in historical data In 1996 the government published historical for est cove
187. pacto y ecodesarrollo Una historia para el futuro Trabajo de ascenso Escuela de Antropolog a Facultad de Humanidades y Educaci n Universidad Central de Venezuela Caracas Venezuela 1987 363 pp Peters C Aprovechamiento sostenible de recursos no maderables en bosque h medo tropical Un manual ecol gico Serie general del Programa de apoyo a la Biodiversidad Washington DC WWF The Nature Conservancy WRI 1996 Picasso M A Garc a Revilla and A Rond n Programa regional de promoci n sostenible y utilizaci n de frutas y hortalizas amaz nicas estrategias y acciones Publ No 50 Lima Per Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica Secretar a Pro Tempore 1996 PROFAUNA Programa experimental de nidos artificiales para psit cidos Ara sp y Amazonas sp en la zona deltaica del pantano oriental de los estados Monagas y Delta Amacuro Convenio PROFAUNA PDVSA Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables 1998 PROFAUNA Resultados obtenidos durante la temporada de aprovechamiento racional con fines comerciales de las especies loro Guaro y Real y Guacamaya azul amarilla y barriga roja en el estado Monagas y Delta Amacuro Informe T cnico Caracas Venezuela Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables 1999 Rodr guez J P and F Rojas Su rez eds Libro Rojo de la Fauna Venezolana 2d ed Caracas Venezuela Provita Fundaci n Polar 199
188. pressed in rounded numbers The protected areas base map that GFW digitized was a photocopy of a draft map which was never published The draft map was created manually without use of an accurate digital elevation model This means that the boundaries of the protected areas are not exact In addition the base map does not show overlapping boundaries in protected areas making it difficult to estimate both the actual area of protected areas and the overlap between them We were unable to estimate forest cover designated for resource use in the area north of the Orinoco River due to the magnitude of overlap between protected areas National Parks Wildlife Refuges Protected Zones National Hydrological Reserves Forest Areas Under Protection Forest Lots although these are not part of the ABRAE system they are designated for logging ABRAE A B C D E F G H I J IUCN Category MI I Iv V V IV VI VI VI VI Protection of ecosystems and species it El 2 3 T il al E 2 E Scientific research and education 2 a 1 d 2 2 2 a 1 2 Protection of geographic and scenic values 1 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 NA Protection of fauna and habitat CEN 1 E 2 2 2 2 3 2 Sustainable use of wildlife NA 3 3 a 3 NA 2 3 3 3 Forestry NA NA NA NA NA NA 3 il i 1 Watershed protection and administration of water 3 2 3 3 il 1 2 3 3 NA Administration of water resources NA NA NA NA 3 il 3 NA NA Conserv
189. primary species and Bs 500 per cubic meter for secondary species Because fees were set in national currency the percent of fees rel ative to the value of production declined over the years due to high rates of inflation In 1999 the government published Decree 363 which updated the law establishing fees for govern ment services A review of the new law reveals that Fees are now set in tax units whose value varies according to inflation This is a marked improvement on the previous law as it prevents fees from decreasing in value Technical services fees charged per cubic meter of wood extracted were revised upward resulting in a more than ten fold increase see Table 7 40 In 1997 royalties and fees comprised approximately 3 percent ofthe value of production of the Guayana region In 1999 fees were estimated to be 12 percent of the value of production in the Guayana region These revisions have resulted in greater returns from logging to public coffers However compared to other tropical wood producing countries Venezuela s logging fees are still somewhat low see Figure 14 If Venezuela had collected fees at the same rate as Cameroon it would have received an additional US 200 000 Logging Fees Applied to the Guayana Region Technical service fees Ley de Timbre Fiscal 1994 Revision of technical 9 292 15 37 services fee Decree 363 1999 Documentation tax 28 80 0 06 28 80 0
190. protection categories for lowland forests add up to less than 100 Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Approximately half of all forests in the Guayana region have been allocated for natural resource uses specifically logging and hydrological services see Figure 4 Overlap between protected areas with competing objectives is particularly evident in the Guayana region As can be seen in Figure 4 the degree of overlap between categories is most noticeable in the case of submontane and montane forests According to data underlying Map 6 approximately 4 million hectares of strictly protected forest in the Guayana region overlap with areas designated for natural resource use These management categories are not necessarily compatible with one another creating a degree of uncertainty with respect to the legal protection of forest cover The legal status of the large blocks designated as natural monuments in the Guayana region is also uncertain because their boundaries were not well defined when they were created see Box 3 Taking into account overlap between protected areas and the uncertain status of natural monuments the legal status of nearly half of the forests classified as strictly protected in the Guayana region is subject to some degree of uncertainty 27 20 Actual and Potential Conflicts Between Protected Areas ABRAE in the Guayana Region Mare F ATLANTIC OCEAN e de
191. publication in 1998 of Al That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests In that report we exam ined forest and mining policies in the Guayana region of Venezuela cautioning that further large scale development in the country s most biologically diverse forest ecosystems should seek to main tain other non extractive values provided by these forests at a local and national level vii The State of Venezuela s Forests A Case Study of the Guayana Region both confirms our findings from previous research and provides new previously unpublished data on development activities inthe country s largest block of forests Our Venezuelan partners have documented the rich biologi cal diversity harbored in forests of the Guayana region However these forests are under threat from large scale development activities and population pressures While a significant proportion of the forests are protected as national parks and natural monuments uncertainties regarding protected area boundaries and overlaps with other areas designated for extractive uses mean that fragile ecosystems could be opened for large scale extractive activities Our partners sought to compile the best available data on the forests ofthe Guayana region However information on the Guayana region is lacking and even basic cartographic data are not available for some areas This lack of information is one of the most serious threats to fo
192. r data for 1982 for thirteen of Venezuela s twenty three states Additional historical forest cover data were provided for the remaining ten states but these estimates are from 1975 to 1988 and thus not comparable to the 1982 numbers 18 Lack of transparency regarding methodologies and source data The government s 1995 forest cover estimates were derived from an apparently updated vegetation map However this map has never been published Thus the methodology and definitions used to calculate the 1995 forest cover estimates remain unclear 14 e Lack of consistency in results A 1996 government publication presenting forest cover esti mates derived from the 1995 vegetation map reports inconsistent numbers which may be due to computational error 19 Although the government reported an annual deforestation rate of 0 5 percent in thirteen states between 1982 and 1995 a re calculation of the data revealed that the annual deforestation rate in these states appears to have been slightly less than 1 0 percent approximately twice that reported by the FAO for the 1990s see Annex 1 for details 20 There is no explanation given in the government s deforestation estimates to account for this discrepancy Government Forest Cover Estimates The Venezuelan government has produced several different vegetation maps generally derived from two baseline maps of vegetation However these maps differ in their definitions of forest cover and other vegetation t
193. r local communities Citing studies that questioned both logging and mining prac tices the committee recommended that logging concessions and small scale miners be subject to environmen tal impact assessments and that the Ministry of Environment seek to develop non timber forest products and other values of the Imataca Forest Reserve Lack of adequate monitoring and control over activities in the reserve The commission cited the lack of human and financial resources on the part of the entities responsible for monitoring and policing the reserve Recommendations included the incorporation of indigenous and local communities in monitoring activities as wellas involving local communities in decision making regarding the reserve ialancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 2 G Colomine etal Estrategia para la Elaboraci n del Plan de Ordenamiento y Reglamento de Uso de la Reserva Forestal Imataca Paper presented at 2 Congreso Forestal Venezolano Caracas Venezuela November 2000 O GHAMER2 0 Forest Cover and Protection This chapter evaluates the state of knowledge regarding the nation s forests and the degree of protec tion provided by existing protected areas To determine the status of Venezuela s forests we ana lyzed available information on forest cover and protected areas Specifically we sought to answer the following questions Where are Venezuel
194. re Addressed Most ofthe comments received involved suggestions for improving the overall structure and flow ofthe report some reviewers suggested ways to improve clarity of the maps Listed here is a summary of the major comments received and how they were addressed Many reviewers especially those less familiar with Venezuela felt the draft was too dense and difficult to read To make the report more accessible to audiences outside of Venezuela we re organized and simplified the struc ture of the report bolstering the introductory chapter to provide clear background explanations for those unfamil 112 iar with forest issues in Venezuela and the Guayana region We added a glossary in the beginning to explain terms and our use of specific phrases In addition we improved the flow ofthe text by eliminating unnecessary details converting many of the bullets into paragraphs and adding summary paragraphs in the beginning of each chapter that provide the results of our analysis Several reviewers felt that the draft lacked adequate analysis and compelling conclusions Two reviewers cited the lack of recommendations We added analytical paragraphs in the executive summary at the end of the logging mining and populations sec tions and strengthened the conclusions to include not only details of GFW Venezuela s future monitoring efforts butalso to provide a synthesis of key data gaps that decision makers will need to better monitor f
195. re coarse and it was difficult to identify whether some communities living along the forest frontier are in forests or far from the frontier The lack of a detailed and accurate rivers and watersheds map made mapping communities difficult The Central Office of Statistics Oficina Central de Estad stica e Inform tica OCEI does not provide maps atan appropriate scale or geographic coordinates with the names of population centers There are gaps in the data We were unable to assemble a team of experts for the forests of Delta Amacuro State The experts in Amazonas State were unable to dedicate sufficient time to the project due to local political issues Data on agriculture in Bol var and Amazonas States are incomplete and in some cases non existent Some mining communities may have already disappeared due to the transitory nature ofthis activity Informants consulted for the Etapa area were less reliable In addition there is a high risk of error in the location of Piaroa communities near Alto Paraguaza upstream of Salto Maraca in the Chivapure communi ties in the E apa communities of Cuchivero and in the Hoti communities along the same river The Hoti live in semi nomadic communities and rapidly abandon their settlements Therefore these settlements may have changed Chapter 2 Forest Cover and Protection Map 3 Forest Cover Source H Eva and S Jones A forest map of South America Ispra Italy Tropical Ecosystem Environme
196. re kilometer 1 In the past urbanization has served to benefit the forests of the Guayana region by concentrating the majority ofthe nation s people in towns and cities along the coast However Venezuela s recent economic crisis has resulted in increased pressure on the forests The decline of opportunities in northern cities has led to a mass migration of people into the Guayana region forests to seek new opportunities see Chapter 4 Question 11 3 Twenty eight indigenous groups live in Venezuela and in 1992 they represented 1 5 percent of the total population Over 80 percent of these groups live in the forests of the Guayana region compris ing about one tenth of the region s population Non indigenous populations in the Guayana region include small scale farmers military troops miners logging employees and service providers e g tourist operators and merchants Settling primarily along major rivers indigenous communities are relatively small with anywhere from four to 1 100 inhabitants per community see Map 2 Most communities have fewer than one hundred inhabitants Larger communities provide important services such as health care schools and other infrastructure Because smaller settlements lack these services indigenous peoples living in small settlements rely strongly on larger settlements for access to infrastructure and markets A few non indigenous settlements are located in forests mostly near rivers and roads These s
197. reby presenting is the result of the study carried out by member institutions ofthe Global Forest Watch Venezuela and the World Resources Institute WRI who focused on Guayana as the Venezuelan last frontier forest We trust this book will be welcome by the people responsible of the decision making issues that affect this important area of our national territory Leonor Gim nez de Mendoza President Fundaci n Polar Presentation Man has become increasingly aware of the absolute need to preserve nature and to respect biodiver sity as the only way to assure permanence of life on Earth Thus it is urgent not only to study animal and plant species and ecosystems but also the inner harmony by which they are linked Venezuela and mainly the Guayana region has forest areas that offer multiple opportunities for sus tainable development In a way we have the responsibility that even surpasses national frontiers to make this region become an important worldwide conservation element And there are many risk factors that contribute to minimize the environmental characteristics of this strategic area among them indiscriminate logging mining agriculture and population pressures It is therefore neces sary to study and record complete and updated information on this subject The book that we are hereby presenting is the result of the study carried out by member institutions ofthe Global Forest Watch Venezuela and the World Resources
198. rest conservation in the Guayana region as it pre cludes sound planning and management GFW seeks to make information available rapidly to an ever wider audience by providing forest information and maps on line and developing a state of the art website www globalforestwatch org to post results from its multiple field activities in Cameroon Canada Chile Gabon Indonesia Russia the United States and Venezuela Reports maps and information from credible sources will be available for downloading Anyone with access to the Internet can consult GFW data and con tribute by providing information or views directly on line We hope that the array of products and activities will lead to a more constructive dialogue between forest managers and users at the local national and international levels Global Forest Watch would like to thank the following donors for their overall support of Global Forest Watch activities AVINA IKEA the Turner Foundation UK Department for International Development DFID the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Global Forest Watch Venezuela would also like to thank the Prospect Hill Foundation the United Nations Environment Program and the Netherlands Committee for IUCN for their specific support of Global Forest Watch activities in Venezuela Jonathan Lash President World Resources Institute viii Acknowledgments Global Forest Watch would like to thank the following indivi pensable d
199. restales ULA 1989 Hern ndez L A Parra and E Sanoja Una visi n sobre el manejo forestal en la Guayana Venezolana Estado Bol var Puerto Ordaz Venezuela Informe para el Consejo Regional de Gobierno Ambiente Miner a y Ordenaci n del Territorio del Estado Bol var 1994 Kammesheidt L Stand structure and spatial pattern of commercial species in logged and unlogged Venezuelan forest Forest Ecology and Management 109 1998 163 174 Kauffman J B and C Uhl Interactions of Anthropogenic Activities Fire and Rain Forests in Amazonia Basin In Fire in Tropical Biota Ecol Studies edited by J Goldammer 117 134 1990 Linares A Establecimiento de la metodolog a del muestreo de regeneraci n en la Unidad CVG de la Reserva Forestal Imataca Master of Science Thesis in Forest Mgmt M rida Venezuela Universidad de los Andes 1989 MARNR Bolet n Estad stico Forestal No 2 a o 1998 Caracas Venezuela MARNR Direcci n General Sectorial del Recurso Forestal 1999 120 pp MARNR Estad sticas Forestales a o 1997 Serie No 5 Caracas Venezuela MARNR Direcci n General Sectorial del Recurso Forestal 1999 MARNR SEFORVEN Estad sticas Forestales a os 1991 1992 Caracas Venezuela MARNR Serie No 3 1992 Mart nez P Chances for sustainable forestry management in Imataca Forest Reserve Financial feasibility and cost revenue analysis of the sustained management of an administrative uni
200. s Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana Introduction Vol 1 St Louis Misouri Missouri Botanical Garden 1995 pp 11 13 M Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests Washington DC WRI 1998 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 Legislation does not define standards for reclamation bonds although general practice is to collect 2 3 ofthe value of the contract Hecla Mining Corporation 2000 Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 d ofthe Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31 1999 Coeur D Alene Idaho Hecla Mining Co Online at http www freedgar com June 28 2001 p 16 D C Chambers Senior scientist Center for Science in the Public Interest per sonal communication July 6 2001 S Wunder Oil Wealth and the Fate of the Forest Venezuela Unpublished CIFOR Draft Bogor Indonesia CIFOR 2001 pp 16 17 A Mansutti Rodr guez Situaci n de los pueblos ind genas de Venezuela Journal de la Soci t des Americanistes No 82 Paris Au Si ge de la Soci t Mus e de L Homme 1996 p 348 A Mansutti Rodr guez Demograf a ocupaci n del espacio y desarrollo sostenible entre los piaroas del Estado Amazonas in Amazonas Modernidad en Tradici n eds A Carrillo and M A Perera Caracas Venezuela GTZ SADA AMAZONAS ORPIA 1995 p 66 A Mansutti Rodr guez
201. s Environmentalists subsequently filed a lawsuit arguing that mining was incompatible with the objectives of the reserve and that the government had failed to comply with the requirement for stakeholder consultation The Supreme Court issued a moratorium on any new logging or mining concessions in the reserve until it had ruled on the case As of August 2001 the case remained in the Supreme Court In 1999 the government under the new administration solicited the help ofthe World Bank in developing a new version ofthe zoning decree In an attempt to provide up to date baseline information toward the consultation and publication of the new decree an internal commission of the Ministry of Environment contracted national consultants to analyze the region s social and environmental conflicts characteristics of the flora and fauna and water quality The World Bank funded commission identified key issues needing to be addressed in the development of a new zoning plan including Lack of institutional and intersectoral coordination among government entities at the local and national lev els The commission recommended promoting interministerial coordination through the clarification of insti tutional roles communication regarding the process for developing the new zoning plan and through public participation e Lack of evidence that mining or logging as currently practiced are environmentally sustainable or result in an improved quality of life fo
202. s Ltd owned exploration rights to over 40 000 hectares of land in Venezuela until recently when the company sold its mining rights to Crystallex in the year 2000 and became a data storage company named Storage ccess Technologies as of February 2001 87 Small scale miners operate near rivers and roads as well as in mining concessions allocated to cor porations The number of small scale miners is difficult to estimate but some studies indicate that they number at least 30 000 to 40 000 88 While some of these miners are operating under legal government con tracts an unknown number are illegal Illegal miners do not have government permits to operate and or they are operating within national parks or other protected areas The data we obtained on small scale mining contracts were incomplete and did not include geographic coordinates for all of the contracts According to our analysis Slightly more than one fifth of the area under concession has been given out to small scale miners although this may be an overestimate due to potential overlap in contracts Small scale mining occurs primarily along major rivers especially the Guaniamo Upper Caron Lower Paragua and Cuyun rivers in Bol var State Mining is illegal in Amazonas State but it has been known to occur within the Yapacana National Park and in the Manapiare Valley 89 Do mining Most mining concessions and contracts lack the required environmental permits Mining compan
203. s such as mining in national parks or natural monuments Decree 269 1989 Prohibits any mining in Amazonas State Decree 2552 Note The above legal instruments are organized by legal hierarchy 1978 Prohibits any logging in Amazonas State Source Adapted from Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gold Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela s Frontier Forests WRI Washington DC 1998 p 5 1 Miranda et al All That Glitters is Not Gol 10 Zoning the Imataca Forest Reserve Located in the Guayana region the Imataca Forest Reserve has been the source of much conflict Originally created in 1961 and then subsequently enlarged in 1993 the reserve encompasses over 3 6 million hectares Imataca was legally designated a production forest thus providing a wood supply while ensuring the integrity of forest ecosystems Since 1965 the government has also given out mining concessions in the reserve sometimes overlapping with logging conces sions see Map 13 By the 19905 illegal small scale miners had succeeded in invading and clearing significant areas of forest in the southern portion of the reserve In 1997 the government issued Decree 1850 a land use and zoning plan Plan de Ordenamiento y Reglamento de Uso for the reserve in an attempt to put order into a chaotic land use situation The plan essentially divided the reserve almost equally between mining and logging concession
204. s in the Guayana region are due partly to the relatively low occurrence of large commercial trees 240 cm dbh per hectare and partly to the fact that concessionaires use official cubic meters to report volumes extracted The official cubic meter is a measurement calculated by the Venezuelan government to estimate the volume of sawnwood forming the basis for reporting vol ume produced and calculating taxes 55 Because this measurement underestimates roundwood vol ume by up to one third it is difficult to estimate the volume of wood extracted 56 Logging concessionaires focus primarily on a few species of high value to satisfy the national market The results of our analysis indicate that Nearly half 46 percent of the concessionaires in the region target fewer commercial species than when they began harvesting 57 This trend was particularly evident in the late 1990s when an economic recession resulted in a contraction of the national market for wood 58 Because concessionaires are allowed to harvest a limited amount of wood each year they tend to extract larger trees or those with the highest diameter at breast height This is generally done to secure the highest economic returns on the volume of wood extracted each year Such low levels of extraction can result in lower levels of disturbance than more intensive logging or clearcutting However selective logging or high grading also results in a larger area of forest accessed per unit of
205. s show discrepancies between the volume of wood entering sawmills compared and the volume of sawnwood produced Half of the sawmills operating in the Guayana region report greater volumes of sawnwood leaving the mill than roundwood entering the mill 64 There is an internal market for roundwood among sawmill operators and some concessionaires are known to sell roundwood to other sawmills either because they do not have their own mill or because they are unable to process all wood extracted from their concessions In some cases sawmill operators stockpile hardwood logs in order to process them during favorable economic mar kets This may account for some ofthe discrepancy What is the impact i The forests of the Guayana region are still relatively intact but poorly planned logging could facili tate deforestation by other actors Ofthe approximately 2 5 million hectares under concession in the Guayana region approximately 15 percent have been accessed see Map 10 Primary and secondary roads skidder trails and enrichment strip planting have been established in these forests Lack of data on the exact area of forest disturbed by logging makes it difficult to determine the impact of logging on biodiversity in a comprehensive manner However studies indicate that Logging concessionaires do not seek to minimize road development suggesting higher levels of forest fragmentation and disturbance per hectare than if concessionaires were to ad
206. sed The impacts of logging mining and population growth on the forests of the Guayana region are difficult to determine due to the lack of regional data However the limited available data suggest that left unchecked these activities could lead to forest degradation especially where land uses conflict The lack of data on these activities and how they affect forest ecosystems represents the greatest threat to forests of the Guayana region because it precludes sound decision making and planning The current model of industrial development may provide some benefit to those directly involved in extractive activities but this benefit is likely to be short lived and will not improve the livelihoods of the majority of the Guayana region s inhabitants in the long run Furthermore the already evident population pressures in some parts of the region could undermine any attempt at sustainable devel opment of the region s natural resources if competing land uses are not addressed QUESTION 1 national economy Nearly all of Venezuela s wood production serves a domestic market Venezuela s wood production satisfies a domestic market Most wood logged from natural forests is processed as sawnwood for construction and roofing materials plywood for interior uses and veneer for furniture An analysis of import and export data shows that Domestic consumption of roundwood is satisfied primarily by national production with a rel
207. see Box 3 IU DEA Degree of Protection of Venezuela s Forests tlm 6 1 sz lk Bul o 00 Edi Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Protecting the Guayana Highlands through Natural Monuments BOX3 How Much is Actually Protected In 1991 the Venezuelan government issued a decree to protect the biological and ecological richness of the upper sections of all the remaining fepuyes table top mountains in Bol var and Amazonas States that were not already protected in national parks The intent of Decree 1233 called Tepuyes Natural Monuments was to conserve the highly specialized plant communities and unique natural ecosystems harboring numerous endemic species in two provinces the Pantepui Floristic Province with elevation largely higher than 1500 meters and the Central Guayana Province uplands and mountains roughly 300 to 1500 meters in elevation Although the decree defined the natural monuments as areas with elevations of more than 800 meters the coordinates given by the Ministry of Environment for the monuments are not limited to such parameters The coordinates designate relatively large square polygons constituting a series of strictly protected areas that collectively comprise over 7 million hectares far more than originally intended in the presidential decree and the official gazette see Map 4 The larger poly gons were reportedly designed explicitly to protect the ecosystem surrounding the tepui alt
208. st commercial species logged regeneration is known to be deficient which casts doubt whether they can be sustainably harvested in the long term 69 Indirect impacts are potentially the most significant Logging often opens up otherwise inaccessible forest to invasion by outsiders 7 It also increases the probability of forest fires by reducing the forest canopy and allowing sunlight to dry up leaves and other dead organic material on the forest floor For example logging in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil has been found to greatly increase the flammabil ity of the forest by increasing the amount of fuel available for forest fires 71 In Venezuela evidence strongly suggests that logging has already facilitated colonization although there is little evidence to date of increased fires Logging was a contributing factor in the deforestation of forest reserves in northwestern Venezuela see Box 7 Political interests and the agrarian reform law were also important factors promoting conversion of forests to agriculture 72 Evidence suggests that this process is already underway in the Guayana region see Question 11 although lack of data makes it impossible to estimate the area of forest affected However the boundaries of at least one logging concession in the Imataca Forest Reserve have already been adjusted to account for invasion by small scale farmers 73 Furthermore local politicians in Delta Amacuro State were openly encouraging small scale agricul
209. story of enacting environmental legislation has not necessarily been followed by successful implementation In 1998 the Venezuelan people elected a new president who by popular referendum created a Constitutional Assembly of elected representatives whose task was to re write the Venezuelan con stitution 10 The new constitution reaffirms the state s commitment to ensuring a clean and healthy environment for its current and future citizens It also recognizes the access rights of indigenous communities to information regarding the use of natural resources in their territories which was not acknowledged in the previous constitution Environmental laws created under previous administra tions remain in force A key campaign promise of the new administration was to annul a controversial presidential decree that zoned a major forest reserve entirely for logging and mining activities see Box 1 Following the election officials of the Ministry of Environment announced their intent to annul this decree 1 but as of August 2001 this has not occurred In the Guayana region natural resources management falls under the purview of three institutions the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources MARN the Ministry of Energy and Mines MEM and the Corporaci n Venezolana de Guayana CVG a state owned development corpora tion The Forest Service Wildlife Service Parks Service Planning and Zoning Department Cartography and Vegetation Departmen
210. t are all part of the Ministry of Environment In addition monitoring the use of natural resources is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment although the National Guard plays a role in enforcing laws In 1998 the Venezuelan Forest Service SEFORVEN was re named the Forest Resource Department Direcci n General de Recursos Forestales and downgraded from a semi autonomous service to a department within the Ministry of Environment Under new leadership the Forest Resources Department has emphasized community involvement in forest management A key component of this new direction is the creation of a Management of Environmental Conflicts Unit which seeks to implement community forestry and to address on going population conflicts in forest reserves 12 As of mid 2001 the scope of this unit was not yet clear nor was it apparent how local communities would be involved in the management of forest reserves In 1999 the president issued Decree 369 partially revising the Framework Law of Central Administration by redefining the roles and responsibilities of several government entities Article 33 of the Decree 369 states that the mandate of the Ministry of Production and Commerce s MPC is to plan and execute activities related to the development and protection of commercial agricultural production ranching fishing and forestry food security agrarian reform and the rural cadastre in coordination with the Ministry of
211. t in the Imataca Tropical forest reserve Bol var State Republic of Venezuela Master of Science Thesis in Tropical Forestry Dresden Germany Technische Universit t Dresden 1999 Mason D J Responses of Venezuelan understory birds to selective logging enrichment strips and vine cutting Biotropica 28 1996 296 309 Mennega E A W C M Tammens de Rooij and M J Jansen Jacobs eds Check list of woody plants of Guyana Based on D B Fanshawe s check list of the indigenous woody plants of British Guiana Wageningen The Netherlands 1988 128 Nepstad D et al Large scale impoverishment of Amazonian Forests by logging and fire Nature in press Ochoa G J El aprovechamiento forestal en la Guayana Venezolana evaluaci n ecol gica e implicaciones para la conservaci n de los mam feros de la regi n Doctoral thesis M rida Venezuela Universidad de Los Andes 1997 Ochoa G J An lisis preliminar de los efectos del aprovechamiento de maderas sobre la composici n y estructura de bosques en la Guayana Venezolana Interciencia 23 1998 197 207 Ortegano O Informe de avance proyecto PD 49 94 Rev 1 f Seforven Hevista de la Direcci n del Recurso Forestal a o 10 n mero 16 2000 12 15 Philip M Measuring trees and forests Wallingford CABI Publishing 1998 Plonczak M Die Nutzung der Naturwaelder in Venezuela Allg Forst und Jagdzeitung 168 No 34 1997 54 58
212. t twenty years see Figure 20 Prices for other commodities have declined as well Low prices generally mean that mining companies scale back on mineral exploration activities For example since 1998 the number of foreign mining companies with holdings in Venezuela has declined by more than 25 percent 79 SOME Price of Gold 1975 2000 h NR WA US AA US IV V A fit tt FPS Note Adjusted for inflation Sources World Gold Council Gold Demand Up 11 in Q4 2000 Gold Demand Trends 34 Feb 2001 Online at http www gold org Gedt Gdt34 Gdt34 pdf June 28 2001 The Gold Institute 2001 IMF July 2001 Currently gold and diamond mining contribute little to the national economy but new tax legislation could generate greater revenue In 1999 Venezuela reported production of 5 946 kilograms of gold with an estimated value of SUS53 million Although this does not include gold produced by illegal operators it represented less than one tenth of one percent of Venezuela s GDP 80 Between 1993 and 1997 mining companies paid a total of approximately SUS 9 million in taxes accounting for one percent of the value of produc tion 81 Our analysis shows that Gold production peaked in 1997 and has been declining since see Figure 21 Diamond production has been declining steadily since reaching a high of 583 000 carats in 1994 In theory royalties on precious minerals gold and diamonds are 3 to 4 percent of the value ofthe refined
213. ta on forest ecosystems to highlight the environmental and economic trade offs that development options entail GFW is an information service Our mandate is strictly limited to providing objective credible peer reviewed data and making that information widely available All Global Forest Watch publications are available from the World Resources Institute as well as on our website at www globalforestwatch org What is GFW Venezuela Global Forest Watch Venezuela GFW Venezuela is an affiliate of the international Global Forest Watch program It is currently composed of four Venezuelan nongovernmental organizations NGOs Asociaci n Venezolana para la Conservaci n de reas Naturales ACOANA Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Naturaleza FUDENA Provita and Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana UNEG The national network relies on the input and advice of experts representing NGOs government agencies universities and other research institutions These experts are brought together in national workshops to comment on the development of indicators product design and content The GFW International network with help from other partners provides technical support for GFW Venezuela with the goal of building capacity for independent locally driven monitoring and reporting within the country All data presented in this report are available at www globalforestwatch org or by contacting the authors directly Foreword
214. tales de Venezuela desde 1950 hasta 1975 in Conservaci n de los Bosques H medos de Venezuela L Hamilton et al eds Caracas Venezuela Sierra Club Consejo de Bienestar Rural 1977 p 100 103 A Catal n El Proceso de Deforestaci n en Venezuela entre 1975 1988 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1989 p 19 22 C S Harcourt and J A Sayer eds The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests The Americas New York IUCN 1996 p 315 J P Veillon Las Deforestaciones en Los Llanos Occidentales de Venezuela Desde 1950 hasta 1975 in Conservaci n de los Bosques H medos de Venezuela L Hamilton et al eds Caracas Venezuela Sierra Club Consejo de Bienestar Rural 1977 p 101 103 A Catal n El Processo de Deforestaci n en Venezuela entre 1975 1988 Caracas Venezuela MARNR 1989 p 21 MARN Informe de la Situaci n Forestal de Venezuela Revista Seforven Revista de la Direcci n del Recurso Forestal No 16 October 2000 p 8 A O Castillo reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial por Figura Documento Sujeto a Revisi n Direcci n de Ordenaci n del Territorio Caracas Venezuela Direcci n General Sectorial de Planificaci n y Ordenaci n del Ambiente MARN 2001 M Bevilacqua reas Bajo R gimen de Administraci n Especial in Biodiversidad en Venezuela M Aguilera et al eds Caracas Venezuela CONICIT Fundaci n Polar in press The percent of forests protected depends on whether o
215. tely half of the wood leaves the Guayana region as logs to be processed elsewhere 52 One fifth of the concessions are under investigation for failing to comply with management plans Further data on the nature of these investigations are not publicly available and are considered confidential Our data indicate that concessionaires have difficulty completing other aspects of their management plans as well None of the concessionaires met the volume of cuts estimated in their management plans see Figure 16 Indeed 38 percent of the operating concessions harvested less than half of what was forecast in management plans which may indicate poor underlying inventory data Lack of such basic data implies that it would be difficult to comply with additional requirements such as adequate planning or reduced impact logging techniques FIGURE 16 ion of Concession Management Plans Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Concessionaires practice selective logging in the forests of the Guayana region Wood is extracted at an average rate of approximately 2 5 trees per hectare or the equivalent of 5 3 cubic meters per hectare Similar to the rate reported in Cameroon 93 this rate of extraction is considered to be very low when compared to other tropical countries including other Guiana Shield countries and the Brazilian Amazon 94 This means that a few commercial species are extracted at a low density 46 Low extraction rate
216. tem services such as regulating water flow and quality and controlling erosion on steep slopes The data collected for this report suggest that the forests of the Guayana region offer tremendous opportunity for long term conservation and sustainable use These forests are among the most bio logically and culturally diverse in Venezuela and they provide important ecosystem services at a regional and national level They also represent a significant part of one ofthe largest blocks of intact tropical forest in the world However except for southern Amazonas most of these forests are at risk from on going or planned development Logging and mining could ultimately result in significant orest degradation given population pressures competing land uses and poor management prac tices Furthermore although the situation is improving there is a history of low rent capture from ongoing extractive activities Overall logging and mining contribute little to the national economy and except for small scale mining employ only a small fraction of the local population Unfortunately it is impossible to fully quantify the impacts costs and benefits of forest development to date due to inconsistent data upon which recent forest cover estimates are based inconsistent methodologies for estimating forest cover which makes it impossible to reasonably estimate the degree of deforestation or reforestation over time and the lack of systemati
217. the MEM and the CVG Both datasets are dated 1996 and are considered to bethe most up to date available An analysis of this data and annual corporate reports revealed that Since 1996 at least 10 percent of the concessions have been sold to other companies In most cases this has occurred as a result of a junior company selling its shares of a national subsidiary to another mining company which then incorporates the property into its own subsidiary Only one of the four producing mines is listed in official records We were unable to locate an official record of the La Camorra and Tomi mines or the Revemin mill despite the fact that information on all three can be obtained easily from corporate documents Furthermore areview of foreign company annual reports revealed an additional twenty mining concessions that are not listed in official records The official records do not consistently identify foreign companies as concession owners Venezuelan law requires foreign companies to operate through national subsidiaries However because government records do not list the parent company it is much harder to track concession ownership making it difficult for government officials to ensure that only responsible mining companies invest in Venezuela One fifth ofthe companies operate their Venezuelan subsidiaries through holding companies in the Caribbean particularly Aruba Netherlands Antilles or Antigua These small island nations are
218. the logging concessions were given out to national companies operating with private capi tal One concession CVG Sierra Imataca was given out to a regional state run company although it is currently inactive Two concession requests from educational institutions are under review as of August 2001 if awarded will be granted for research purposes to study the sustainability of logging in southern Venezuela Because these are experimental plots the operators are exempt from paying taxes A review ofthe area under concession shows that Ofthe area in forest reserves and forest lots in the Guayana region 20 percent is under concession see Map 8 More than half of the nineteen logging concessions are inactive for logging Logging concessions are granted primarily on public lands forest reserves and forest lots Because the land is publicly owned logging concessionaires are expected to follow administrative require ments to ensure that the commercial value of the forest remains intact Concessions follow an administrative process from initial project phase to the development and execution of cutting cycles see Figure 15 In theory concessions are granted at public auction but information about such a process is not available publicly and the criteria for awarding concessions are considered confi dential In order to log concessionaires are required to develop a management plan that includes a forest inventory estimating how mu
219. through the remaining for est every 30 to 50 meters Loggers plant saplings of native or exotic species to stimulate re growth of valuable commercial species in the forest Greenstone belt A large geological formation spanning up to 250 kilometers Occurring in ancient volcanic and sedimentary basins greenstone belts are indicative of potential gold mineralization Guayana region The southern half of Venezuela including Delta Amacuro Bol var and Amazonas States see Map 1 Guiana Shield An ancient geological formation which spans the countries of French Guiana Suriname Guyana Venezuela and parts of Brazil and Colombia Guyana An independent nation bordering Venezuela to the east IUCN Protected Areas I VI A global classification system of protected areas developed by the IUCN World Conservation Union which groups protected areas according to management objectives The classification systems ranges from nature preserves and wilderness areas categories Ia and Ib to national parks category II natural monuments category III habitat species management area cate gory IV protected landscapes and seascapes category V and managed resource protected areas category VI The categories generally range in degree of human activity allowed with category I being the most restrictive and category VI being the least restrictive Junior mining company A mining company of limited capital 10 to 50 million that focuses pri
220. tly associated with commercial uses are three species of palm Mauritia flexuosa Leopoldinia piassaba and Euterpe oleracea and one of liana Heteropsis spruceana see Box 6 for a more detailed discussion of the commercial value of Heteropsis spruceana Of these species three are used to produce fibers and materials for handicrafts and fur niture manufacturing Euterpe oleracea which is harvested in Delta Amacuro State is the only species used to produce commercially marketed hearts of palm In 1998 Venezuela exported more than 73 000 kilograms of palm heart with an approximate value of SUS 99 000 37 The total export value of non timber forest products in Venezuela was reported to be US 5 million in 1998 This does not take into account the value of non timber forest products consumed domestically for which there are no data The capture and collection of parrots toucans macaws and other species as pets is very common in the region A large proportion of these animals is smuggled through the Orinoco Delta and enters neighboring Guyana as contraband thus forming a part of the international wildlife trade 38 In addi tion some non timber forest species have been evaluated in pharmaceutical tests to identify active agents with potential promise for Western medicine Some plant and animal species used by indigenous communities in the Guayana region are at risk of extinction at a national level We compared our database of species reportedly
221. ture in the northern sector of Imataca in 1996 74 Atthe moment government data do not show significant forest loss due to fires for 1995 the Ministry of Environment reported a total of 889 forest fires which burned slightly more than 207 000 hectares less than 1 percent of Venezuela s forest cover 75 Since 1990 this was the largest area of for est reported burned in a single year 76 Summary and Analysis Although the extent of logging in the Guayana region is limited current management practices result in inadequate revenue capture and potentially high environmental costs Our data show that sawmills are inefficient concessionaires do not follow forestry and management plan requirements and forestry practices are likely to result in forest degradation and to facilitate large scale deforesta tion in areas of high population pressure Some environmentalists have encouraged plantation development outside of natural forests to reduce pressure on these forests 7 Already the small num ber of plantations outside of forests supply more than half of the nation s demand for wood However more data are needed to determine the sustainability of plantations in Venezuela 51 The Role of Logging in Deforestation in the Llanos Venezuela s first forestry reserves were created in the early 1950s in the llanos region and the first concession was first awarded in 1970 Of the five original forest reserves in the llanos only two have act
222. uayana region forests To the degree that these conflicts remain unresolved expansion into relatively intact forests will likely accelerate Because local communities and the regional economy depend strongly on the resources and services provided by these forests forest loss and degradation would have a lasting impact on the region s populations 69 BZ Lend Use Conflicts in the Guayana Region Forests BRAZIL f i Type of Settlement Agriculture indigenous Miring Greol scowe Areos Allocoted fer Mining 22 Areas Allocated fer logging Bl Not A ocored for Logging gt Forest 2 30 0 50 Kilometers bl fond Ed o ES vy a e aer WGS 84 AY e e men Scale 1 5 500 000 V Rood This map presents areas where land use conflicts may occur because of existing populations and allocations of mining and logging concessions For sources information see Annex 1 According to the Geneva Agreement of February 7 1966 Venezuela claims two thirds of the territory of Guyana 70 RS Conclusions Global Forest Watch Venezuela focused its initial data collection activities on the Guayana region because it contains Venezuela s largest block of forests However portions of northern Venezuela warrant further detailed monitoring especially in rapidly disappearing remnants of forests in the Andes and coastal ranges These Andean forests harbor high value commercial timber species and provide key ecosys
223. uis Missouri Missouri Botanical Garden and CVG Edelca 1995 ter Steege H Plant Diversity in Guayana with recommendations for a national pro tected area strategy Tropenbos Series 18 The Netherlands The Iropenbos Foundation 2000 Veillon J P Las deforestaciones en los Llanos Occidentales de Venezuela desde 1950 hasta 1975 In Conservaci n de los Bosques H medos de Venezuela edited by L Hamilton et al Caracas Venezuela Sierra Club Consejo de Bienestar Rural 1977 Chapter 3 Wildlife Bisbal F Distribuci n y taxonom a del venado matac n Mazama sp en Venezuela Acta Biol Venezuelica 12 1991 89 104 Bisbal F Distribution and habitat association of the carnivore in Venezuela In Advances in Neotropical Mammalogy edited by J Eisenberg and K Redford 339 362 Gainesville Florida The Sandhill Crane Press Inc 1989 Bodini R and R P rez Hern ndez Distribution of the species and subspecies of Cebids in Venezuela In Studies in neotropical mammalogy Essays in honor of Philip Hershkovitz edited by B D Patterson and R M Tim 231 244 Fieldiana Zool 1987 Brice o E L Balbas and J A Blanco Bosques ribere os del Bajo R o Caura Vegetaci n suelos y fauna In Ecolog a de la Cuenca del R o Caura Venezuela II Estudios especiales edited by O Huber and J Rosales 259 289 1997 Gardner A L The mammals of Parque Nacional Serran a de la Neblina T
224. una Santa Rosa Holdings Aruba TSE ecnogeo Minera Las Cristinas 70 Placer Dome de Placer Dome Canada 13 381 Wisata TSE Golden Bear Unknown 13 360 Notknown CNDX Chesbar Canada 9 500 Minera Guaiquinima CA TSE Athlone Resources Canada 8 106 Mirko y Marquez Mining II CA CNDX Mylan Ventures US N Dakota 8 035 Minera Vericoa Minera Los Frijoles Minerfrica CDNX Dragon Diamond E LEES Corporation US Arizona 6 335 Compa a Minera Adamante CA OTCBB GIC Special Investments Singapore 5 000 Grossi Minas CA Vencap Holdings Not traded Augusta Co Canada 5 000 Unknown CDNX Cadre Resources Canada 2 100 Unknown CDNX CanAlaska Ventures Ltd Canada 1 850 ARAPCO 51 CDNX Quattro Resources Canada 1 362 Mirca CA CDNX Consolidated Odyssey Canada 1 350 Corporaci n Nucore Resources de CDNX Exploration Inc Venezuela SA Gold Reserve Canada 1 053 Compa a Aur fera del Cuyun TSE A Minera Antabari Venezuelan Mineral Exploration Earth Sciences Inc US Colorado 488 CA Recursos Minerales ESIGEO CA Recursos Cert Minerales VENESI CA Consolidated Magna Canada 200 Corpoaur fera CA Ventures oap Novagold US California NA NA EEE RJK Minerals Canada NA Minera RJK SA CDNX South African South Africa NA Compa a Minera Adamante CA Not traded Diamond Corp 60 Source GFW Venezuela 2001 See Annex 1 for details Official records are out of date and do not accurately identify concession owners We obtained data from both
225. uring various stages of deve Mar a Bastidas Grace Berm dez Dirk Bryant Hern n Castellanos Jean Gael Collomb Linda Cotton opment of this report uals whose contributions were indis Astur De Martino Pedro Delf n Jaime Echeverr a Hugh Eva Armando Hern ndez Otto Huber Siti Masturah Ismail Anthony Janetos Ne Zent Zoyla Mart nez Susan Minneme s Johnson Lars Laestad Ridder Jim Robertson James Ross Jones Kumiko Shimamoto S nchez Stephen Schmidt Tyson Wal ius Peter Leimgruber Egle L pez yer Miguel Plonczak Juhani Ojasti Carmen Revenga Ralph Ivette Torres Eric van Praag Javier ker Sven Wunder Edgard Yerena and Stanford Zent GFW Venezuela thanks Abigail Castillo Am rico Catal n an Environment for the valuable feedbac Euro Segovia of the Ministry of they provided throughout the development of the report Fundaci n para la Defensa de la Naturaleza FUDENA was responsible for the financial support given by the Netherlands Committee for IUCN ix Contents Presentation miyoni vi Foreword as vii Acktosledgnerit is ix List of Figures Maps T Tables and Boxes xii Glossary xiv Key Findings xvi Executive Summary ss xvii CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Venezuela s Geography Population Economy and Forest Legislation 1 Geography 1 Population
226. urrounding the urban centers has grown over time because smaller settlements depend on these centers to satisfy basic infrastructure needs Eventually these small set tlements become large enough to justify the development of basic infrastructure and government services To the degree that population continues to increase in the Guayana region this cycle will repeat itself resulting in the establishment of new settlements and the growth of existing ones Most indigenous communities grew by more than 60 percent between 1982 and 1992 Like the general population of the Guayana region the indigenous population is also growing rap idly see Figure 24 In some cases such as the Kurripako Hiwi Puinave and Piapoko ethnic groups a part of the growth is due to migration from neighboring countries 107 However much of the population growth is due to high birth rates and declining mortality rates The rapid growth in indigenous populations is accompanied by changes in cultural traditions Contact between indigenous communities and the Western world has resulted in the incorporation ofnew values and customs leading to the development of expectations and needs which traditional indigenous societies cannot meet Thus indigenous peoples are becoming more dependent on Western markets for goods and services and increasingly need monetary resources to satisfy these new desires 108 This means that indigenous communities are more dependent on larger non indig
227. var Venezuela Paper presented at the 9th Congreso Latinoamericano de Zoolog a Arequipa Per 1983 124 Ojasti J Fauna silvestre del estado Amazonas Un recurso en encrucijada In Memorias IV Congreso Interamericano sobre el Medio Ambiente Vol II edited by R Carrillo Caracas Venezuela Universidad Sim n Bol var 1999 205 210 Ojasti J Informe del Taller Internacional sobre el uso sostenible y conservaci n de la fauna silvestre en los pa ses de la cuenca Amaz nica Santiago Chile FAO 1996 Ojasti J Uso y conservaci n de la fauna silvestre en la Amazonia Publicaci n No 35 Lima Peru Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica 1995 Ojasti J Utilizaci n de la fauna silvestre en Am rica Latina Situaci n y perspectivas para un manejo sostenible Conservaci n 25 1993 1 248 Ojasti J R Guerrero and O Hern ndez Mam feros de la expedici n de Tapirapec estado Amazonas Venezuela Acta Biologica Venezuelica 14 No 1 1992 27 40 Orfila L M Rodr guez T Coleman M Hasegawa E Merentes and F Arvelo Structural modification of berberine alkaloids in relation to cytotoxic activity in vitro Ethnopharmacology 71 2000 449 456 Palma V and S Grouwels Conservaci n y uso de la fauna silvestre en reas protegidas de la Amazon a Tratado de Cooperaci n Amaz nica Secretar a Pro Tempore Lima Per 1999 Publ No 69 Perera M A Amazonas Im
228. ve techniques for forest management GFW s aim is to help fill these information gaps In this report we have attempted to collect the best available information on the Guayana region s forests to make data available to the public In the future GFW Venezuela will seek to focus its monitoring activities at a finer scale providing a more accurate assessment of forest trends in specific parts of the Guayana region so that sound planning and forest management can be implemented before these forests undergo widespread clearing and degradation see Box 9 Providing Better Information for Informed Decision Making Based on the findings of this report we identified three critical sub zones of the Guayana region see Map below where more detailed monitoring is necessary in the short term These areas are still relatively intact but they are potentially threatened by a variety of land uses including agriculture logging and mining The Imataca Forest Much of this forest has already been allocated for logging and mining However it remains largely intact due in part to depressed gold prices on international markets Logging mining indigenous settle ments and small scale agriculture are all competing land uses making this a potentially volatile conflict zone The Northern Sector of the Caura Paragua Watershed Forests of the Caura watershed are largely unaccessed except in the northern sector where agriculture practiced by non indigen
229. veloping land use plans which take into consideration the principles of sustainable devel opment Gives responsibility to the Venezuelan government for protecting the envi ronment for current and future generations Framework Law for Land 1983 Establishes processes for national land use zoning Use Zoning 1983 Requires land use zoning Establishes administrative procedures for planning in protected areas Framework Law of the 1977 Establishes guiding principles for environmental conservation including Environment the creation and protection of forest reserves and the use of natural resources Framework Law of Central 1976 Creates the Ministry of Environment and defines its responsibilities Administration Demarcation and Guarantee 2001 Requires the state to demarcate indigenous lands of Indigenous Habitat and Establishes that the Ministry of Environment will coordinate demarca Lands Law tion with the last indigenous census used as a baseline for existing settle ments Biodiversity Law 2000 Favors biodiversity conservation of forests Recognizes that forests harbor a large portion of the nation s biodiversity Mining Law 1999 Defines requirements for concessions and operating permits States that mining cannot damage the environment Requires mitigation of negative impacts on ecosystems Allows the Ministry of Environment to set an amount for a bond which is returned to the concessionaire once reclamation is complet
230. y able to represent the general area where mining concessions have been allocated because more than half ofthe concession boundaries have not been officially registered at the national level and geo graphic coordinates provided by government officials were incomplete Atthe moment reliable data on the area and location of agricultural activities can only be obtained through satellite imagery We did not map agricultural activities as this would have required pur chase and interpretation of recent high resolution satellite imagery which was beyond the scope of this initial work However we have provided an indicator of agricultural activity by mapping settle ments dedicated to raising crops and we supplemented this with secondary sources In the future we hope to identify areas of agricultural activity in a select group of forest development zones which willallow us to analyze these issues in more detail 35 Our analysis found the following Logging and mining contribute marginally to the national economy in terms of revenue collected Logging fees were updated in 1999 but they still account for only 12 percent of the value of production Royalties collected from mining accounted for only one percent of the value of reported production The population of the Guayana region is growing rapidly and becoming more concentrated in urban areas on the forest edge As these settlements grow the demand for forest resources has also increa
231. y the CVG were obtained from a hardcopy database purchased from CVG Tecmin The database included name of contract area of concession name of contracting company legal representative location objective of contract date of request and signature of contract duration UTM coordinates An additional CVG database was acquired that includes environmental permits by contract No equivalent database was available for concessions allocated by the MEM These datasets were integrated into a Microsoft Excel digital file which includes area of each concession contract company name year granted and environmental permits To link concessions and contracts to multinational mining companies we conducted an Internet search using mining industry and stock market databases e g www infomine com www freeedgar com www sedar com We also conducted a general Internet search by company Additional information on each company was obtained primarily through reviewing corporate filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission the Canadian Securities Administrators and from corporate annual reports and news releases available from Internet websites To verify ownership we sent letters of clarification to each ofthe foreign companies found to have holdings inthe Guayana region Ofthe 28 companies originally identified we received 5 responses We were unable to locate addresses for 3 companies Two companies responded that they no longer held inter
232. ypes making it diffi cult to compare vegetation classes between maps A partial list of the vegetation maps used by the Venezuelan govern ment and by FAO follows Baseline vegetation maps The 1982 83 Map of Actual Vegetation Cover This map was produced at a 1 250 000 scale using radar and Landsat satellite imagery While it is sometimes referred to as a 1982 or 1983 vegetation map the imagery used to produce it dates from 1972 to 1977 It is the only publicly available map showing Venezuela s actual vegetation cover According to this map Venezuela s forest cover in 1977 was 56 985 121 hectares The 1995 Vegetation Map of Venezuela This map has never been published but provides the baseline for the Ministry of Environment s forest cover estimates for 1995 These are the same estimates used by FAO to determine Venezuela s forest cover in 2000 While the forest cover estimates derived from this map are dated 1995 the map reflects satellite imagery from 1988 on average According to this map Venezuela s forest cover in 1988 was 49 665 815 hectares Additional vegetation maps The 1985 Land Use Zoning Map of Venezuela s Forests This map was used by FAO as a historic baseline for estimat ing forest cover change The reference date given was 1981 Forest cover according to this map was 52 843 007 hectares in 1981 The 1979 Vegetation Map The government also provided the FAO with a 1979 vegetation map which indicated that Venezu

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