Venezuela's Imperiled National Parks

Traveler Special Report: Venezuela's Imperiled National Parks

In the midst of political and economic turmoil in this South American country, some of the world’s most scenic and biodiverse public lands are at risk.

By Kim O'Connell

Venezuela is a nation of vast natural bounty, its 43 national parks encompassing more than 20 percent of the South American country’s land area. This “megadiverse” nation includes nearly 1,500 bird species, more than 350 mammal species, and tens of thousands of plant species, including the Flor de Mayo orchid, the national flower. The storied and fertile Orinoco River cuts through the country’s heart. Angel Falls in Canaima National Park is the world’s highest waterfall, tumbling nearly 3,300 feet, and significant populations of indigenous peoples, including the Yanomami and Pemon, reside in these protected lands as well. And yet the future of these incredible places is in jeopardy.

As Venezuela faces an economic, political, and humanitarian crisis under the contested regime of President Nicolás Maduro (successor to Hugo Chávez), the government is managing the country’s national parks with an unspoken policy of neglect and abandonment, according to park advocates. At least one park, Yapacana, is suffering from what a private group calls “extreme ecocide.” As the current crisis has worsened, illicit activities have run rampant in Venezuela’s national park system, including illegal mining, deforestation, agriculture, and road-building. The parks also provide cover and refuge for drug traffickers and guerrilla groups. Although the government has dismantled some mining operations, these actions have been few and far between, and possibly undertaken merely for political show, according to park observers.

“At this moment there is very little management and very little law enforcement,” says a longtime park expert in Venezuela, who asked for anonymity to prevent harassment or retribution. “Many forces have come into the parks, illegal logging and illegal building of weekend houses, road building, and mining, which is the most striking problem we’re facing, and the laws are not enforced.”

Furthermore, Inparques—Venezuela’s government park agency—is chronically underfunded and understaffed. “There’s a political will to abandon national parks,” the source continues. “Personnel is quite scarce and many park rangers are living below the poverty line.” This source also suggests that complicity between law enforcement and armed guerrilla groups that protect mining sites is common.

Not surprisingly, tourism has trickled to a standstill, and this March the U.S. State Department issued a Venezuela travel advisory, citing “crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, and arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens.” Furthermore, the volatile political situation has caused international NGOs to end discussions and partnerships that might have provided some assistance or research on the ground.

One private advocacy group, SOS Orinoco, has been investigating the situation in the country’s parks. The group has already released two out of an expected three reports for IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) and UNESCO, as well as any other interested parties, that focus on the specific threats to Canaima and Yapacana national parks, with a third report about an as-yet-undisclosed park to be issued sometime in April. The reports are based on interviews with people who live in or near the national parks (although no sources or authors are named to protect their identities), in addition to detailed analysis of satellite imagery.

At more than 11,000 square miles (about as large as the state of Maryland), Canaima National Park is a province of thick forests, rocky tabletop mountains known as tepuis, and cliffs and waterfalls. It’s the only one of Venezuela’s parks designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Illegal gold mining in Serranía de la Neblina National Park/SOS Orinoco

Yet SOS Orinoco’s report indicates that illegal gold mining has increased significantly at Canaima in the last decade. Satellite imagery taken in the last two years shows that 15 mining sites are located inside park boundaries and 18 are found in the vicinity of the park; smaller sites that can’t be captured on satellite imagery are likely to exist, as well. Mining activities in Canaima have widespread ecological impacts, according to the report, including the introduction of sediment and toxins into waterways, the hunting of endemic wildlife, and the depletion and loss of vegetation and scenery, with its attendant impacts on tourism.

Angell Falls, Canaima National Park/Paulo Capiotti

Angel Falls, Canaima National Park/Paulo Capiotti via Wikipedia

The second report on Yapacana states that gold mining is so extensive that the park is suffering from a case of “extreme ecocide” and that it has “without a doubt…suffered the highest level of destruction” in Venezuela – with nearly 5,000 acres now devoted to mining activities. Endemic plant communities in the park are routinely dug up to make away for roads and structures.

SOS Orinoco’s goal is that its reporting will result in UNESCO adding Canaima to its “World Heritage in Danger” list, but so far, no such action has occurred. “We understand that the report was received by IUCN and UNESCO,” says an SOS Orinoco spokesperson who asked not to be identified out of concern of reprisal. “[They] in turn informed the government of Venezuela that they had received the report from an NGO, shared it with the competent authorities in Venezuela and asked that they formally reply to UNESCO by February 1, 2019. We heard through our sources at Inparques that they had not submitted a response. This is highly irregular…and telling.” (This author’s attempts to seek comment from UNESCO’s Latin American group have so far been unsuccessful.)

Aside from the danger to ecological resources, the human impact is grave, the spokesperson says, with indigenous people suffering from a lack of clean water and from outbreaks of malaria and other diseases. Armed groups threaten their lives and livelihoods and limit access to traditional homelands and sources of food and water. At the same time, some indigenous people have also turned to illegal mining in certain parks, to seek some currency with which to survive. In December, a member of the Pemon indigenous group was killed in Canaima during a clash with security forces who were allegedly attempting to remove a mine.

Despite the crisis, the silence from international conservation groups has been deafening, according to some observers. (The Nature Conservancy’s 2018 Latin America Annual Report, for example, makes no mention of Venezuela, aside from a reference that the region has the highest waterfall.) “We have found that, due to the polarization around the Chávez-Maduro regime, environmentalists have not wanted to touch this subject because they are afraid of losing access to Venezuela or because they have been misinformed by the rhetoric regarding the Maduro regime’s claim to be promoting ‘ecologic mining’ and protection of indigenous peoples in Venezuela, when the evidence points to exactly the opposite,” added the SOS Orinoco spokesperson. “Never in the history of Venezuela has a government done so much damage to the environment nor to the indigenous people. So it’s urgent that citizens and officials in the U.S. and beyond raise their voices and condemn the behavior of the Maduro regime.”

The only hope, park advocates say, is a new government willing to enforce the laws that protect the country’s extensive national park system—or to enact new laws. In January, the opposition party installed Juan Guaidó as the acting president of Venezuela, but so far Maduro isn’t budging, and the situation is far from settled. “The fate of the national parks,” says the anonymous source in Venezuela, “is very much linked to the fate of the country as a whole.”

Venezuela's National Parks

Henri Pittier National Park, established in 1937.

Named after a Swiss geographer, botanist and ethnologist who arrived in Venezuela in 1917, classified more than 30,000 plants in the country, and spent years studying flora and fauna. The park consists of two geographic systems: a steep mountainous interior where there are more than 500 bird species and 22 endemic species and a coastal area with bays, beaches and resorts. The park is an Important Bird Area and is an Alliance for Zero Extinction site.

Sierra Nevada National Park, established in 1952.

Located between Mérida and Barinas states in the western half of the country, it was established to protect the Sierra Nevada de Mérida in the Andes. The Sierra Nevada is an area of great ecological importance, as it protects the highest elevation ecosystem in the country and includes Pico Bolívar, the tallest mountain in Venezuela.

Guatopo National Park, established in 1958.

Located southeast of Caracas, this park holds deciduous and conifer forests that harbor at least 10 species of endemic bird species and more than 50 species of bat.

El Ávila National Park, established in 1958.

Located in the coastal region of central-northern Venezuela, this park protects a section of the Cordillera de la Costa mountain system. The park is rich in biodiversity, with more than 100 butterfly species, about 500 bird species, and 30 reptiles species.

Yurubí National Park, established in 1960.

This park was created to protect the Yurubí River Basin, which furnishes fresh water for the city of San Felipe. It is located in the mountains of the Sierra de Aroa. The park protects cloud forests and low montane forests. It is thought to contain a high degree of biodiversity and endemism.

Canaima National Park, established 1962.

This 12,000-square-mile park in southeastern Venezuela is located in Bolívar State and touches the borders with Brazil and Guyana. It is rich in wildlife, ranging from Giant anteater and jaguar to the Harpy eagle and Red-shouldered macaw. It contains endemic plant species that are carnivorous.

Yacambú National Park, established 1962.

This protected area lies in the south of the Lara state, on the southern slope of the Portuguesa Mountain Range. It was established to protect the Yacambú River Basin. Containing lush cloud forests, the park contains 14 percent of the country’s known orchid species, as well as the araguato monkey, the deer matacan and caramerudo, cachicamo, and the honey bear.

Cueva de Quebrada del Toro, established 1961.

This park protects a cave in the Sierra de Falcón in Falcón state that holds the largest known underground watercourse in Venezuela.

Los Roques Archipiélago, established 1972.

Los Roques archipelago counts about 350 islands, cays, and islets in the Caribbean Sea. The islands' pristine coral reef attracts many wealthy visitors, especially from Europe, some of whom come in their own yachts and anchor in the inner, protected shallow waters. Development and tourism are controlled.

Macarao National Park, established in 1973.

Located in northern Venezuela, this park protects water sources that contribute to the drinking water needs of the city of Caracas. It is characterized by a mountainous geography that forms part of the Cordillera de la Costa.

Mochima National Park, established in 1973.

The park is comprised of a marine area that includes the Gulf of Santa Fé and Mochima Bay, and a mountainous area that covers the Turimiquire Dam watershed. The park was established to protect the montane forests of the Turimiquire Range and the country's eastern Caribbean Sea marine landscapes. It is considered to be one of the most threatened parks in Venezuela due to construction projects, including a national highway that is clearing a more than 220-foot wide swath through the park.

Laguna de la Restinga, established in 1974.

The heart of this park is a large salt lagoon, rich in fish and birdlife. It is on the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance, and is classified as an Important Bird Area.

Médanos de Coro National Park, established in 1974.

This park protects part of the Paraguana xeric scrub ecoregion. It contains an alluvial plain, an aeolian plain, and a littoral plain with a belt of mangrove swamps. The massive sand dunes, known as Médanos, spread over an area of nearly 60 square miles.

Laguna de Tacarigua National Park, established in 1974.

The park protects a permanent coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a “restinga," or coastal barrier, 17 miles long and upwards of more than 3,000 feet wide in places. Approximately 10,000 acres of the park are covered by mangrove forests that grow on the banks of the lagoon and even form dense islands towards the center. The park comprises three main ecosystems: a shallow brackish lagoon, a dry forest area and a sandy beach barrier or reef.

Cerro El Copey National Park, established in 1974.

This park is located on the Caribbean island of Margarita. It was created to protect an ecosystem that includes several plant formations, high levels of endemism, and the only permanent water sources of the island. It has green forests and montane grasslands that feed on the humidity provided by the trade winds.

Aguaro-Guariquito National Park, established 1974.

This park protects 1.4 million acres of plains.

Morrocoy National Park, established 1974.

Located near the northern tip of Venezuela, this park fronts the Caribbean Sea. It contains sugar-sand beaches, mangroves, and is popular with divers and snorklers. There are more than 200 bird species here, and green sea and hawksbill turtles.

Cueva del Guácharo National Park, established 1975.

This park protects a large limestone cave that was visited in 1799 by Alexander von Humboldt, who realized that the thousands of oilbirds, a nocturnal species endemic to South America that roosts and breeds in caves, belonged to a species unknown to science.

Terepaima National Park, established in 1976.

Terepaima is located in the mountainous region of the Lara and Portuguesa states. It was established to protect cloud forests and the wildlife and plants that live there. There are several endangered species, such as the jaguar, other mammals such as cachicamos, lapas, rabipelados, monkeys, capuchin monkeys, mapurites, cunaguaros, deer, dantas, bears meleros, pumas and báquiros. The predominant birds are tortolites, guacharaca, tufted paují, white moriche, cristofué, paraulata llanera, querrequerre and paují copete of stone, among others.

Jaua-Sarisariñama National Park, established in 1978.

The landscape of the park is notable for three sandstone tepuis: Jaua, Sarisariñama and Guanacoco. The top of Sarisariñama is forested and has sinkholes.

Serranía de la Neblina National Park, established in 1978.

This park covers the area of the Cerro de la Neblina, whose highest peak on the Venezuelan side is Phelps Peak at 9,816 feet (2,992 meters) above sea level. The massif extends towards Brazilian territory, where the highest point is Pico da Neblina (9,888 feet, 3,014 meters). On the Brazilian side there is also a national park, Pico da Neblina National Park, to preserve this ecosystem.

Yapacana National Park, established in 1978.

Yapacana National Park is located in the southwestern sector of the Guayanese shield in the central western region of the Amazon state between the Orinoco rivers in the south and the Ventuari River in the north and the Yagua River in the west. The park includes the Yapacana hill, typical Pantepuy plateau of the Roraima formation.

Duida–Marahuaca National Park, established in 1978.

Located in Amazonas state, this park is home to a number of endemic frog species.

Península de Paria National Park, established in 1979.

The park is located between the Gulf of Paria and the Caribbean Sea in eastern Sucre state, within the districts of Arismendi, Mariño, and Valdez. It was established to protect the unique peninsula section of the Venezuelan Coastal Range, whose flora and fauna are characteristic of the Venezuelan Guiana. The main rivers with headwaters in the range within the park are the Macuro, Yacua, Río Oscuro, Río Grande, El Mapire, and Ceiba. All flow into the Gulf of Paria south of the park and peninsula.

Sierra de Perijá National Park, also known as Perijá National Park, established in 1978.

This park is located in the Serranía de Perijá mountains on the border with Colombia.

El Tamá National Park, established in 1978.

This park is located between the Andes and plains of Venezuela. It protects part of the Tamá Massif and covers 340,000 acres. Its creation was justified because it constitutes an exceptional natural sanctuary of flora, fauna, and scenic beauties and it includes the upper part of the Carapo, Río Chiquito, Quinimari, Quite, Burguita, Burgua, Nula, Nulita, Sarare, Cutufí and Oirá river basins, as well as the entire area of the Frío and Negro river basins, which represent a valuable system of water protection zones, whose preservation is of public utility for the collective well-being of the Táchira state and the region of the Andes.

San Esteban National Park, established in 1987.

The park lies on the northeastern part of Carabobo and it links with the Henri Pittier National Park. Both are natural reservation areas.

Juan Crisostomo Falcón National Park, also known as the Sierra de San Luis, established in 1987.

The topography of the park is mountainous, with the highest point being Cerro Galicia at 5,200 feet (1,600 meters). It features rich ecosystems ranging from cloud forest to savannah. Much of the park is covered with karst landscape with many caves and shafts, and the springs welling out from the flanks of the sierra provide water for Coro, Punto Fijo and Cumarebo, particularly the Paraguaná Peninsula and its oil refining industry. It is a tourist destination, with the main attractions including birdwatching.

Santos Luzardo National Park, established in 1988.

This park is located between the rivers Capanaparo and Cinaruco and the confluence of them with the Orinoco River near the border with Colombia. There is rich plant biodiversity in the park, including Saladillo, conger, oak, caramacate, drago, saman, coconut monkey and cañafístula, and other species. It has a cloak of grass (saeta) that occurs in the whole park and in the winter gives a beautiful landscape tone.

Guaramacal National Park, established in 1988.

This park protects a large number of endemic species. Its flora is still under study and the provisional inventory has about 1,227 species, highlighting an important richness of orchids and ferns, as well as various endemic species of frailejones.

Dinira National Park, established in 1988.

This park was created to protect the upper basin of the Tocuyo River, though there are actually five basins: Orinoco, Guanare, Motatán, and Lake Maracaibo, including the Tocuyo River.

General Juan Pablo Peñaloza National Park, established in 1989.

This park encompasses a set of mountain ranges with elevations ranging from 5,905 feet to 12,933 at the summit of El Pulpito, the highest in the Táchira state. The park is very rugged, with steep slopes holding glaciers. Among its largest lagoons are the lagoon of Bobo river or Babu, the Grande, Verde, Negra, Piedra, etc. Among many others without officially cataloging.

El Indio National Chorro Park[, established in 1989.

This park holds a number of waterfalls, including Chorro El Indio and Chorro El Franklin at the headwaters of the river Zúñiga.

Sierra La Culata National Park, established in 1989.

This park has a high mountain climate, with temperatures ranging between 28F and 75F. Vegetation is characterized by the presence of numerous species of frailejones, shrubs such as ericaceae and melastomataceae; ferns and numerous mosses, liver lichens and fungi. The park also is home to jaguar, the Spectacled bear, the Armadillo, the Loach, the Andean condor, and amphibians such as the nurse frog.

Cerro Saroche National Park, established in 1989.

The park is located within a large semi-arid region in the Carora Depression in northwest Venezuela, with a terrain characterized by rolling hills, plains, and mountains that range in altitude between 980 feet and 4,265 feet.

Turuépano National Park, established in 1992.

The park protects part of the Orinoco Delta swamp forests ecoregion. The park is composed of deltaic plains with marine influence, unique in the country, characterized by mangrove swamps, canals and channels, being the main inhabitant of these places the manatee. It has an estimated area of 179,398 acres. Rich in birdlife.

Mariusa National Park, established in 1991.

The park protects part of the Orinoco Delta swamp forests ecoregion. It is located in the middle of the Orinoco River Delta, where the largest river in Venezuela meets the Atlantic Ocean. It takes the name of the island Mariusa. The most prominent features of this area are the jungle, with a unique fauna, and tides that extend through the delta channels. For many centuries the river formed one of the largest deltas in the world.

Ciénagas del Catatumbo National Park, established in 1991.

The area comprises a wide swamp between the plains of western Zulia and the lake of Maracaibo, which also covers a small stretch of coast in the southwestern area. It is predominantly a large boggy territory, with no prominent peaks or large unevenness or isometric variations, at the mouth of the Catatumbo River.

Parima Tapirapecó National Park, established in 1991.

Covering 15,000 square miles, this is the fifth-largest national park in the world and the second largest in South America. The area protects the headwaters of the Orinoco River.

Río Viejo San Camilo National Park, established in 1993.

The park’s vegetation is constituted basically by savannahs that include trees such as the samán, the ceiba, the apamate and the palm macanilla. Due to the existence of numerous rivers there is a varied fauna that includes from turtles, to herons and parrots.

Tirgua National Park, established in 1992.

This park protects the headwaters of several waterways, especially the river Tirgua, which gives its name to the park. It consists of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, with many palm trees in the understory. Mammals include araguato capuchin monkeys, cunaguaros, lapas, and tapirs.

El Guache National Park, established in 1992.

This park is found at the beginning of the Andes mountain range, comprising mountainous parts of the Lara and Portuguesa states, and is the headwaters of the Guache, Ospino, Toco, Morador and Are rivers.

Tapo-Caparo National Park, established in 1992.

The park boasts a diversity of forests, ferns and mosses, lichens, and fungi. Wildlife includes jaguars, toucans, boas. The landscape is cut by numerous gorges and rivers. The park was created with the purpose of protecting the nature near a dam called Uribante-Caparo hydroelectric complex.

Sources: IUCN, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Wikipedia

Comments

Submitted by Marc Norton on April 2, 2019 - 1:11pm.

The best way to preserve Venezuela's national parks would be for the US to end its economic and political war on Venezuela, and allow the people of Venezuela to live in peace. Juan Guaido, the flunky that the US is trying to impose on Venezuela, is pledged to a program of economic austerity and privatization of public resources, the opposite of what Venezuela's national parks need.

Submitted by ecbuck on April 2, 2019 - 2:25pm.

Yes, the parks and people are doing so well under the current regime The US has nothing to do with this prime example of the failures of socialism.

Submitted by Gilda Tuttlebee on April 2, 2019 - 7:27pm.

I am an informed Venezuelan-American and your comment is nothing but repulsive, false, antidemocratic and a slap to the thousands upon thousands of Venezuelan parents who mourn the loss of their children due to the vicissitudes they have had, and continue to this day, to endure under this murderous, corrupt, illegitimate narco-regimen! Every single word in this article speaks the absolute truth about the condition of our national parks and our country. The ILLEGITIMATE Maduro regime is allowing not only the ecocide honestly referenced herein but also the economic, humanitarian and sanitary destruction of Venezuela. Ninety per cent (90%) of the current Venezuelan population wants Maduro out so that the CONSTITUTIONALLY LEGITIMATE President, Engineer Juan Guaido, can form a transition government and call for transparent free elections. But Venezuela does need an international intervention to help excise the cancer that's consuming it. This is not about sovereignty. We need the world's help to get rid of the axis of evil that resides now in our Western Hemisphere.

Submitted by Chris Sharpe on April 3, 2019 - 8:04am.

Marc Norton, Regrettably your comment shows complete ignorance of the history of the Venezuelan Parks System, which one one of the best in the world until Hugo Chavez took power, after which it has been deliberately and sytematically undermined. Before Chavez we had 43 national parks, most created in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. How many new parks were created in the following 20 years? Just one fictitious and unmanageable paper park. A superb netowrk of protected areas is now in dire trouble thanks to Chavez and Maduro.

Submitted by surumoni yekuana on April 3, 2019 - 9:29am.

absolutly wrong ...

Submitted by surumoni yekuana on April 3, 2019 - 9:30am.

I am a native Venezuelan, and I can tell that all what is said in the report is correct

Submitted by surumoni yekuana on April 3, 2019 - 9:32am.

I am refering to the comment of Tuttlebee and Norton

Submitted by Victor Gimenez on April 3, 2019 - 1:08pm.

The thing is that the Venezuelan government is destroying, and allowing to be destroyed by third parties, our beautiful jungle, through unlawful mining. It is a very evil behavior from very evil people. They brake, diminish, hurt, kill. You'd have to be here and witness with your own eyes the kind of moral, spiritual and material damage they have perpetrated against a country that used to be sweet and wonderful to live in. The whole world should get together and help us, otherwise, the whole world will soon suffer what these people is willing to do in order to be in power. I'm not exaggerating, maybe I'm being short. At least, pray for us. God bless us all.

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