Chavismo’s plan in the Mining Arc: reforestation with the most aggressive invasive exotic species in the world

Chavismo’s plan in the Mining Arc: reforestation with the most aggressive invasive exotic species in the world

The Orinoco Mining Arc devastation (Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg/Archive)

 

On October 12th, 2024, the regime of Nicolás Maduro announced that with the participation of three of its ministries (Ministry of Ecological Mining Development, Ministry of Ecosocialism, Ministry of Industries and National Production), they will proceed to develop a reforestation plan for the Orinoco Mining Arc “in an effort to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by mining activity.”

Correspondent lapatilla.com





For this purpose, they will plant 5.5 million units of Acacia mangium plants, on more than 8,000 hectares impacted by mining, with which they hope to “restore part of the degraded areas,” reported VTV.

Regarding this announcement, lapatilla.com consulted the forestry engineer of ULA, José Rafael Lozada Dávila, and the first thing he highlighted is that the species chosen for this reforestation plan (Acacia mangium) is not classified as exotic, but is reported as one of the most aggressive invasive plants in the world.

Regarding this species he said: “I have seen it invading pastures in the western plains, palm forests in the east of the country and it even gets into the stands of Caribbean Pine.”

“The lack of knowledge of the local ecology that is required to properly execute any reforestation projects is very regrettable.”

For engineer Lozada Dávila, “rather than looking in books and on the Internet, the threat posed by Acacia mangium is seen in the field. There are many places in Venezuela where this situation can be verified.”

Considerations of the expert

Regarding the use of Acacia mangium to recover degraded areas in Guayana, forestry engineer Lozada Dávila stated that “in Imataca there must be a minimum of 1,000 native tree species, and if drier sectors to the west are added, the list must increase considerably. Therefore, there are several hundred tree species that could be tried instead of using an invasive exotic like Acacia mangium, which represents a real threat to neighboring ecosystems.”

In this regard, “there are already several scientific publications that mention native pioneer species that grow in areas degraded by mining.”

Another important reference is that “Edelca successfully developed nurseries aimed at learning about the reproductive biology of native species that were apt for the recovery of borrow areas from different dams.”

“Professor Gisela Cuenca (researcher at IVIC) demonstrated decades ago that several native species, with the application of mycorrhizae, can successfully recover borrow areas in the very oligotrophic soils of the Gran Sabana,” he said.

“Recently, a project financed by FAO on sustainable management in Imataca ended. One of the components of that project was the recovery of areas degraded by mining. For about three years they developed nurseries to produce native species aimed at achieving that objective.”

The project ended and the respective reports were delivered, but “Why would the Venezuelan Mining Corporation or the Ministry of Ecological Mining not consult these research projects executed by the Government itself?” he asked.

In conclusion, according to engineer Lozada, “there seems to be a kind of institutional and professional laziness, because the easiest alternative is being applied and with promising results in the short term, but the medium and long-term consequences are not being considered, because the high invasive potential of Acacia mangium is ignored (despite the fact that this has been proven) and the regrettable impacts that this species will have on the surrounding ecosystems.”

The Chavista plan

Reforestation and ecological restoration: with this rhetorical pledge, Maduro’s regime vies to position itself as an “example” at a continental level.

According to a review on the State Channel (VTV) website, “the Minister of Ecological Mining Development, Héctor Silva, stressed that this plan is part of a firm commitment of the Bolivarian Government for the recovery of areas affected by mining.”

The explanation given by the senior official of Maduro´s regime is that their objective is “for mining development to go hand in hand with the conservation of ecosystems” and he confirmed that they are working to achieve an ecological mining model, “where production and sustainability coexist in harmony.”

Deforestation in the Orinico’s Mining Arc

Mining activity in the Venezuela’s Orinoco Mining Arc is causing accelerated deforestation and environmental devastation. The extraction of minerals, mainly gold, involves the indiscriminate felling of forests, the removal of the topsoil and the contamination of rivers and soils. This situation threatens the biodiversity of the region, puts indigenous communities at risk, and aggravates climate change.

Illegal mining has also generated social conflicts and violence in the area. It is urgent to implement measures to stop this destruction and promote sustainable mining practices.

Deforestation in the Mining Arc represents a serious threat to the biodiversity of the region. The indiscriminate felling of forests, the contamination of rivers and soils, and the fragmentation of habitats are endangering numerous species of flora and fauna, according to the databases of organizations specialized in biodiversity and conservation, such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Biodiversity Information System of Venezuela (SIBIV).

More advanced studies on the subject have been published by NGO SOS Orinoco , WWF and Conservation International, which carry out exhaustive research on the environmental situation in the Mining Arc.

Despite this data, information on biodiversity in the Orinoco Mining Arc is still limited. Meanwhile, the destruction of nature in that area continues to advance by leaps and bounds under the complicity of a regime that has become a predator of lives.