SOS Orinoco announced that in 20 years Venezuela lost one million hectares between forests and savannahs
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Loading... - Blake Thompson
- 31 Mar 2023
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The founder of the organization SOS Orinoco, Cristina Burelli, assured that from 2000 to 2020 Venezuela lost 1 million hectares between forests and savannahs.
“From the year 2000 to 2020 we see that 790,500 hectares of forest have been lost, in addition to 290,000 hectares of natural savannahs, which are as important as the forests. This gives us approximately a total of 1 million hectares lost in forests and savannahs in 20 years, including the Essequibo territory, where there are 100,000 hectares of forest lost due to illegal mining," Burelli told the Háblame Bajito program, broadcast by Radio Fe and Joy News.
This million hectares are equivalent to 10 thousand km2, almost equal to the surface of the Sucre state which, according to the census carried out by the National Institute of Statistics in 2011, has a territorial extension of 11 thousand 800 km2. Burelli believes that this is a "tragedy" for the country.
He explained that when trees are felled, the natural process is affected and it no longer rains as before. "With less rain, the rivers lower their level," said Burelli.
Mercury is illegal in Venezuela
According to the founder of SOS Orinoco, illegal mining not only affects forests, but also pollutes rivers with mercury.
“Mercury is a poison, as we all know. It remains in the environment, in the vegetation, in the water, in the fish, so the people who live in the surroundings, such as the miners or indigenous people, eat these fish, drink that water and bathe in those rivers, ingesting the mercury. and stays in the body. For example, a pregnant woman contaminates her baby because she ate something that had mercury in it. It is a poisoning for the environment and for human beings”, she expressed. Read More…
