The environmental problems of Venezuela They are multiple, given the deep crisis that this South American country is going through. It is one of the 13 countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world, with an incidence in its territory of Andean, Amazonian, Guyanese and Caribbean ecosystems.
In addition, it has the largest coastline in the Caribbean and is one of the countries with the largest freshwater reserves in the world. All this suggests that their environmental problems not only have national repercussions, but also have an international impact..
In recent years this country has been facing a crisis in all areas, including environmental management. The deterioration of the regular environmental controls and the lack of maintenance in the oil area have caused oil spills affecting natural areas.
Likewise, the uncontrolled exploitation of mining resources in the Guayana region with the Arco Minero, has caused a great environmental impact. Likewise, its main bodies of water such as Lake Maracaibo (the largest in South America) and Lake Valencia have high levels of pollution..
Similarly, most of the rivers, especially those located to the north of the territory, are highly polluted. On the other hand, despite having large areas formally protected as national parks, forest fires reduce vegetation cover every year.
The Guayana region, located south of the Orinoco River, is an area of high biodiversity and with large reserves of fresh water. Here are the formations of tepuis or tabular sandstone mountains considered biological islands and is part of the Orinoco basin.
It is in this region where the development of the Arco Minero del Orinoco National Strategic Development Zone began in 2017, with an area of 111,843.70 kmtwo. It also includes part of the state of Amazonas and Delta Amacuro and representing 12.2% of the national territory..
Various institutions in the country, including the National Assembly and the Academy of Sciences, have denounced that this project lacks environmental impact studies. The intention is to massively exploit the extraction of minerals such as gold, coltan, bauxite and diamonds.
This situation has caused serious problems of soil and water contamination due to the use of mercury. In addition to causing the eradication of extensive layers of vegetation in the tropical forest.
Lake Valencia is the second largest lake in Venezuela, covering its endorheic (closed) basin about 3,150 kmtwo. The latter aggravates the impact of the introduction of pollutants, considering that it is located in the middle of a densely populated region..
This lake has received for decades the sewage from large cities such as Valencia and Maracay and other smaller towns in the north-central part of the country. It receives approximately 365 million cubic meters / year of wastewater of domestic and industrial origin.
On the other hand, it is the recipient of runoff from extensive agricultural fields where the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals is common. Therefore, it suffers high levels of eutrophication and chemical contamination, in addition to facing a significant increase in the level of its waters..
The latter due to the transfer of water from other basins to satisfy the demand of cities, which ends up in the lake as sewage. Which has resulted in annual floods with rotten waters in the surrounding towns.
The largest lake in South America, with 13,820 kmtwo, He has been linked to the national oil industry since its inception. Its bottom is crossed by thousands of kilometers of oil pipelines and numerous oil wells are observed on its surface..
The constant oil spills and their derivatives have generated critical levels of contamination, with a substantial decrease in aquatic life. On the other hand, it is affected by untreated sewage from riverside populations, including the city of Maracaibo on its west coast..
In addition to runoff water from agricultural and livestock fields, which has generated serious eutrophication problems. In 2011 there was a massive proliferation of lemna or duckweed (Lemna obscura) that covered 14.44% of the lake.
The situation was controlled by the massive extraction of tons of this plant. However, the underlying problem remains, because the levels of nitrogenous compounds in the lake are very high..
One of the most serious environmental problems in Venezuela are the forest fires that annually destroy large areas in national parks. In 2020 alone, more than 2,000 forest fires were registered in this country.
They have occurred mainly in the Cordillera de la Costa, most of the southern slope has lost much of the original tropical forest. The emblematic Henri Pittier National Park (the first national park founded in Venezuela), almost no longer has primary rainforest on the south side.
The main problem is the lack of adequate early warning and environmental surveillance systems. As well as the lack of equipment to control these fires by forest firefighters and volunteers.
Venezuela lacks solid waste recycling systems, except for a few local experiences. In fact, it currently lacks an adequate system for collecting such waste, which generates accumulations of garbage in cities..
This is very serious considering that the country produces an average of 30,000 tons of solid urban waste per day. In addition, many of these wastes end up in water courses (streams) and end up in lakes and the Caribbean Sea..
On the other hand, the accumulation of waste in open dumps generates serious problems of leaching (washing) of derived substances.
It is also common to burn garbage with abundant plastic waste, generating polluting emissions. In fact, due to the lack of collection, accumulations of garbage are burned on urban roads.
Another relevant environmental problem is the insufficiency of sewage treatment plants and the deficient operation of the existing ones. This has especially affected rivers near large cities and lakes.
Likewise, on the extensive Caribbean coast there are tourist centers whose sewage treatment and waste management conditions are not adequate. So the black waters end up on the coast, affecting mangrove areas and coral reefs..
Such is the case of the eastern coast of Falcón state, in towns such as Chichiriviche and Tucacas. As well as on the central coasts in La Guaira state (former Vargas state).
On the coast of the state of Carabobo, in Puerto Cabello, the operation of the Planta Centro thermoelectric plant represents a particular problem. In this case, it is the use of seawater to cool the turbines, without complying with the appropriate environmental protocols..
As an oil country, accidents causing oil spills and derivatives, as well as the management of extraction sludge, has always been a problem. However, in recent years, due to the crisis in which PDVSA (state oil industry) is plunged, these problems have increased.
In 2012 there was a serious spill of 80,000 barrels of oil that affected the Guarapiche River in the eastern part of the country. While in 2020 there were coastal spills from the El Palito refinery, spilling about 22,000 barrels of oil to the Caribbean.
The 80 km oil slick extended to the coastal areas of Falcón and Carabobo. It affected mangroves, coral reefs and the open coast of the Morrocoy National Park..
In addition, in the oil exploitation of the Orinoco Oil Belt, there are problems of seepage in drilling mud containment pits. These muds present high levels of heavy metals that end up contaminating savanna ecosystems, including morichales.
The lack of adequate supervision for compliance with environmental regulations regarding the emission of industrial gases represents another problem. This especially in the petrochemical and refining industry with high risks of atmospheric pollution..
An example is the El Palito refinery on the central coast, where the condensation of pollutants emitted by its smokestacks is common. On the other hand, in August 2020 a leak of alkylate, a constituent of gasoline, was detected.
For 2016, it was estimated that Venezuela generated a quantity of greenhouse gases close to that of France, taking into account that the latter country has more than double the Venezuelan population..
Historically, deforestation has been an environmental problem in Venezuela, only between 1980 and 2010 2,801,136 hectares of forests were lost. In fact, the country's forest reserves located north of the Orinoco River had practically disappeared by the end of the last century..
Currently only a small extension of the original semi-deciduous forest remains in the Caparo forest reserve in Barinas state..
While to the south of the Orinoco, deforestation at the hands of mining is advancing, affecting the headwaters of large rivers such as the Caroní, estimating the area lost in the Guayana and Amazon region at 5,265,000 hectares..
The extraction and trade of animal species, even from formally protected areas, is common in Venezuela. This problem is especially serious in the south of the country, in the states of Amazonas and Bolívar..
It mainly affects species of parrots (parrots, macaws) and other birds, as well as primates. It is estimated that Venezuela annually loses about 900,000 animals due to this cause.
As with fauna, the extraction of plant species is a relevant environmental problem. In the Andes, an awareness campaign was developed given the high levels of moss extraction for the manufacture of nativity scenes and other ornaments.
Similarly, angiosperm plant species such as cacti, orchids and bromeliads are common objects of extraction..
On the Venezuelan coasts there are various areas of mangrove swamps, associated seagrasses and coral reefs. These have been affected by construction activity associated with tourism, as well as tourism itself..
In many cases the mangroves have been eradicated to build tourist centers, as well as areas of coastal dunes. On the other hand, the pollution generated by tourist activity has also had a negative impact.
Most of the rivers in the north of the country belonging to the Caribbean basin and the Great Lakes are highly polluted. The Guaire river that crosses the capital Caracas is an open-air sewer, the same happens with the Cabriales river in Valencia and the Güey in Maracay.
On the other hand, the great rivers of the south are threatened by mercury pollution and other wastes from mining.
The weakening of import sanitary controls has allowed the introduction of exotic animal and plant species. In this sense, new weeds have proliferated in crops, possibly introduced in unsupervised seed lots.
Similarly, various agricultural pests and diseases, the most recent in 2017, the yellow dragon, which caused a significant reduction in citrus production. This disease is caused by bacteria (Candidatus Liberibacter americanus) transmitted by an insect, the psyllid called Diaphorina citri.
While emblematic cases in fauna are the bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) and the African snail (Achatina fulica). The 20 cm long bullfrog has become a threat to local frog species in the Andean lagoons.
For its part, the African snail arrived in Venezuela in 1997 and is already an agricultural pest in many regions of the country..
Finally, an environmental problem common to other parts of the world is the excessive use of agrochemicals. In some areas such as the Andes, where a large part of the country's vegetables is produced, this is a serious problem.
Likewise, in the rice-growing areas of Calabozo, Guárico state, in the center of the territory, such as the use of herbicides questioned worldwide such as glyphosate.
Endangered animal species in Venezuela.
Environmental problems in Mexico.
Environmental problems in Argentina.
Environmental problems in Colombia.
Environmental problems of Peru.
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