| In February 1997, members of the Pemon (indigenous
peoples whose homelands coincide with Canaima National Park)
noticed plastic markers being laid out at various points within
their territory. They realised something was afoot and began
to make enquiries.
It turned out that the electricity company, CVG-EDELCA, had
been granted national funding to build a 220kV powerline through
the national park. The Pemon immediately wrote to both the parks
institute (INPARQUES) and CVG-EDELCA asking for more information.
Neither institution responded, but a leaked document was obtained.
The document disclosed plans to construct a powerline and several
sub-stations in order to provide energy for new gold and diamond
mining operations in the region and also to supply energy to
Brazil.
The Pemon were angry at this, particularly because the government
had been trying to persuade them to cooperate with the conservation
objectives of the area and had denied them land tenure claims
on the grounds that the park would protect their interests.
Now they became worried that others, particularly mining companies,
would move onto their land and cause the kind of acute environmental
and social problems typical of gold mining operations on Pemon
lands bordering the park. Nevertheless, the government responded
with the argument that mining would never be allowed within
the park as it was not permitted under any of the territorial
planning or protected areas legislation: almost all of that
part of Bolivar State is under one protected area or another.
However, in May 1998, a bill was introduced into Congress
which - if passed - *would* permit mining within protected areas,
a tremendous step backwards for a country which was once at
the forefront of environmental policy making in Latin America.
Now Canaima National Park faces the combined threat of potential
legalisation of mining and a powerline under contruction to
supply the energy to permit these operations. At the same time,
the Government of Venezuela
is renegotiating the boundaries of the Canaima NP World Heritage
Site with UNESCO. Although the park achieved WH status in 1995,
the boundaries (originally proposed to include the full 30,000
sq. km.) were never ratified by the government.
Is there adequate environmental enforcement to regulate mining
activities? In 1996, the Environmental Impact Assessment Law
was changed so that public access to documentation is no longer
mandatory. The leaked EIA document for the powerline was very
weak indeed and did not constitute an objective assessment of
environmental impacts. However, since there was no open consultation,
permits were granted. As for regulating mining activities, Canaima
NP has some fifteen park personnel with no radios and limited
transport and the operational budget is sorely defficient.
Construction of the powerline has proceeded apace. This week
the powerline has reached some of the most important communties
north of the park. Local people from four ethnic groups (Kari'ña,
Arawako, Akawaio and Pemon) have blockaded the road to draw
attention to their plight and the future of this region. According
to the Venezuelan Audubon Society, the government has threatened
local people with direct military action and four year jail
sentences if they continue to resist construction.
In this context, much of the good work which has been carried
out over the last few years to resolve conflicts between the
government and local people has been undermined. The threat
to Canaima National Park twofold. One one hand there is the
direct impact of mining: siltation, mercury and gasoline contamination,
erosion, diversion of watercourses and localised deforestation.
These impacts are clearly seen in the areas which border the
park. On the other hand, potentially more serious is the fact
that the government has now effectively lost its chance to work
together with the only main group capable of conserving the
area: 10,000 local people. Environmental managers predict that
Canaima will now regress to the conflict situation of the early
1990s when park personal were shot at with arrows, vehicles
damaged, government installations burnt and park guards expelled
from their communities. Overturning this situation is even more
challenging than clearing up the damage caused by mining.
When protected area managers and environmentalists the world
over are recognising the need for participatory management of
wildlands and protected areas, Canaima National Park provides
an interesting case study of what happens when non-participatory
management is employed.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The authors host the Birding
Venezuela website. |
