Venezuela has an area of 912,050 square kilometers, it is a country in continuous political conflict due to the large amount of natural resources it harbors since everyone wants to exploit them. Among these are various energy resources, such as coal or hydrocarbons, and mining resources such as gold or coltan. It also has large forests with a wide variety of plant and animal species. If you want to know the great environmental impact suffered by Venezuela and what are its main environmental problems due, above all, to the exploitation of its renewable and non-renewable resources, then continue reading this interesting article by Ecologist Verde where the main environmental problems in Venezuela.
What are the main environmental problems in Venezuela
The problems that harm the environment in a country like Venezuela are very diverse and are mainly caused by overpopulation in urban areas, non-compliance with environmental laws, the exploitation of resources and the increase in industries. Between the environmental problems of Venezuela stand out:
- Water contamination.
- Air pollution.
- Accumulation of solid waste.
- Soil degradation.
- Deforestation and forest fires.
- Illegal minery.
- Trafficking of wild species.
Water pollution in Venezuela
Rivers, beaches, lakes, lagoons and other water bodies are polluted by the water that comes from industry and domestic use since this water is not treated. Besides of untreated water, another even more dangerous pollutant that damages the water from Venezuela they are the discharges of industrial waste from the oil and petrochemical industry. According to official studies, the rivers Guaire, the Tuy (in the image below), the Tocuyo and Aroa and the lakes of Maracaibo and Valencia are those with the greatest contamination. With respect to water pollution in Venezuela We cannot leave behind all the waste generated by tourists and residents, plastics, glass and solid waste also pollute water bodies.
Find out more about this environmental problem that not only happens in Venezuela, reading this other article by Ecologist Verde on the causes and consequences of water pollution.
Air pollution in Venezuela
The oil and petrochemical industries once again take an important role, now in the Venezuela air pollution for all toxic gas emissions that generate. The big problem is that there are no measures to control these emissions.
Although the industries are very polluting, so are the millions of vehicles that are circulating on the roads of Venezuela every day. It is large cities such as Caracas, Maracaibo or regions such as Ciudad Guayana or the eastern coastal region that are most affected due to the high urban and industrial concentration.
Learn more about this environmental problem with these other articles on Types of air pollution and Why the air is polluted.
Image: Flickr
Accumulation of garbage or solid waste
Despite the fact that Venezuela is not a very populated country and not much solid waste is generated, it is true that it does have a big problem regarding the Garbage accumulation. Venezuela does not have treatment plants that eliminate or recycle the waste that is generated, it has only some garbage dumps and the vast majority do not receive technical guidelines to manage them. When the landfills are already complete, the waste is illegally deposited in green areas, thus contributing to a landscape impact and of water, soil and air pollution of the environment, in addition to being dangerous because they can be the origin of a fire if there are high temperatures.
Deforestation and forest fires in Venezuela
Cutting and burning of vegetation It is causing approximately 32% of the natural areas of Venezuela to be devastated. This intervention in nature is done to exploit wood, to build roads, as well as for agriculture and livestock. The vast majority of fires are caused, although others are produced by having abandoned forests, full of garbage and with dry foliage.
Venezuela has a large part of the territory protected for its ecological value, although this is also being affected by deforestation and burning. One of the most affected places is the Ticoporo forest reserve, in which 72,000 hectares of the 270,000 protected hectares are being used for human use.
Learn more about the Causes of deforestation in this other article.
Image: EcopoliticaVenezuela
Soil contamination in Venezuela
We have mentioned that the territory is being used for agricultural purposes, the use of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, in short, chemical products are causing the soils to be contaminated and degraded. Actually, what is happening is that the use of these products is being indiscriminate due to the intensive agriculture that occurs in the country. As a consequence of the soil contamination in Venezuela, the food that is produced in it will also be contaminated, as well as the groundwater by the leachate of these pollutants.
Image: VenezuelaAlDía
Illegal mining in Venezuela
The Amazon is being greatly affected by the mining, since in order to carry out the exploitation, the miners clear all the vegetation in addition to changing the course of the bodies of water. The mining that is practiced is legal and illegal and in addition to the problems it has for the environment, it is a source of violence since these spaces are controlled by mafias.
In this other post you can learn more about how mineral extraction affects the environment.
Wildlife trafficking - endangered plants and animals
A excessive hunting of indigenous exotic species of the ecosystems found in Venezuela. The purpose of this hunt is for commercial reasons, usually illegal. If we add the rest of the impacts that wild ecosystems receive to hunting, we see that the species that inhabit it are in constant danger.
Here we will tell you more about this problem, which is not only one of the environmental problems in Venezuela, as well as economic ones, but also occurs in much of the world: Causes and consequences of poaching animals, How to avoid poaching animals and How to avoid illegal animal trafficking.
If you want to read more articles similar to Main environmental problems in Venezuela, we recommend that you enter our Pollution category.
Bibliography- Mata, M., Tur, F. I., Guerra, M., Solis, E. T., & Quiroz, C. A. Venezuela. Environmental education in primary education.
