Both the state director of Inparques (the national parks institute of Venezuela) in Monagas State, Marisela Rascaball, and the mayor of Caripe, Hermes Torrivilla, agree that indiscriminant land concessions for rural farmers is the reason 35,000 ha of forest has burned.
According to Inparques Monagas state director, Marisela Rascaball, as of April 2003, 35,000 hectares of Guacharo Cave National Park has burned. This represents more than half of the entire area of the park, which totals 62,700 hectares. She explained that 25% of a reforestation project on Cerro Negro within the park (that began in 1995) was lost to the fires.
Small shifting plantations are an important contributing factor to these large fires that affect the forest, not only in Monagas but also in the states of Anzoátegui and part of Sucre where the Macizo del Turimiquire is found. According to the mayor of Caripe, Hermes Torrivilla, the activity of about 30 agriculturalists has gotten worse due to the indiscriminant land concessions granted by the National Land Institute near the adjacent zones of the park.
According to the information provided by Inparques director, most damage from the fires has been in this park where Guacharo Cave is located. Guacharo Cave is the first natural monument of Venezuela and is located in the extreme eastern side of the Turimiquire mountain range in the states of Monagas and Ribero de Sucre (spaning the municipalities of Caripe, Acosta, Piar and Bolívar). The area is made up of two sectors, one 15,500 hectares and the other 47,200 hectares.
Within the park, Cerro Negro and El Espejo have been most affected by the forest fires this year. Cerro Negro (which is the highest point of the park, 2,840 meters above sea level) has been burned the most. In 1987, after a long drought, 1,757 hectares were destroyed. Because of those fires, a reforestation project, called Project Cerro Negro, began. Inparques and Lagoven (PDVSA, the Venezuelan Petroleum Company) developed the reforestation project following forestry restoration methodologies. For five years, they practiced manual seeding and dispersal of pre-germinated seeds via air. One forth of this project was lost to the fires this year.
El Espejo was the other sector within the park burned. Fires are still burning outside of Guácharo National Park in places like El Perú, which has been burning for one week.
Marisela Rascaball feels that the forest fires and the farming settlements that continue without control on lands adjacent to the park represent a serious situation. During this time of year, they have contracted eight temporary workers to collaborate with the seven park guards. But, even 15 people cannot adequately cover the park\’s immense area. The director does not know the exact reasons for the proliferation of the shifting agricultural plots, but she admits that there \”are no mourners\” and the flora of one of the greatest natural riches of easten Venezuela is being severely impacted.
A license to destroy
Mayor Hermes Torrivilla claims that the increase of shifting agriculturalists on lands adjacent to the park is because of the most recent land concessions granted by the National Land Institute to other farmers who have settled in San Agustí and Los Naranjos. According to Torrivilla, with their concenssion documents, they basically have a license to slash and burn indiscriminantely.
The mayor claims that there are 40 cases brought up by the National Guard to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources but still, these people, who are not following Inparques recommendations and who are acting indiscriminantely have not been sanctioned.
Up until last year, the mayor estimated (along with Inparques) that there were between 15 and 20 shifting agriculturalists,but now there are 30. These 30 shifting agriculturalists have caused the fires in the park and in nearby hills.
The mayor also refered to the deplorable state of the park. All of the resources that they collect from the park (ie entrance fees) go to Caracas. The local government has to maintain the area and the access roads, even though they do not receive one penny of the funds that are generated at the park. For example, during Saint\’s Week (Semana Santa, the week before Easter), approximately 5,000 people visited the park and all of the infrastructure to accommodate these people has been on the local government\’s bill.
(Top photo: A photo of one of the recreation buildings in the park. During 2000, ParksWatch-Venezuela conducted an evaluation of this area and determined that fires caused by nearby farming practices was one of the most significant problems for the park. Photo credits: Natalia Ceballos)
Source: Ernestina Herrera, Diario El Nacional. Wednesday April 16, 2003