VENEZUELA

By Rhett Butler   |   Venezuela, one of the ten most biodiverse countries on Earth, is home to extensive rainforests ranging from cloud forests of the coastal mountain ranges to the rainforests of the Guiana shield and Amazon basin. Venezuela has more than 21,000 species of plants, 353 mammal species, 323 reptile species, 1,400 bird species, and 288 amphibians.

Forest cover and loss in Venezuela

Using a ten percent tree cover as a threshold, forests and plantations covered nearly two-thirds of Venezuela's land mass, or about 59 million hectares, in 2012, according to researchers led by Matt Hansen (2013). Dense forests — areas with more than 50 percent tree cover — amounted to just under 54 million hectares.

The largest extent of forests in Venezuela are found in Bolivar, which accounts for about a third of the country's forests. Amazonas is second with about 30 percent of Venezuela's forest cover.

Hansen's research shows that Venezuela lost 1.25 million hectares of forest cover, or 2.1 percent, between 2001-2012.

	Total forest area		Dense forest area		Forest gain		Forest loss		Total land area
	>10% tree cover (ha)	% total land cover	>50% tree cover (ha)	% total land cover	2001-2012 (ha)	% total forest cover	2001-2012 (ha)	% total forest cover	(ha)
Amazonas	17646498	97.0%	17461864	95.9%	17304455	98.1%	64404	0.4%	18201001
Anzoátegui	1706637	36.8%	1276284	27.5%	753221	44.1%	108065	6.3%	4643486
Apure	1688281	23.5%	1141777	15.9%	785052	46.5%	60496	3.6%	7174841
Aragua	396807	57.9%	285217	41.6%	186184	46.9%	11131	2.8%	685865
Barinas	1447323	40.2%	1043536	29.0%	700955	48.4%	95093	6.6%	3602000
Bolivar	19421754	82.5%	18760215	79.6%	18337115	94.4%	231071	1.2%	23553487
Carabobo	234789	53.2%	181116	41.0%	143206	61.0%	4126	1.8%	441361
Cojedes	691685	47.9%	504180	34.9%	318302	46.0%	17548	2.5%	1443283
Delta Amacuro	3428695	88.3%	3369546	86.8%	3321300	96.9%	10875	0.3%	3882978
Distrito Capital	17205	52.5%	12581	38.4%	8372	48.7%	185	1.1%	32753
Falcón	1113569	41.3%	817579	30.3%	575889	51.7%	71442	6.4%	2699558
Guсrico	1784065	26.9%	1072691	16.2%	434595	24.4%	87272	4.9%	6640976
Lara	818664	43.1%	556360	29.3%	392438	47.9%	33998	4.2%	1901641
Mérida	853442	66.5%	732921	57.1%	579678	67.9%	20079	2.4%	1282709
Miranda	721921	84.9%	656758	77.2%	585056	81.0%	18684	2.6%	850334
Monagas	1387098	48.4%	1217622	42.5%	1066743	76.9%	141414	10.2%	2866532
Nueva Esparta	17700	17.6%	10782	10.7%	7283	41.1%	121	0.7%	100483
Portuguesa	861922	44.6%	687801	35.6%	473583	54.9%	55429	6.4%	1934192
Sucre	878466	82.3%	813208	76.1%	751306	85.5%	19981	2.3%	1067948
Tсchira	745251	69.2%	617187	57.3%	512590	68.8%	34000	4.6%	1076809
Trujillo	510757	63.3%	416025	51.5%	320354	62.7%	18262	3.6%	807327
Vargas	83958	84.9%	76654	77.5%	68320	81.4%	1094	1.3%	98856
Yaracuy	384824	62.0%	327978	52.8%	274653	71.4%	11667	3.0%	620965
Zulia	2012127	46.2%	1704247	39.1%	1465629	72.8%	128638	6.4%	4353233
Peru	58853438	65.4%	53744128	59.7%	49366278	83.9%	1245073	2.1%	89962615

Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation in Venezuela. In the 1980s and 1990s, gold mining and logging were important causes of deforestation and forest degradation, but logging has dwindled in recent years. Gold mining still causes intense damage where it occurs, but limited to southern reaches of the country. There is potential to expand coal and bauxite mining in the country, potentially putting forests at risk.

In the mid-2000s, former president Hugo Chavez proposed a controversial pipeline that would run 5,000 miles south through the heart of the Amazon rainforest. But the project failed to get off the ground.

On paper Venezuela has protected more than a third of its land mass in its system of parks and reserves. But many of these protected areas have suffered from incursion by illegal loggers and miners.

Charts showing forest cover and loss in Venezuela











Venezuela environmental news | XML | pictures

Venezuela Forest Figures Forest Cover Total forest area: 47,713,000 ha % of land area: 54.1% Primary forest cover: n/a % of land area: n/a % total forest area: n/a Deforestation Rates Annual change in forest cover: -287,600 ha Annual deforestation rate: -0.6% Change in rate 90-00 vs 00-05: 5.9% Annual loss of primary forests: n/a Annual deforestation rate: n/a Change in rate 90-00 vs 00-05: n/a Forest Classification Public: n/a Private: n/a Other: n/a Production: 38.1% Protection: n/a Conservation: 61.9% Social services: n/a Multiple purpose: n/a None or unknown: n/a Forest Area Breakdown Total area: 47,713,000 ha Primary: n/a Modified natural: n/a Semi-natural: n/a Production plantation: n/a Production plantation: n/a Plantations Plantations, 2005: n/a % of total forest cover: n/a Annual change rate (00-05): n/a - M t Below-ground biomass: - M t Area annually affected by Fire: 14,000 ha Insects: n/a Diseases: n/a Number of tree species in IUCN red list Number of native tree species: 1,360 Critically endangered: 3 Endangered: 6 Vulnerable: 50 Wood removal 2005 Industrial roundwood: 8121000 m3 o.b. Wood fuel: 21000 m3 o.b. Value of forest products, 2005 Industrial roundwood: $43,856,000 Wood fuel: n/a Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): n/a Total Value: $43,856,000 More forest statistics for Venezuela

Suggested reading - Books

• Lonely Planet Venezuela
• Birds of Venezuela
• Mammals of the Neotropics, Volume 1 : The Northern Neotropics: Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana (Eisenberg, John F//Mammals of the Neotropics)
• Venezuela Map
• Venezuela, 4th: The Bradt Travel Guide
• Insight Guides Venezuela
• Footprint Venezuela Handbook

CIA-World Factbook Profile
FAO-Forestry Profile
VenezuelAnalysis.com



Last updated: 23 Jul 2014