In the Venezuelan Amazon, one of the last great green lungs of the world, a crisis that goes unnoticed by many outside the region is being developed: illegal mining. In 2022, he identified more than 3,700 points of mining activity and a network of clues used for gold and drug trafficking. The illegal extraction of minerals, driven by international demand and local economic crisis, is not only devastating the environment, but is also altering population dynamics, exacerbating pressure on intermediate cities and generating a direct impact on indigenous and peri -urban communities in the region.
The Venezuelan Amazon is a region of incredible biodiversity and home of thousands of species of flora and fauna, as well as indigenous communities that depend on their rivers and jungles for their survival. However, the advance of illegal mining in areas as the population geography of the country is deeply transforming.
It has triggered an internal migration phenomenon where indigenous and rural communities are displaced from their ancestral territories. Many of these communities end in intermediate cities such as Puerto Ayacucho and Ciudad Bolívar, where the lack of planning and resources generates new urban challenges. Overpopulation in these cities has increased the demand for basic services, has aggravated the precariousness of employment and has encouraged the proliferation of self -constructed settlements, increasing the vulnerability of displaced populations.
According to him, more than 1.6 million people live in Bolívar, many of whom have been affected by the mining boom. In addition to these social problems, one of the most visible effects of illegal mining is massive deforestation. To extract gold, miners destroy large extensions of jungle, eliminating the vegetation that regulates the weather and maintains water balance. According to the Andean Amazon monitoring project, between 2016 and 2020 more than 140,000 hectares of primary forest in Venezuela were lost.
Illegal mining in the Venezuelan Amazon is not just an environmental problem; It is a phenomenon that is reconfiguring the population and urban dynamics of the country
This environmental deterioration not only affects biodiversity, but also alters the climate patterns of the region. The reduction of forest coverage contributes to more severe droughts and a lower water availability in the hydrographic basins, which directly impacts the nearby urban nuclei. In Amazonian cities and southern Venezuela, the shortage of drinking water and changes in climatic patterns are already affecting agriculture and access to basic resources. In addition, it contaminates rivers and seriously affects aquatic life. As a consequence, indigenous communities that depend on fishing are exposed to health problems, including neurological and renal damage.
In the Amazonas state, where more than 176,000 people reside, 48% belong to indigenous peoples such as the JIVI, Yekuana, Yanomami and Piaroa. For these communities, river pollution is not only an environmental threat, but a humanitarian and cultural crisis that strips their identity and way of life. In addition, contaminated water consumption is not limited to rural areas. With the expansion of illegal mining and the displacement of people to cities, concern about drinking water supply in nearby urban areas also grows. The contamination of water sources such as the Orinoco River threatens to affect a greater number of populations.
Given this crisis, various environmental organizations and indigenous communities have promoted initiatives to protect their territories and foster sustainable economic alternatives. They include environmental and community education, the strengthening of territorial self -management, the development of, agroforestry and fair trade to reduce illegal mining dependence. In addition, international cooperation agreements have been promoted to press the Venezuelan government to implement control measures in the Orinoco Mining Arch and other affected areas.
This article seeks not only to expose the problem, but also to attract attention to the need for global policies that stop environmental deterioration and meet the consequences of illegal mining in territorial reorganization. Illegal mining in the Venezuelan Amazon is not just an environmental problem; It is a phenomenon that is reconfiguring the population and urban dynamics of the country. The destruction of the ecosystem not only affects indigenous communities, but also generates a domino effect in nearby intermediate cities, increasing pressure on natural resources and basic services. Protecting Venezuelan Amazon is an urgent task that goes beyond conservation: it is an act of social and cultural justice. Cooperation between local, national and international actors is key to stop the progress of illegal mining and ensure that this region remains a refuge for biodiversity and culture for future generations.
