Rivers between destruction and oblivion: The effects of mining extractivism on the rivers of southern Venezuela
Rivers hold a fundamental value to human populations because of their contributions to allaspects of people’s lives. For this reason, a close relationship exists between human rights and thehealth of these ecosystems. However, the rivers of the Venezuelan Amazon are at serious risk dueto the impacts of mining. This report aims to contribute to the understanding of the socio-environmental situation of therivers of southern Venezuela and the current impact of the extractive mining industry on them.Below are the main findings of our work: Illegal gold mining is the main threat to the rivers of southern Venezuela. Although the damagedates back to more than a century ago in some cases, it has increased significantly in the last 20years. For this reason, more than thirty rivers in the south of the country are being affected by thisactivity (a 106% increase in 6 years) while the use of mining rafts has been documented in 16 ofthem. All major basins are threatened by sedimentation and mercury pollution from gold mining.In the basins of the Cuyuní, Caroní and Caura rivers, there is evidence of the negative effects ofthis form of pollution on human populations. None of the Protected Areas in the south of thecountry seem to be meeting their objective of preserving the ecosystems included in theirterritories, including the rivers that cross them. In the case of bauxite mining, the environmental liabilities of the industry pose a serious threat tothe Orinoco River and the population living on its banks. Regarding the mining of coltan, thegovernment’s