Venezuela contains approximately 151,000 square miles of frontier forest (large tracts of relatively undisturbed old growth forest), 3 percent of the world's total. The tropical rainforests found in this area are some of the richest on earth, containing an estimated fifteen thousand types of plant species. To date, Venezuela has lost 41 percent of its original rainforest, and 37 percent is currently threatened.
The indigenous people of southern Venezuela are presently battling President Rafael Caldera over the future of the region's remaining rainforest.
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Venezuela Links:
All That Glitters is Not Gold- Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela's Frontier Forests. Ordering information and overview of 54-page World Resources Institute report.
Amazonian Project- Small non-profit dedicated to assisting the country's indigenous peoples in their sustainable development.
