Usar p⁄gs xvii-134 - ResearchGate

CHAPTER 5ConclusionsGlobal Forest Watch Venezuela focused its initial data collection activities on the Guayana regionbecause it contains Venezuela’s largest block of forests. However, portions of northern Venezuelawarrant further detailed monitoring, especially in rapidly disappearing remnants of forests in theAndes and coastal ranges. These Andean forests harbor high-value commercial timber species andprovide key ecosystem services, such as regulating water flow and quality, and controlling erosionon steep slopes.The data collected for this report suggest that the forests of the Guayana region offer tremendousopportunity for long-term conservation and sustainable use. These forests are among the most biologicallyand culturally diverse in Venezuela, and they provide important ecosystem services at aregional and national level. They also represent a significant part of one of the largest blocks of intacttropical forest in the world. However, except for southern Amazonas, most of these forests are at riskfrom on-going or planned development. Logging and mining could ultimately result in significantforest degradation, given population pressures, competing land uses, and poor management practices.Furthermore, although the situation is improving, there is a history of low rent capture from ongoingextractive activities. Overall, logging and mining contribute little to the national economy andexcept for small-scale mining, employ only a small fraction of the local population.Unfortunately, it is impossible to fully quantify the impacts, costs, and benefits of forest developmentto date due to:• inconsistent data upon which recent forest cover estimates are based,• inconsistent methodologies for estimating forest cover, which makes it impossible toreasonably estimate the degree of deforestation or reforestation over time, and• the lack of systematic monitoring of development trends over time and space.The inability to accurately gauge the cumulative impacts of mining, logging, and population growthon the forests of the Guayana region makes it difficult to promote sound conservation and managementpractices. In some areas, development pressures are so high that scientists may not have timeto adequately research the diversity of these ecosystems before the forest is gone.71