Inglés

Transcription

Inglés

Within the framework of the Simón Bolívar National Project
3
Minister
Alejandro Hitcher Marvaldi
Viceminister for Environmental Conservation
Jesús Alexander Cegarra
Viceminister for Environmental Planning and Administration
Sergio Rodríguez
Viceminister for Water
Cristóbal Francisco
General Director of the National Office for Biological Diversity
Jesús Manzanilla Puppo
General Director of the Office for Strategic Analysis
José Félix Uzcategui
General Director for Institutional Communication
Marlon Zambrano
Coordinating Committee
Claudia Giraldo
Esquisa Omaña
Guillermo Barreto
Douglas Mora
Violeta Gómez
Editorial Board
Violeta Gómez
Pedro Borges
Irene Montaño Astros
Olga Casañas
Graphic Design
Luis Ovalles
Photographs
Luis Ovalles
Irene Montaño Astros
Institutional Communication Archives, Ministry of Popular Power for the Environment
Legal deposit: Lf22220123333007
ISBN: 978-980-04-1485-9
The world is undergoing an immense global crisis, that can be felt
both in the economy and the environment and that is manifested as
climate change, accelerated loss of Biological Diversity and the scarcity
of water and energy that Venezuelans have recently suffered at first hand.
This global impact is the result of an unsustainable development pattern:
capitalism.
This development pattern turns men and women, natural elements
and even the climate into mere commodities. At the Conference of the
Parties for Climate Change in Copenhagen we saw how the “developed”
countries, responsible for the global crisis, attempted to impose their way of
life to the rest of the world, even though they are aware that a two degrees
rise in the planet’s temperature would cause many countries to be flooded
and disappear under the sea. No agreement was reached at Copenhagen,
but the ALBA countries cannot permit people and cultures to disappear. In
contrast, the People’s Conference on Climate Change and Mother-Earth’s
Rights, in Cochabamba, was a resounding success: the people showed
the world and the governments of the so called developed countries,that
we are actually concerned about humanity’s future and understand that
the solution lies, not into changing the climate, but changing the system.
In the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela we consider that the
greatest contribution a government can make to the conservation of the
environment is to help to change the system, this being the structural
cause of the global crisis. Thus, Venezuela’s great contribution is to fight
against capitalism and construct Bolivarian Socialism. It is for this reason
that the Ministry of Popular Power for the Environment have prepared
the National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, as an
instrument of the revolution, in order to contribute to the construction of
XXI century socialism, as a proposal for a different relationship between
men, women and nature.
For further information:
Ministry of Popular Power for the Environment, Oeste 8, Torre Sur, Centro Simón Bolívar, El Silencio 1010. Piso 6,
National Biological Diversity Office. Telephone: +58 (212) 4084757
Email: [email protected]
Web page: www.diversidadbiologica.info.ve/estrategia
August – 2010
Not for sale - Free Distribution
This is a free translation from the original.
Spanish text is available at:
http://www.diversidadbiologica.info.ve/biblioteca/encdb_2010-2020.pdf
Alejandro Hitcher Marvaldi
Minister of Popular Power for the Environment
Using the experience gained from the Bolivarian Revolution we seek
to bring ourselves closer to the proposals of eco-socialism as a way to live
on earth. With humility and a lot of passion, we take on the commitment
to plan a National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity,
developed on the basis of participation and the maximum consultation
of all sectors of the population and with the hope of contributing to the
debate on this subject that is being currently developed in many regions
of the world. Thus we uphold, in agreement with Michael Löwy, that “the
dynamic of infinite «growth» brought about by capitalist expansion is
threatening the natural foundations of human life on the planet” and that
“the insatiable quest for profits, the productivist and mercantile logic of
capitalist/industrial civilization is leading us into an ecological disaster of
incalculable proportions”.
This contribution, delivered by the National Biological Diversity
Office, aspires to be yet another instrument in the group of actions that
the Bolivarian Government is developing in its permanent struggle for
the eradication of poverty, the main risk to the conservation of Biological
Diversity, as well as promoting the rational and responsible use of
ecosystems, thus satisfying social necessities as the only way to ensure
the conservation of the environment.
From the Ministry of Popular Power for the Environment we have
developed methods for the practice and protection of our national
environmental sovereignty against the aims and actions of the transnational
conservation organizations that have plundered the biological resources
of developing countries for decades. With this in mind, we present the
National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, within the
framework of the Simón Bolívar National Project, emphasizing that the
collective construction of this strategy represents an especially relevant
step in the building of the XXI Century Socialism.
Jesús Alexander Cegarra
Viceminister for Environmental Conservation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Presentation
1
Introduction
3
Assessment
1.Proximate causes
2.Intermediate causes
3.Structural causes
5
11
14
5
Strategic Lines
18
1.Management of the information on Biological Diversity
19
2.Conservation of endangered species
21
3.Strategic areas for conservation
23
4.Sustainable use of Biological Diversity
25
5. Prevention, control and eradication of exotic species 27
6.Control and fiscalization of genetically modified organisms
29
7.Prevention and management of the illegal traffic and trade of species31
Crosscutting Themes 1.Eco-socialist ethics
2.Sovereignty
3.Inclusion and social justice
4.Education for conservation
5.Environmental legislation
6.Conservation management
7.International politics and management
33
34
35
36
38
39
40
41
National and Bioregional Action Plans
42
Glossary
45
Participating Organizations
48
PRESENTATION
Venezuela is moving towards the construction of XXI Century Socialism
within the framework of the Simón Bolívar National Project, first Socialist
Plan for the Economic and Social Development of the Nation, 2007-2013.
Within this setting, the National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological
Diversity aims to drive towards a new eco-socialist ethic, by means of the
conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity, as a way to achieve Supreme Social Happiness for both present and future generations.
Biological Diversity forms part of our national heritage and is a fundamental
resource for the Nation’s development. On it depends the ecological balance, the water and the electrical energy that it generates, the agricultural
diversity, the large majority of medicines and the authoctonous cultures.
The conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity by the people
is crucial in order to attain Supreme Social Happiness. The loss of Biological
Diversity undermines food sovereignty and cultural diversity, provokes the
displacement of human populations and the increase of hunger, injustice
and poverty, thus affecting the most fundamental human rights. Without
Biological Diversity, human life and the sovereignty of the people is difficult, or even impossible, to achieve; and without sovereignty, understood
as the capacity to collectively decide on our own destiny, lasting Supreme
Social Happiness is an unattainable goal.
The National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity is based
on a humanist concept that promotes a different relationship between
human beings and Mother Earth as a driving force towards an alternative
development pattern, based on ecological, cultural, social and political sustainability. To this end, we propose seven strategic lines as the technical
elements needed to tackle the current loss of Biological Diversity and seven
crosscutting themes as the political and social elements necessary to guarantee the conservation of Biological Diversity with social commitment,
within the framework of the construction of XXI Century Socialism.
General Director of the National Biological Diversity Office
Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Ciénaga the Los Olivitos Wildlife Refuge
1
National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity
2
INTRODUCTION
Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Venezuela has been committed to achieving
the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB). This includes
the periodic elaboration of national conservation strategies for Biological
Diversity that guarantee its protection from all the way from genetic to
ecosystemic level, the sustainable utilization of its components and the fair
and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources. In 1994, Venezuela ratified the Convention by law and pledged
to draw up national strategies, plans or programs for the conservation and
sustainable use of Biological Diversity, integrated with the national plans.
Biological Diversity, genetic resources and ecological processes have been
given a preponderant role in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela approved in 1999, and are declared as being of public use and
general interest in the Organic Law of the Environment. Subsequently,
in 2000 the National Biological Diversity Office was created in order to
monitor and comply with the commitments established in the CDB.
In 2001 the first National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological
Diversity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was presented. This
Strategy succeeded in obtaining important information based on a national
diagnosis that focused on three basic themes: knowledge, conservation
and sustainable use, and generated 15 strategic lines. Within its particular
1st Venezuelan Congress for Biological Diversity
Rancho Grande, Aragua State - May 2010
historical context, that Strategy represented an important step forward in
the development of instruments for the national management of Biological
Diversity. However, the advances in the Bolivarian Process have brought
the need for a new Strategy in accordance with worldwide and regional
processes that point towards a profound revision of national approaches,
looking for effective actions that ensure a reduction in the loss of Biological
Diversity. Venezuela has taken on board this challenge by collective
construction of a National Strategy in accordance with the Simón Bolívar
National Project.
Collective Construction
The National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity 20102020 was prepared with the participation of a wide variety of sectors within
society (academic, Government employees, enthusiasts and communitybased organizations) in several workshops that took place over a period of
18 months. Overall, over 1600 people participated nationwide promoting
debate and enriching the diagnosis by giving their different points of view.
During the workshops, the problems associated with the loss of Biological
Diversity were identified and its causes and consequences analyzed. The
identified causes were then grouped in three different scales: proximate,
intermediate and structural. The next stage consisted in the collective
construction of strategies for the conservation of Biological Diversity.
Using the diagnosis of the problems and current situation as a starting
point, seven strategic lines were formulated, as the technical elements
required to confront the loss of Biological Diversity and seven crosscutting
themes identified as the political and social elements necessary to guarantee biological conservation together with social commitment.
This collective construction ensured that the participants were involved in
the entire process of the preparation of the Strategy, generating an emergent awareness and contributing to the transformation of the country’s
situation via the transformation of individuals and vice versa.
The National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity contains
the fundamental guidelines that will govern actions taken during the 20102020 period. It is composed of a general objective and several specific
objectives, which contain general actions that constitute the basis on
which the Action Plans are built.
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ASSESSMENT
This participative diagnosis permitted us to detect the principal causes of
the loss of Biological Diversity at three scales: proximate causes (those
that directly affect Biological Diversity), intermediate causes (those that
produce the proximate causes) and structural causes (ultimate causes
linked to the development model).
1. PROXIMATE CAUSES
Four immediate causes that directly affect the loss of Biological Diversity
in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were identified:
1. The destruction, degradation and fragmentation of ecosystems.
2. The introduction, establishment and invasion of exotic species.
3. The unsustainable use of Biological Diversity.
4. The introduction of genetically modified organisms.
Destruction, degradation and fragmentation of ecosystems
The destruction, degradation and fragmentation of ecosystems have
been recognized as the principal of the loss of Biological Diversity. The
contamination of water bodies, soil and air is one of the root causes of
the degradation and destruction of habitats, and is produced by the large
quantity of waste materials generated during the extraction of natural
elements and by their production, industrial transformation, transport and
subsequent disposal.
Illegal Gold Mining field
Bolívar State
514
Accumulation of solid waste
Sucre State
Industrial mining, petrol spills, the use of chemical inputs in modern
agriculture, industrial and domestic waste are the principal causes of the
contamination of soil, rivers and the sea. The dumping of solid waste is
another main reason for ecosystem degradation, this being commonly
dealt with as a management problem (recollection, final disposition and
recycling). However, even with optimum management, the problem of
contamination is not solved. The solution should be oriented rather to the
reduction of waste generation by a change in the patterns of the consumption of unnecessary articles and profound changes in the system of
production, transformation and disposal.
In the case of food, the cultural pattern of consumption sustained by
industrial agriculture requires large extensions of land, which implies the
advance of agricultural frontiers, transforming forests and savannas into
crop monocultures or into pastures for cattle ranching. This causes the
displacement of local people, banishing them to marginal and less fertile
land and generating hunger, misery and the loss of agricultural and cultural
diversity.
Climate change alters the weather patterns and is manifested though
more intense dry seasons, followed by concentrated and torrential rains,
which represent a direct cause of the loss of ecosystems. Moreover, the
increase in the temperature and the reduction in the rains results in more
frequent and intense fires. Those fires can destroy thousands of hectares
of forests or savannas in minutes, generating, furthermore, carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions that are added to the greenhouse gases, thus contributing
further to climate change.
The disorganized and accelerated growth of cities is yet another of the
main causes of the loss of ecosystems. Large cities that destroy rivers,
forests, savannas and agricultural land require the transport of large quantities of water, food and waste, generating an environmental impact that
goes beyond the local scale and the city itself.
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Caracas, Capital District
Bushfire, Bolívar State
On the other hand, the pattern of occupation of Venezuelan territory,
based on a concentrated, unbalanced and polarized socio-territorial model,
produces important social and environmental differences. This generates
a mosaic where completely devastated zones coexist with 40% of the national territory managed as Areas Under a Special Administrative Regime
(ABRAE, as per its Spanish acronym) such as National Parks, Reserves and
Natural Monuments, all of them dedicated to the preservation of Biological
Diversity. This concept of the land compartmentalized into protected
areas, areas of production and areas of occupation, among others, leads to
an unsustainable land-use planning. The protection of the National Parks is
just not possible without the participation of the local communities, neither
is it possible to practice sustainable agriculture without Biological Diversity
nor enjoy a decent standard of living without the air and water generated
by natural ecosystems.
It is for this reason that a new coherent socio-territorial organization that
guarantees lasting Supreme Social Happiness is necessary. This model
should take into consideration ecological precepts in the process of rational resource management and land use planning and contemplate the
development and spatial organization of a new socio-productive endogenous model founded on sustainability. This model could be materialized
and put into practice by eco-socialist communes with people that actively
participate in their own management processes in a sustainable way.
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Bullfrog control program.
Lion Fish, an invasive exotic species.
Introduction, establishment and invasion of exotic species
The second cause of the loss of Biological Diversity on a global scale is the
introduction of exotic species. Species that are transported to places far
from their area of natural distribution can compete with, predate on, displace or transmit diseases to native species, causing unpredictable impacts
on local Biological Diversity, which are irreversible, difficult to control and
frequently devastating.
The trade and commerce of exotic species, their uncontrolled distribution
with the discharge of ballast water along our coastlines and their use in
agriculture as biological controls, have been identified as the principal causes of their entry into Venezuela´s territory. Furthermore, the increase in
temperature as a result of global climate change has produced variations in
the geographical range of these species due to their colonization of zones
outside the original natural distribution areas.
It is thus necessary to generate and compile information about the ecology
and biology of exotic invasive species in order to design effective eradication and control programs. As regards the legal aspects, the formulation
of a partial regulation of the Law of Biological Diversity Management was
suggested in order to regulate the introduction and management of exotic
species in Venezuela. This should include the elaboration of an official list
of invasive or potentially invasive species as a reference for the prohibition
of the importation and introduction of these species into the country.
8
Wood extraction in the Amazon.
Unsustainable use of Biological Diversity
Introduction of genetically modified organisms
The utilization of Biological Diversity is one of the fundamental links between humans and the rest of nature. When this occurs in a sustainable
way it constitutes the basis of sovereignty and the individual and collective
development of both present and future generations. However, when this
is done without respect for the sustainability principles it can convert into
a threat for Biological Diversity and human wellbeing over the medium and
long term.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) represent a threat to the conservation of Biological Diversity, due to the potential contamination of
authoctonous species or varieties by genetic transfer. These organisms
can induce modifications and imbalances in natural ecosystems that are
generally irreversible and potentially serious.
The selective extraction of species with a high commercial value or that
are high in protein is one of the causes of the loss of Biological Diversity
and endangers both the populations of the exploited species and the
ecosystem of which they form part and thus the social benefits that these
provide. This is especially the case in the selective extraction of wood,
which produces the destruction of forest ecosystems.
On the other hand, the unsustainable use of the soil in “modern” agriculture
alters natural processes that permit the accumulation of carbon as organic
material. Irresponsible and unsustainable tourism was also identified as a
risk factor that requires special attention as a cause of contamination and
the destruction of fragile ecosystems.
It is thus vital to design, implement and collectively monitor programs for
the sustainable use of Biological Diversity, with advice and consultancy
given by the State, as well as ensuring adequate land use planning,
orientated towards the correction of social inequalities and the fair and
equitable sharing of the benefits that derive from these activities. We also
need to generate and compile information about the biology and ecology
of species with potential for their sustainable use.
9
Farm products at the supermarket.
GMOs, for biological, political and economic reasons, influence the disappearance of important authoctonous species used as food by the local
people as well as forming part of a system that promotes technological
dependence by the farmers thus representing a threat to collective and
national sovereignty. GMOs are commercialized within an economic system in which the farmers have no control over their seeds and cultivation
systems, thus weakening them in favor of rich biotechnological transnationals. These crops also favor the maintenance of large scale monocultures
production, which is unsustainable ecologically, culturally and socially.
Other GMOs, such as those used for the production of medicines, have
positive implications for the development of communities and represent a
lesser threat to Biological Diversity if they are managed within laboratories.
However, GMOs use should be regulated in order to guarantee sovereignty and fair and equitable access to all who need them for health purposes.
The causes of GMOs-related problems were identified as being national
and international pressures levied by large amounts of capital and the
absence of clear and strict regulations that control activities involving live
genetically modified organisms, their derivatives and products. Information
about the risks that GMOs represent should be made widely available and
debates about their use carried out at community level. It is the State´s
duty to guarantee the availability of the information necessary for the emWithin the framework of the Simón Bolívar National Project
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Popular customaries and traditions.
Left: The ”arepa”, a kind of corn bread.
Right: “Kachiri”, a fermented drink made from manioc root.
powerment of the people and communities. It is essential that the nation
articulate a clear position on this matter, as well as providing laboratories
equipped to detect GMOs and staff that are qualified to give the technical
assistance required and respond to any problems that may arise. Also,
the capacity for monitoring and control in ports and airports should be
increased.
2. INTERMEDIATE CAUSES
Four basic factors that indirectly affect the loss of Biological Diversity were
identified:
1.
Social exclusion and the unequal distribution of benefits.
2.
Ignorance of the importance of Biological Diversity.
3.
Weakness in the legal framework as regards Biological Diversity.
4.
Weakness in the management of the conservation of Biological
Diversity.
Social exclusion and the unequal partitioning of benefits
The management of Biological Diversity without taking communities into
account has been one of the reasons for the failure of the large majority
of management policies and conservation programs worldwide. The consequences of this exclusion throughout history have been an ineffective
management and an unfair and unequal distribution of the benefits derived
from Biological Diversity. The need for community participation, incorporating their traditional, scientific and ancestral knowledge, by means of a
respectful and productive dialogue, for the identification of problems and
the design, implementation and auditing of environmental management,
has been recognized as an ethical and practical requirement for effective
environmental management. The goal of this management should be to
incorporate an understanding of the interdependence of nature and human
society in order to ensure its permanence over time, and avoid a fragmented, mercantilist and utilitarian vision.
Ignorance of the importance of Biological Diversity
Another intermediate cause is the ignorance of the importance of
Biological Diversity as part of the natural heritage essential for the nation´s
development, the sovereignty of the people and the daily lives of all of us.
This has generated an ecological unawareness, both in the community
and in state institutions, which is fueled by limited information about our
Biological Diversity and a lack of understanding of its ethical and social
value. In addition, commercial communication media and the industrial
culture promote individualism and irrational consumerism with distorted,
tendentious and empty ecological discourse, which does not get to the
root of the problem, but rather creates new marketing ploys: “green
capitalism”. A liberating and crosscutting education for conservation that
informs, generates awareness and promotes debate about the causes and
consequences of the loss of Biological Diversity and how this directly and
indirectly affects our lives and those of future generations, is thus urgently
needed. We require an education that produces social human beings who
are critical, able to analyze and reflect, and who participate with clearly
defined principles and values in the co-responsibility of the care of Mother
Earth.
Weakness in the legal framework as regards Biological Diversity
Weaknesses in the legal system were identified. Although great steps
towards the generation of legal instruments oriented towards ecology and
eco-socialist have been made, starting with the 1999 Constitution of the
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Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and continuing with the Organic Law for
the Environment (2006) and the Law for the Management of Biological
Diversity (2008), many weaknesses remain. There is a clear need to draft
specific regulations and update legal documents that were conceived
before the actual Constitution, which are outdated both in philosophical –
political terms and as regards criminal and administrative sanctions.
respect, conservation and the sustainable use of Biological Diversity. The
construction of this new institutional framework should guarantee that the
institutions genuinely work for the people and necessarily has to undergo
the deconstruction of the structures of the bourgeois state, developed in
order to guarantee the benefits to a few at the cost of sovereignty and the
social well being of the collective community.
Weaknesses in the management of the conservation of Biological
Diversity
3. STRUCTURAL CAUSES
The consequences of bureaucracy, corruption and institutional inefficiency
inherited from the badly conceptualized representative democracy that
prevailed during the IV Republic, were identified as large obstacles to the
correct management of Biological Diversity. In spite of the many advances
in the use of information and communication technologies, and the efforts
made to implement the mandates of the Law for the Simplification of
Administrative Procedures (2008), among many other initiatives undertaken, the current institutional structures are still stultified and excessively
centered on complying with bureaucratic red tape, rather than on providing
quick and effective solutions to concrete problems. The terrible capitalist
load of the sub-culture of bribery and corruption as the means to accelerate
the accumulation of goods, money and power, still exists in several sectors
of society associated with the management of Biological Diversity, thus
impairing the culture of creative and productive work orientated towards
conservation with social commitment.
These weaknesses were systematically promoted by extraterritorial
interests and facilitated the operations of conservationist transnational
organizations and their local allies, who deliberately usurped important
state functions, favoring the establishment of the environmental elite,
who not only appropriated the benefits of this sector, but also blocked
the practice of sovereignty and the truly, fair and equitable sharing of the
benefits generated by Biological Diversity.
The accelerated loss of Biological Diversity is just one of the ways in
which the immense environmental crisis that threatens us with the
global destruction of the conditions that make life on the planet possible
and the harmonious relationship between humans and Mother Nature,
is expressed. This environmental crisis is part of the terminal crisis of a
civilizing patriarchal model based on the submission and destruction of
human beings and nature.
The capitalist model of production, consumption and life style, is based on
the maximization of profits and the commercialization of nature and human
beings under a logic of progress and unlimited growth, without taking into
account the planet´s limits. This system has generated hunger, violence
and misery, and has massacred and expulsed indigenous peoples and
farmers from their homes by taking over their land, common goods, gene
banks and knowledge, resulting amongst other things in the disappearance
of ancestral cultures.
Billboard. Caracas, Miranda State.
We need to develop a new institutional structure, whose supreme value is
the practice of justice and equality. These institutions should be integrated
with the communities and oriented towards the accompaniment and support of social processes rather than their regulation and control. The vision
of these new institutions should be of a sustainable way of life based on
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Industrial agriculture.
Caracas, Capital District.
This model is supported by hegemonic philosophy, in which human beings
are separate from, and above nature, thus justifying the cultural practices
that act against Mother Earth. This patriarchal mentality, based on the
domination of human beings over other human beings and human beings
over nature is older than capitalism; however is it within this model that it
has been articulated and empowered.
In addition, this model has driven a corporative pattern of food production,
distribution, wastefulness and consumerism based on the regime of
the agro-businesses (animal factories, crop monocultures, transgenics,
nanotechnologies, agro-toxins, agro-fuels, amongst others), destroying the
sustainable production of food, peasant farming and food sovereignty. It
is increasingly obvious that the image of a “green miracle” with which the
technified agriculture of monocrops at the expense of local cultures was
originally sold, has converted into a cruel and deceitful myth.
Capitalism has planetary effects that generate ecological imbalances on
a worldwide scale. Global climate change, generated mostly by and for
the development of a minority but that is suffered by all of the earth´s
inhabitants and most intensely by the poorest, heads these effects.
Climate change affects Biological Diversity, provoking changes in the
distribution, growth, reproduction and migration patterns of species, thus
increasing their rates of extinction. Although the environmental crisis has
been produce by all human beings, it is well recognized that we have
common but differentiated responsibilities. In other words, we do not all
share the same quota of responsibility. An indicator of the pressure we
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Antagonic models with contrasting ecological footprints.
Opposite page: Large cities - Above: Pemón community, Bolívar State.
place on worldwide ecosystems is our ecological footprint: in Africa the
ecological footprint per capita is 1.5 Ha; in Asia and the Pacific it is below
1.8 Ha; in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and Central
Asia, it revolves around the worldwide mean of 2.85 Ha; in Eastern and
Central Europe it is close to 5 Ha; in Western Europe it reaches 6 Ha; and in
the United States 12 Ha, this last equivalent to 425% of the world average.
In other words we would need 5 planets if everybody was to live like the
average US citizen. Thus, our responsibilities are common yet different,
with those countries that are called “developed” being the principal causes
of the global environmental crisis, and within these hegemonic countries
the powerful elite, colonials and bourgeoisie, who control resources as
well as economic, military, industrial and political power, carry the main
responsibility.
In addition, ecology has also been commercialized and globalized in the
form of “green capitalism”, which individualizes possible solutions, leading
us to believe that it is not the system that is at fault, which thus does not
need to be changed, and that it is enough to be more “aware”; recycle,
re-use, mitigate, adapt. We certainly need to change our daily way of life,
but it is also true that the solutions cannot be individual: they must be
collective.
The battle against the environmental crisis is not only undergoing an
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urgent transformation of production and consumerism, but is also fighting
against the paradigms and patterns of colonial and hegemonic thought.
We must break with colonialism and overcome the idea that development
necessarily means being like the first world, as if the only way to human
happiness is that established by the Europeans and North Americans.
The unifying of a lifestyle presents an enormous risk to the whole of
humanity and the planet. We are not now just talking about a culture that
is risking its own existence, as has occurred historically. The globalization
of a sole rational matrix headed by capitalist logic is driving us inexorably
towards an economy that ignores our dependence on the earth, with
the result that all of humanity (although unequally) is subject to the risks
produced from the course of action decided by and for the benefit of, a
few.
In Venezuela economic activity has historically been influenced by the
hegemonic countries of the world, establishing an economic model highly
dependent on the interests of power that favor denationalization and little
productive diversification. Today, we are a country fundamentally sustained
by petroleum production and the generation of fossil fuels that feed the
energy requirements of the world in its present state; we have not chosen
this route. Nevertheless, petrol has provided us with a fundamental tool
in the search for social justice and the union of peoples, and provides
our only guarantee for transition towards the Communal State, which
requires us to adopt different patterns of energy consumption, based on
productive diversification, endogenous development and the sovereignty
of the people. The construction of this new State implies a profound
transformation of our view of civilization, without which the continuity of
life on Mother Earth will not be possible. Humanity is up against a great
dilemma: either to continue along the route of capitalism, a patriarchal
society, “progress” and death, or start out along the route of harmony with
nature, respect for life, and of lasting Supreme Social Happiness.
17
STRATEGIC LINES
As a result of the analysis of the participative assessment of the threats
to Biological Diversity, seven Strategic Lines were established in order
to achieve the conservation of Biological Diversity. These lines are listed
below in no particular order of importance:
1. Management of the information about Biological Diversity.
2. Conservation of endangered species.
3. Strategic areas for conservation.
4. Sustainable use of Biological Diversity.
5. Prevention, control and eradication of exotic species
6. Control and fiscalization of genetically modified organisms.
7. Prevention and management of the illegal traffic and trade of species.
Line 1 Management of the information about Biological Diversity,
In spite of sharing some of the characteristics of a cross theme, this is
classified as a strategic line due to its importance for the cohesion of the
rest of the strategic line and for the proper management of Biological
Diversity, as well as representing an exercise in sovereignty in itself. Line
2 Conservation of endangered species, is necessary in order to give an
immediate response to the present situation of some species whose populations are declining, which could lead to their extinction. Thus, specific
actions directed towards the recuperation of their natural populations are
urgently required, above and beyond the causes that threaten them. Line
3 Strategic areas for conservation, 4 Sustainable use of Biological
Diversity, 5 Prevention, control and eradication of exotic species
and 6 Control and fiscalization of genetically modified organisms.
These strategies have been put forward to answer the proximate causes
identified by the assessment, under the premise that the first step in the
conservation of Biological Diversity is to control the direct causes of its
loss. Lastly strategic line 7, Prevention and management of the illegal
traffic and trade of species, has been drafted as for strategic line 2, in
order to control the present situation due to the fact that the magnitude
and complexity of the problem requires the establishment of a specific
strategy, above and beyond the control of unsustainable use.
18
1.1
1.1.1
1.1.2
1.1.3
1.1.4
1.1.5
1.1.6
1.1.7
Generate relevant information for the conservation of Biological
Diversity.
Widen the understanding of the need for information on Biological
Diversity.
Generate information about Biological Diversity with emphasis on its
endangered, endemic, usable and potentially usable components.
Generate information on the immediate and future impacts of climate
change on Biological diversity.
Rescue and systematize traditional and ancestral knowledge about
Biological Diversity in order to guarantee the peoples´ sovereignty.
Define research and innovation priorities for the conservation of
Biological Diversity.
Establish funding priorities for training, research and innovation for
the conservation of Biological Diversity.
Strengthen the capacities of investigation groups and provide new
spaces for science, technology and innovation in order to promote
research on Biological Diversity.
1.2 Guarantee Access to Information on Biological Diversity.
1.2.1 Consolidate a National Platform for Information about Biological
Diversity.
1.2.2 Create bridges that guarantee the flow of information between the
generators of information, the users of that information and decision
makers.
1.2.3 Provide “open source” initiatives for increased access to national
and international scientific journals.
1.2.4 Promote periodic meetings for a “dialogue of knowledge” and the
exchange of information and experiences regarding Biological
Diversity.
Establish the mechanisms, tools and processes that promote the
investigation of and guarantee access to, knowledge relevant
to the execution and monitoring of the National Strategy for the
Conservation of Biological Diversity.
19
20
2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
2.1.4
Draw up official books of the endangered species of the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela.
Define the criteria, indicators and parameters to determine the threat
status of species.
Develop mechanisms that guarantee fair and inclusive participation
in the preparation of the official books of the endangered species.
Draw up an official list of the endangered species of the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela.
Create mechanisms that guarantee the periodic review and updating
of the official books of the endangered species
2.2 Promote the recovery of natural endangered populations.
2.2.1 Assess the population status of the endangered species.
2.2.2 Establish programs for the recovery of endangered species, focusing
conservation efforts on the modification of specific population
parameters.
2.2.3 Generate standardized protocols for the management and monitoring
of each species.
2.2.4 Establish permanent and wide ranging programs for the breeding,
cultivation and re-introduction of endangered species, maintaining
where possible the natural genetic variability of the populations.
2.2.5 Undertake monitoring programs of managed populations of
endangered species.
Guarantee the preservation of endangered species using
management techniques that include re-introduction, species
transfer and program monitoring, together with the incorporation of
ex situ conservation centers.
21
30
2.3 Promote the ex situ conservation of endangered species.
2.3.1 Establish priorities for the ex situ conservation of species.
2.3.2 Generate standardized protocols for the management, breeding or
cultivation of species in ex situ conservation centers.
2.3.3 Transform zoos, aquariums, nurseries and botanical gardens into
genuine ex situ conservation centers.
2.3.4 Generate a National Network of Collections of ex situ conservation centers.
2.3.5 Design conservation programs for species or other endangered
groups considering the threats towards them, their current situation
and population viability.
2.4 Promote the rescue of authoctonous varieties to maintain agricultural
biodiversity
2.4.1 Undertake inventories and develop reference collections of local
agricultural varieties as well as species with nutritious potential.
2.4.2 Develop rescue programs for local agricultural varieties and
endangered species with nutritious potential, together with
indigenous peoples and farmers.
22
3.1
3.1.1
3.1.2
3.1.3
3.1.4
3.1.5
3.1.6
3.1.7
3.1.8
3.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3
Guarantee the conservation of habitats and ecosystems.
Design plans for national land use planning that guarantee the conservation of Biological Diversity in situ.
Integrate the different sub-systems of the protected areas in a
sole system with policies that guarantee conservation with social
commitment.
Prioritize the creation of new categories of conservation status that
are socially inclusive and based on the management of the land by
the local inhabitants.
Create and design new Strategic Areas for Conservation, principally
focused on areas that can be sustainably used and in order to favor
connections between existing protected areas.
Prepare, update and implement Management Plans and Regulations
for the Use of Strategic Areas for Conservation.
Promote environmental guardianship by organized communities,
using social auditing mechanisms for the management of the
Strategic Areas for Conservation.
Prepare and strengthen environmental contingency programs (forest fires, disasters, among others).
Reduce the generation of waste and implement effective management plans to guarantee the preservation of ecosystems.
Design and implement programs for the mitigation of impacts and the
restoration of degraded or fragmented ecosystems as well as
strengthening existing ones.
Undertake a nationwide assessment of the status of the Strategic
Areas for Conservation.
Investigate the impact of potentially damaging activities on ecosystems.
Design and review recovery and restoration plans for degraded
ecosystems.
Preserve and manage those areas of the country whose natural
elements make them strategic for the Nation, due to the social
benefits that derive from their conservation and their contribution to
lasting Supreme Social Happiness.
32 23National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity
24
4.1
4.1.1
4.1.2
Promote and guarantee the sustainable use of Biological Diversity
in order to guarantee the sovereignty of the people and lasting
Supreme Social Happiness.
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
4.2.7
4.2.8
4.2.9
34
25
Regulate the non sustainable use of Biological Diversity.
Regulate and restrict practices of unsustainable use of natural
elements that endanger Biological Diversity.
Regulate access to genetic resources.
Promote the sustainable use of Biological Diversity.
Develop and support community programs for the sustainable use
of Biological Diversity.
Undertake pilot schemes for the small scale utilization of species in
captivity that are potentially applicable at a family or community
scale.
Develop and implement programs for sustainable tourism in the
Strategic Areas for Conservation.
Encourage the creation of ecological communes, based on principals
of the sustainable use of Biological Diversity.
Create national companies for the sustainable use of key components
Promote traditional and ancestral practices of the sustainable use of
Support indigenous and peasant agricultural methods, small-scale
fishing and other forms of the traditional sustainable use of Biological
Diversity.
Strengthen and promote agro-ecology as an ecological, social,
political and cultural method for the sustainable use of Biological
Diversity.
Strengthen and promote the economy for rural development from
an ecological perspective.
26
5.1
5.1.1
5.1.2
5.1.3
5.1.4
5.1.5
5.1.6
5.1.7
5.2
5.2.1
5.2.2
5.2.3
5.2.4
Prevent the introduction of invasive or potentially invasive exotic
species into the country.
Generate an official list of invasive or potentially invasive exotic
species and create a permanent review committee.
Undertake research into the ecology of invasive or potentially
invasive exotic species present in the country and their effects on
authoctonous species. .
Generate early detection mechanisms of invasive or potentially
invasive exotic species
Regulate the movements of invasive or potentially invasive exotic
species.
Strengthen frontier controls related to the traffic of exotic species,
with increased control in ports, airports and ecological customs.
Seek alternatives to exotic species used as biological controls in
agriculture and promote research on potential native biological
controls.
Generate alternatives to the commercialization of invasive or
potentially invasive exotic species, thus favoring the production,
trade and consumption of native species.
Control and eradicate exotic species established in the country.
Undertake permanent monitoring of the distribution of exotic
species in the country and other actions regarding national sources
for the commercialization of these.
Design control and eradication programs of exotic species.
Draw up protocols of the whereabouts of exotic species that have
been confiscated, following the relevant international legislation.
Give priority to programs for the control and eradication of wild and
domestic exotic species in the Strategic Areas for the Conservation
Establish and undertake actions directed towards the
identification, prevention, control and/or eradication of
invasive or potentially invasive species found outside their
natural geographical range.
36
27
28
6.1 Promote the elimination of GMOs in agricultural production.
6.1.1 Encourage community based debate about the ecological, economic,
politic and social effects of GMOs.
6.1.2 Assess the presence of crops of GMO in the national territory.
6.1.3 Evaluate the impact of transgenics and the biotechnological packet
associated with them.
6.1.4 Promote the transition from a corporate production, distribution and
consumerist model to one that guarantees food sovereignty, based
on endogenous development.
6.1.5 Value and promote indigenous and peasant agriculture based on
ancestral techniques that respect the environment.
6.1.6 Encourage agro-ecological production models, free from transgenics
and agro-toxins, based on fair production relationships.
6.1.7 Promote traditional genetic improvement.
Regulate the application of biotechnology for the production of medicines
under the confined management of GMOs.
6.2.1 Generate mechanisms for the regulation of the application of
biotechnology designed for the production of medicines.
6.2.2 Undertake research at a national level of the production of medicines
from GMOs under stringent rules that guarantee their confined
management.
6.2.3 Encourage technologies alternative to the use of GMOs in the
production of medicines.
6.2
6.3 Control and fiscalization of OGMs.
6.3.1 Develop and strengthen integrated policies as regards biosafety, by
the creation of a National Biosecurity System.
6.3.2 Build capacity for the detection of GMOs nationwide, with emphasis
at customs.
Train specialized personnel to identify, monitor, control and audit
6.3.3 GMOs in ports, airports and at ecological customs.
Encourage the participation of citizens in decision making and
6.3.4 increase access to information about biosecurity issues.
Consolidate mechanisms, procedures and actions designed to
regulate the use of GMOs, in order to avoid their adverse effects
on Biological Diversity and promote food sovereignty
and lasting Supreme Social Happiness.
2938
30
7.1
7.1.1
7.1.2
7.1.3
7.2
7.2.1
7.2.2
7.2.3
7.2.4
7.3
7.3.1
7.3.2
7.3.3
7.3.4
Strengthen the mechanisms for the prevention of trafficking and illegal
trade.
Draw up a list of species at risk from trafficking and illegal trade.
Generate a socio-environmental assessment of zones with high
indexes of illegal trafficking, considering the capture or extraction of
species, trafficking and trade routes.
Generate programs for the monitoring and control of the illegal trade
in Biological Diversity.
Implement rapid command actions.
Maintain permanent task forces to control trade in live or dead
organisms and their products.
Design a protocol of procedures for the rescue and final destination
of confiscated individuals or products resulting from illegal trade.
Effectively coordinate the relevant organizations for the conformation
and functioning of special units, in order to guarantee a quick and
effective response.
Generate complaint mechanisms that incorporate communities in
the fight against the illegal trade of species.
Promote the re-habilitation of individuals rescued from illegal trade.
Coordinate nurseries, botanical gardens, zoos, re-habilitation centers
and conservation centers for the re-habilitation or custody of
individuals rescued from illegal trade.
Create recovery and re-habilitation centers.
Determine the conditions under which the re-insertion of live
organisms rescued from illegal trade into the wild is feasible, without
putting at risk the animal´s life or the genetic structure of populations.
Undertake monitoring programs of liberated individuals.
Consolidate a system of the prevention and management
of the illegal traffic of species, based on research,
monitoring, rapid command actions and systems
for the rehabilitation of live organisms.
31
32
CROSSCUTTING THEMES
The National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity includes
seven crosscutting themes, which respond to principals established in the
Constitution, the Law and the Simón Bolívar Project 2007 – 2013. These
were identified as the baseline strategies, linked to each of the strategic
lines, needed in order to achieve the conservation of Biological Diversity,
within the framework of XXI Century Socialism. The crosscutting themes
are listed below in no particular order of importance:
1. Eco-socialist ethics.
2.Sovereignty.
3. Inclusion and social justice.
4. Education for conservation.
5. Environmental legislation.
6. Conservation management.
7. International politics and management.
Theme 1, Eco-socialist ethics links this Strategy and the Simón Bolívar
Project by recognizing the eco-socialist society we are constructing as
a crucial ethical issue, in that environmental, social, cultural and political
sustainability is a duty of the State, the right and responsibility of each
generation and a condition for a decent quality of life for all human beings.
Theme 2, Sovereignty, is a mandate of the Constitution of the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela and guarantees the right of the people to collectively
decide their destiny. Themes 3 Inclusion and social justice, 4 Education
for conservation, 5 Environmental legislation, 6 Conservation management and 7 International politics and management, represent strategies to correct the indirect causes identified in the diagnosis. Themes 1,
2 and 3 are fundamental principles that guarantee conservation with social
commitment within the framework of the construction of XXI Century
Socialism.
33
1. ECO-SOCALIST ETHICS
To further the collective construction and consolidation of eco-socialism,
starting from the historic inheritance of Our America and deepening the
humanist values of love, dignity, inclusion, participation, responsibility,
social justice, fairness, and intergenerational solidarity, as principals and
ways to achieve lasting Supreme Social Happiness.
1.1
1.1.1
Promote the ethics of solidarity and eco-socialist morals
Promote and develop a vision of the rights of Mother Earth as a
representation of the rights of future generations and of respect to
the other forms of life with whom we share one planet and one
destiny.
1.1.2 Value, develop and respect human rights and those of Mother Earth
as inseparable and indispensable habits for the attainment of
happiness and the lasting development of both present and future
generations.
1.1.3 Further a united national vision in which human beings have social
and environmental commitments with regard to others and to the
collective as a whole, for the building and consolidation of a social,
cultural political and environmentally just, fair and sustainable
society.
1.1.4 Promote the collective fulfillment of individuality, with priority given
to common over individual interests from a perspective centered on
balance with nature and respect for future generations.
1.1.5 Promote substantive equality between people, genera, communities
and cultures.
1.1.6 Encourage creative and productive work in harmony with nature as
a form of individual and collective fulfillment.
1.1.7 Promote a pluralist society that recognizes and values individual,
cultural and biological diversity.
1.1.8 Develop volunteer work, cooperative community work “cayapa”
and others forms of work based on love, such as bartering and
solidary exchange in order to meet common needs in a sustainable
way, over individual gain and the accumulation of material wealth.
1.1.9 Promote solidarity between peoples, cultures and countries, based
on love, and respect for human rights and those of Mother Earth, as
well as cooperation and complementarity.
1.1.10 Foment respect for different types of knowledge.
34
1.2
1.2.1
1.2.2
1.2.3
1.3
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3
1.3.4
Promote an endogenous, sustainable and humanist production model.
Strengthen a model for production, ecological consumerism and life
that is socially, culturally and politically sustainable as the only way
to completely develop desirable human potential and lasting
Supreme Social Happiness.
Identify and use local and national human talent.
Promote the sustainable use of local and national resources and
abilities.
2.1.4
Strengthen the participatory and protagonic democracy.
Strengthen the concept of what it means to be a citizen as a part of
the State, co-responsible for public life and wellbeing and the
sustainable development of the individual and that of the community
he or she belongs to.
Promote a strong community and social organization, aware of its
relation to nature, and its rights and obligations towards the
environment.
Promote and strengthen a coordinated public administration,
effective in its support of communities for their complete and
sustainable development.
Guarantee protagonic participation in the management of the
conservation of Biological Diversity.
2.2
2.1.5
2.1.6
2.2.1
2.2.2
Guarantee the indigenous peoples that their consent will be sought
before allowing access to the genetic resources on their lands.
Guarantee the participation of national institutions, cultures and
groups in the making and implementation of decisions relative to
the study, conservation and us of Biological Diversity in Venezuela.
Recognize and value the intangible components associated with the
utilization of Biological Diversity, as well as the right to collectively
enjoy the benefits generated.
Recognize Biological Diversity and its management as a source of
sovereignty and as the means for the development and integration of the
people.
Promote the sustainable use of Venezuela´s Biological Diversity as a
megadiverse country and as part of its heritage for the development
of an endogenous, sustainable, humane and liberating production
model.
Guarantee that benefits derived from the use of the country´s
Biological Diversity are focused primarily towards the wellbeing and
fair and equal development of all Venezuelans, in order to deepen
regional and international integration based on solidarity and mutual
support.
3. INCLUSION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
2. SOVEREIGNTY
3.1
2.1
3.1.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.1.3
35
Guarantee the inclusion and empowering of all Venezuelans in the management of Biological Diversity and in the fair and impartial sharing of the
benefits derived from it.
Promote the conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity in
Venezuela within a regional, continental and worldwide setting, oriented
towards sovereign and honorable management as the way towards supportive integration and the people’s lasting Supreme Social Happiness.
Recognize Biological Diversity and its management as an issue of
sovereignty.
Guarantee the sovereign right of the State to make its own decisions
as regards its Biological Diversity.
Guarantee transparency and fairness as regards the management
of Biological Diversity in Venezuela.
Guarantee public access to all information generated in relation to
Biological Diversity in the country, except when it interferes with
ancestral cultural rights or related traditions.
3.1.2
Value common, traditional and ancestral knowledge about Biological
Diversity.
Identify the individuals, groups and communities involved in the
problems and seeking of solutions regarding Biological Diversity in
order to ensure that their wellbeing and full development is taken
into account in the objectives of plans and projects. Human beings
must always be the ends, not the means.
Value and protect traditional and ancestral knowledge about
36
3.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3
3.2.4
3.2.5
3.2.6
3.2.7
3.2.8
3.2.9
3.2.10
3.2.11
3.2.12
3.2.13
3.2.14
Guarantee community participation in all management procedures
related to Biological Diversity.
Develop the decision making capacity of the population by promoting
the critical debate of ideas.
Promote training and social organization in ecology and the
management of Biological Diversity.
Promote the Councils of the People´s Power as structures for
debate, training and criticism, increasing their level of participation
in decision making related to local and regional environmental
policies.
Promote the participatory assessment of local problems regarding
the conservation of Biological Diversity.
Support, strengthen and promote community based initiatives for
the conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity.
Design and consolidate new mechanisms for community level
participation in the public sector.
Stimulate the creation of, and strengthen links and communication
between social organizations involved in ecological issues.
Strengthen the direct regular channels between the popular power
and the national environmental authority.
Incorporate local communities and social organizations in the
planning processes for the shared management of Biological
Diversity for its conservation and sustainable use.
Promote participation in the undertaking of policies and programs
for the conservation of Biological Diversity.
Consolidate an effective social auditing mechanism, in order to
provide the means for the continuous critical review, rectification
and re-invigorate of programs, as well as complaint mechanisms.
Design programs for the sustainable use, management and
conservation of Biological Diversity that consider self management
and strengthen endogenous development.
Strengthen the mechanisms for community participation and
consolidate the popular power within the Strategic Areas for
Conservation and surrounding areas.
Guarantee the understanding and management of the national and
bio-regional Action Plans for their joint implementation by
communities and institutions.
4. EDUCATION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Promote the development of critical awareness about Biological Diversity
by the exchange of information and the encouragement of open discussion of its social value as part of the national heritage and as a fundamental
resource for the development of the Nation, the threats towards it and the
management policies required for its conservation in our country.
4.1
4.1.1
4.1.2
4.1.3
4.1.4
4.1.5
4.1.6
4.1.7
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
37
Promote spaces for training in the conservation of Biological Diversity.
Create spaces for the integrated debate, communication,
documentation and education in ecological issues, based on the
dialogue of knowledge related to the conservation of local and
national Biological Diversity.
Develop an efficient network of information routes and informal
environmental education directed towards communities.
Promote the development of critical awareness in the National
Education System and its sub-systems of the direct and structural
causes responsible for the loss of Biological Diversity, as well as
providing the necessary foundations for promoting a different
relationship to Mother Earth.
Promote education in priority areas for the management of the
conservation of Biological Diversity.
Design academic training programs for the management of local
and national Biological Diversity with social commitment.
Guarantee the permanent training of educators for the conservation
Promote exchange and cooperation between national and foreign
universities in order to optimize educational capacities for the
management of the conservation of Biological Diversity.
Divulge the social importance of Biological Diversity and promote the
understanding and critical awareness of threats to it, as well as making
conservation policies known.
Articulate actions that increase the flow of information about
Biological Diversity between those that generate that knowledge
and those responsible for its communication and management.
Guarantee the broadcasting of true and objective news about events
38
4.2.3
4.2.4
Create spaces dedicated to the promotion of critical ecological
thought within media networks, especially community and
alternative media.
Promote alternative methods for community communication and
intervention related to ecological issues.
6.1
6.1.1
5. ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
Define and update the legal framework regulating the management of
Biological Diversity as a vital element for collective and individual sustainable development orientated towards the attainment of lasting Supreme
Social Happiness.
6.1.2
6.1.3
5.1
5.1.1
5.1.2
5.1.3
5.1.4
5.2
5.2.1
5.2.2
5.2.3
Review and update environmental legislation
Review and enact new laws that substitute those that precede the
Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the new
model of the country defined in the Simón Bolívar National Project.
Identify the legal gaps in the current legislation related to Biological
Diversity.
Review and adapt the law with respect to environmental crimes
Promote community involvement in the construction of legal tools.
Develop mechanisms for the efficient and participatory formulation of
legal instruments.
Develop mechanisms of inter-institutional cooperation and
coordination in order to generate legislation that guarantees the
conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity.
Develop mechanisms for the protagonic participation of the people
in the elaboration and design of environmental laws, jointly with the
relevant institutions.
Promote technical training of the legislators of environmental issues.
6.2
6.2.1
6.2.2
6.2.3
Guarantee communication between institutions and communities.
Integrate the communities into the design, implementation and
monitoring of the plans, projects and programs that derive from the
National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity.
6.4
Guarantee efficiency in the official processes and procedures
associated with the management of Biological Diversity.
Promote a management style orientated towards the systematic
resolution of problems.
Simplify and accelerate all official processes and procedures, in
order to combat bureaucracy in all its forms.
Guarantee the transparency and full disclosure of all official
regulations, channels, processes and procedures related to the
management of Biological Diversity.
6.4.1
39
Promote institutional coordination for the conservation of Biological
Diversity.
Consider the conservation of Biological Diversity with social
commitment as a cross theme to the directives laid out in the
Simón Bolívar National Project.
Establish permanent channels of information and working groups
for the integration and coordination between government
institutions.
Guarantee a unified and articulated response by the institutions to
the public as a management principal.
6.3
6.3.1
6. CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT
Promote effective management that guarantees the conservation and sustainable use of Biological Diversity, based on the guidelines of the current
Strategy.
Build a new institutional structure that guarantees the realization,
monitoring and updating of the National Strategy for the Conservation of
Biological Diversity
Establish the baseline concepts and start the construction of a new
institutional structure, whose supreme value is the practice of
justice and fairness, integrated with the communities and orientated
towards accompanying the social processes towards a sustainable
life based on the respect, conservation and use of Biological
Diversity.
Create and implement structures and mechanisms for the
enforcement, updating and monitoring of the National Strategy for
the Conservation of Biological Diversity.
Guarantee the financial resources necessary for the monitoring of
the National Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity.
6.4.2
6.4.3
40
7. INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY
NATIONAL AND BIO-REGIONAL ACTION PLANS
Consolidate an action strategy for the promotion of an international
management policy that guarantees the conservation and sustainable use
of Biological Diversity in Venezuela in a regional, continental and worldwide
setting, orientated towards integration, sovereignty and lasting Supreme
Social Happiness.
Action Plans play a fundamental role in the National Strategy for the
Conservation of Biological Diversity, since they provide the means for the
development of specific actions, indicators, aims, and partners that enable
their application at local, regional and national levels.
7.1
7.1.1
7.1.2
7.1.3
7.1.4
41
Strengthen international management policies related to Biological
Diversity.
Strengthen intra and inter-institutional coordination in order to
develop and consolidate foreign policies related to Biological
Diversity.
Promote national participation in international meetings by means of
sustained, coherent and efficient work done in areas related to
Promote the debate at a National level of the relevance to the
country of international obligations that it has adopted related to
Biological Diversity or those that affect its conservation and
sustainable use.
Include issues related to the conservation and sustainable use of
Biological Diversity in the agendas of regional organizations for
cooperation and forums such as the Union of South American
Nations (UNASUR), Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our
America - People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP), South AmericaAfrica Summit (ASA Summit), among others, in order to establish a
common position as regards Biological Diversity.
To this end a National Action Plan has been collectively constructed, in
which the actions to be undertaken at a nationwide scale and eight Bioregional Action Plans are specified. These actions have been formulated
taking into account the realities of the communities found in areas with similar ecological, geographic, social and cultural characteristics: 1) Marine,
Coastal and Insular Bio-regions, 2) The Andes Bio-region, 3) The
Coastal Mountain Range Bio-region, 4) The “Los Llanos” Bio-region,
5) The Orinoco Delta Bio-region, 6) The Guyana Bio-region, 7) The
Lake Maracaibo Depression Bio-region and 8) The Lara and Falcón
Highlands Bio-region
The bio-regions approach ensures the inclusion of the different world
views present in our country, promotes strategic planning based on local
realities and the application of the National Strategy taking advantage of
the strengths of each region, and contributes elements to the new national
geopolitical system proposed in the Simón Bolívar National Project.
This approach also enables organized communities to construct local
action plans, programs or specific projects, within the framework of the
Bio-regional Action Plan, thus guaranteeing their protagonic participation
in the design and execution of State policies. This new design approach to
Biological Diversity conservation policies is consonant with the philosophy
of the Simón Bolívar National Project and has been made possible thanks
to the huge advances made by the Bolivarian Process.
42
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44
GLOSSARY
Biotechnology: application of non-traditional techniques for the manipulation of live cells and their genetic material.
Agrobusiness: corporative model of production, distribution, wastefulness and food consumption (animal based fabrics, crop monocultures,
transgenics, nanotechnologies, agro-toxins, agro-fuels, etc). An agricultural
model that imposes the interests of a few, to the detriment of sustainable
food production, peasant farming and food sovereignty.
Cayapa: way in which members of a community work cooperatively in a
task, in order to satisfy either an individual or collective need. It is used in
agriculture for sowing, harvesting, hunting and fishing and in other community tasks such as the building of homes.
Agroecology: science whose origins are based on the ancestral wisdom
of respect for, and conservation and preservation of the natural components of sustainable agro-ecosystems, at any scale.
Agro-fuels: liquid fuels made from vegetables. These are generally foods
that could be used to alleviate hunger, or are cultivated on land that could
be used to produce more food.
Agro-toxins: chemicals used in conventional agriculture such as fertilizers,
herbicides or pesticides.
Areas Under a Special Administrative Regime (ABRAE, as per its
Spanish acronym): all those areas that according to their characteristics
and ecological potential have been decreed by the national executive as
having productive, protecting and recreational functions.
Authoctonous or native species: any species, sub-species or inferior
taxon whose natural geographical range lies within the national territory.
Ballast water: water stored in deposits or tanks in the interior of the hulls
of ships with the aim of stabilizing them. This stored water is the main
way by which marine organisms are transported outside their natural
distribution area
Biological Diversity: the variety of live organisms that comprises the
diversity within each species and between species and ecosystems.
Bio-region: Extensive area of land that contains a set of geographically distinct natural communities that share the large majority of their species and
ecological dynamics, show similar environmental conditions and interact in
an ecologically significant way for their long term survival.
45
Confined management: all activities undertaken with genetically modified
organisms, their derivatives or products, which are isolated by physical,
chemical or biological barriers that effectively limit these organisms’ contact with a potentially receptive medium or their effects on that medium.
Ecological footprint: indicates the area of land and sea necessary to
sustain the consumption of food, goods, services, accommodation and
energy required, and assimilate the waste produced, by one person, group
or country.
Eco-socialism: ecological socialism, a proposition based on a different relationship between human beings and nature that guarantees the wellbeing
of current and future generations. Eco-socialism is proposed as a global
solution to environmental problems and as an alternative to capitalism.
Endangered species: species whose survival is unlikely if actions are not
taken to correct the factors that negatively affect its populations.
Endemic species: species limited to a relatively small geographic area or
an uncommon or rare habitat, that is, a very restricted geographic distribution.
Exotic species: species, gametes, seeds, eggs or propagules that can
survive and subsequently reproduce themselves, which are outside of
their natural distribution area.
Ex situ conservation: maintenance of some components of biodiversity
outside their natural habitats.
Ex situ conservation center: infrastructure for the conservation of some
components of biological diversity outside their natural habitat, such as
for example; zoological farms, repopulation units, gene-banks, botanical
46
gardens, nurseries, zoological parks, aquariums, herbariums, museums
and rescue and recovery centers.
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COLLECTIVE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR THE
CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Gene bank: genome of plant species in any of its reproductive forms
(seeds, tissues, etc.)
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs): any organism, alive or dead
that possesses a new combination of genetic material obtained by the
application of modern biotechnology.
Hegemony: domination that one state exerts over other states.
Intangible component: any information, innovation or individual or collective activity associated with Biological Diversity and its components,
whether they are protected or not by intellectual property regimes.
Invasive exotic species: any exotic species that establishes itself in an
ecosystem or natural habitat and that acts as an agent of change or threatens authoctonous Biological Diversity or inherent ecological processes.
Natural distribution area of a species: geographic areas that include
habitats and ecosystems, where populations of a given species interact
naturally with the system.
Transgenic: genetically modified organism.
Transplanting or translocation: the introduction, deliberate or otherwise,
by a natural or legal person, of an exotic species outside of its natural
geographical range. agua almacenada en depósitos o tanques en el interior
del casco de los buques con el objetivo de procurar la estabilidad de las
embarcaciones, la cual constituye la vía principal de translocación de organismos marinos fuera de su área natural de distribución.
47
Bolivarian News Agency (ABN)
Municipal Institute of Sport (IMDA)
Valencia Aquarium
Center for the Investigation and Management of Fauna Civil Association
(MANFAUNA)
Provita Civil Association
United Nations Association, Venezuela
Venezuelan Association for the Conservation of Natural Areas (ACOANA)
AUDUBON, Venezuela
Awataniba
Biocontacto
Bioreptilia
TV Catia
Center for the Investigation and Conservation of Marine Turtles (CICTMAR)
La Patilla Group
Origen Group
Fernández and Hernández Business
Confederation of Community Councils
Calle 13 Community Council
La Sabana Community Council, Vargas state
La Boyera Community Council, El Hatillo
Loira Community Council
Luces de Oliveira Community Council
Fire Brigades of Venezuela
Marine Firefighters of Venezuela
Eco Activa
El Capurro
La Verdad Daily Newspaper
Agro Students
Fetra Playa Vargas
ABRAE Foundation
Caracas for children Foundation
Eco games Foundation
La Salle Foundation
La Salle Natural History Museum
La Tortuga Foundation
48
Foundation for the Development of Physical, Mathematic and Natural
Sciences (FUDECI)
Foundation for the Defense of Nature (FUDENA)
Tierra Viva Foundation
Study Group: Biodiversity and Sustainable Development in Forest
Ecosystems (BIODESUS)
Working Group for Marine Turtles in the Gulf of Venezuela (GTTM-GV)
University Park Rangers
Organized Communities Newsletter (Infocoas)
Rafael Alberto Escobar Lara Pedagogical Institute (IPRAEL)
Alonso Gamero Technological University Institute (IUTAG)
Yaracuy Technological University Institute (IUTY)
Santiago Mariño Polytechnic University Institute (IUPSM)
Caruao Civil Headquarters
Ministry of the People´s Power for the Environment
Socialist Tree Mission
Los Roques Archipelago Sole Authority
Legal Consultancy
National Reforestation Company (CONARE)
State Environmental Management
General Headquarters of Institutional Communication
Foundation for Environmental Education (FUNDAMBIENTE)
National Foundation for Zoological Parks and Aquariums (FUNPZA)
Hidrocapital
National Parks Institute (INPARQUES)
Las Delicias Zoological Park
Institute for the Conservation of Lake Maracaibo (ICLAM)
Administration and Service Office
Strategic Analysis Office
Office for International Cooperation and Management
Vice ministry for Water
General Headquarters of Hydrographic Catchment Areas
Vice ministry for Environmental Conservation
Directorate General for Forests
Directorate General for Environmental Education and Community Participation
National Biological Diversity Office
Strategic Areas for Conservation Unit
Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity Unit
Biosecurity Unit
Endangered Species Unit
49
Exotic Species Unit
Environmental Impact Investigations Unit
Information Management Unit
Unit for the prevention, monitoring and control of the illegal use of Biological Diversity.
Viceministry for Environmental Planning and Administration
Directorate General for Environmental Monitoring and Control.
Directorate General for Environmental Planning and Management
Administrative Office for Permits
Ministry of the People´s Power for Land and Agriculture
Socialist School for Tropical Agriculture (ESAT)
Socialist Agricultural Development Fund (FONDAS)
National Institute for Agricultural Investigations (INIA)
National Institute for Integrated Agricultural Security (INSAI)
National Land Institute (INTI)
Socialist Institute for Fishing and Aquaculture (INSOPESCA)
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Food
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Science, Technology and Intermediate
Industries
Directorate General for Investigation.
Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigations (IVIC)
Institute for Advanced Studies Foundation (IDEA)
FUNDACITE Aragua
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Commerce
Autonomous Service for Intellectual Property (SAPI)
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Communities and Social Protection
(Fundacomunal)
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Information and Communication
TV Ávila
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Culture
Natural Science Museum
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Defense
Venezuelan Bolivarian Armada
Coastguard Command
School for the ´Training of Officials (EFOFAC)
Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard
Ministry of the People ´s Power of the President´s Office
General Secretariat for the Council for the Defense of the Nation (SECODENA)
50
Ministry of the People ´s Power for University Education
Mission Sucre Foundation
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Economy and Finance
National Integrated Service for the Administration of Customs and Excise (SENIAT)
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Energy and Petrol
Mission Ribas Foundation
PDVSA
Communal Gas
Intevep
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Justice and the Interior
Civil Defense
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Foreign Affairs
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Health
Dr. José Ignacio Baldó General Hospital
Concepción Palacios Maternity
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Work and Social Security
Institute for the Capacitation and Recreation of Workers (INCRET)
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Tourism
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Planning and Development
Corporation for the Recovery and Development of Vargas state (Corpovargas)
Ministry of the People ´s Power for Electrical Energy
National Electrical Corporation (CORPOELEC)
Electrification of the Caroní (EDELCA)
Public Prosecutor’s Office
La Salle Natural History Museum (MHNLS)
Notivecinos
La Limonera Nucleus for Socialist Endogenous Development
Epxilón Operator
Indigenous Student´s Organization of Bolivar state (ODEIBO)
El Pinar Zoological Park
Bararida Zoological and Botanical Park
El Petarazo Newspaper
Vargas Police
Prefect´s Office, Vargas state
Hidrocaribe Anzoátegui - Press
Mission Patilla Independent Producers
Animal Protection
La Mancha Free Communication Project
Climate Change Journalism Network
51
Innovative Production Network
Sea Vida
Secretariat for the Environment of Aragua state
Televen
Felipe Guillermo Rojas U.E.N.
Venezuelan Bolivarian University (UBV)
Santa Rosa Catholic University (USR)
Central University of Venezuela (UCV)
Agronomy Faculty
Students Union
Alberto Fernández Yepez Biological Field Station
Museum of the Institute of Agricultural Science
Botanical Institute of Venezuela Foundation
Tropical Zoology Institutel
Lisandro Alvarado Western Central University (UCLA)
Carabobo University (UC)
Los Andes University (ULA)
Eastern University (UDO)
University of Zulia (LUZ)
Caribbean Maritime University (UMC)
National Open University (UNA)
Guayana National Experimental University (Uneg)
National Experimental University for the National Armed Forces (UNEFA)
Ezequiel Zamora National Experimental University of Los Llanos (UNELLEZ)
National Experimental University of Táchira (UNET)
National Experimental University of Miranda (UNEFM)
National Experimental Maritime University and of the Caribbean (UNEMC)
National Experimental Polytechnic University of the National Armed Forces
(UNEFA)
Rómulo Gallegos National Experimental University (UNERG)
Sur de Lago National Experimental University (UNESUR)
Libertador Pedagogical Experimental University (UPEL)
Santa María University(USM)
Simón Bolívar University (USB)
Littoral Nucleus
Sartenejas Nucleus
Camurí Grande Simón Bolívar University
Yacambú University (UNY)
Venezolana de Televisión (VTV)
Educational Zone, Vargas state
52
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Transcription

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