Alert Alejandro Lanz, director of CIEV
Illegal mining continues to ravage the western sector of Canaima National Park

(Press CIEV) Hundreds of workers continue to devastate the gold sector west of Canaima National Park under the watchful eye of the indolent agencies.
This was stated Alejandro Lanz, director of the Center for Ecological Research of Venezuela (CIEV), who warned that illegal mining within the national park is not recent, "For months we have been denouncing, over the control and stewardship of the lung plant has not been effected, "he said.
In this regard, he noted that for the moment the area known as "The Guacharaquita", "Parupita" and "The Monkey", all located on the left bank of the Caroni river-side National Park, are working around 100 monitors Hydraulic.
"The devastation is impressive, from the air and are deforestation and desert areas by washing the soil and cuts ground (...) and not only those mines irreversibly degrade the environment in this area, the effects on indigenous communities and dangerous vices that are already in these mines is also bringing a social liability for the original inhabitants of this region, "said Lanz.
The director of CIEV reported that prostitution, trafficking in drugs and liquor, are found in the area of product demand from hundreds of illegal aliens that extract metal ores, "the displacement of communities, the arrival of these evils are affecting communities settled in this area, clearly ecotourism, "he added.
However, he admits that the ecologist is a complex issue to be addressed in an integrated manner, "for example in the communities of Las Bonitas and The Widow is also carrying out illegal mining, these mines are controlled by the clan of Los Martinez and that they are located on the banks of the Caroni, but the margin right that belongs to the municipality Raúl Leoni (...) despite not belong to the National Park, mining in these areas provide access and strengthen the intervention in Canaima, "he said.
Lanz specified that, thanks to the trail that goes from St. Paragua Salvador de Paul, fuel is supplied to all these mines, as well as provide them with food and spare parts for hydraulic monitors.
"We are aware that fuel is negotiated by a gentleman named Fucha Rivas, who buys it at La Paragua, and leads to the Capachal on the shores of Chiguao, and there happens to toyoteros who move to Paul for distribution, are about 160 drums of 200 liters each, which are moved every week (...) and where are the checks, we wonder, "Lanz questioned.
He also reported that the "gold rush" in this area is so unleashed that "Joselo" is diverting the Dominican Republic, presumably, the fuel for the power plant of the people of San Salvador de Paul for the mine of El Mono, leaving the people without electricity service.
In this vein, said that more than 15 daily flights are under way to San Salvador de Paul by the mining boom in the area, most states that each plane is going to the Laguna de Canaima not to raise suspicions.
While there is a post in TO5 Paul commanded by members of the National Guard, the mining mafias are so powerful that do not allow communities to protest, Lanz says, "and that is that there are armed militias that protect the mines, and indigenous communities Creole and can not do anything, there is the law of the owners of the machines, "he said.
For that reason, the director of CIEV requests to be a real active control by the posts TO5 in San Salvador de Paul and located in the subsector of Laguna Canaima, given the critical situation that presents the western sector of the PN Canaima and coastal communities in the municipality of Caroni Raúl Leoni, as well as calls to Major General Felix Velasquez opening an investigation into the case "since it was detected not only the devastation of natural protected areas, habitat loss, but also violation of human rights to indigenous and non-indigenous, trafficking in fuel, liquor, drugs and prostitution, "the director of CIEV.