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Report on the Mission to Canaima

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Report on the Mission to Canaima World Heritage 23 BUR Distribution limited WHC-99/CONF.204/INF.18 Paris, 25 June 1999 Original : English UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE BUREAU OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE Twenty-third session Paris, UNESCO Headquarters, Room X 5 - 10 July 1999 Information Document: Report of the Mission to Canaima National Park (Venezuela), 16-19 May 1999 SUMMARY Following the invitation from the Authorities of Venezuela to the Centre and IUCN to field a site visit to Canaima National Park and in accordance with the decisions of the World Heritage Committee at its twenty-second session a mission has been undertaken from 16-19 May 1999. The Bureau may wish to recall that the Committee (Kyoto, 1998) had requested that the findings of the mission and its recommendation concerning whether or not Canaima be included in the List of World Heritage in Danger be submitted to the twenty-third session of the Bureau in 1999. Action by the Bureau: The Bureau may wish to take note of the report and the recommendations made therein. Report of UNESCO-IUCN monitoring mission to Canaima National Park, Venezuela, 16-19 May 1999 1 Prepared by Pedro Rosabal (IUCN) and José Pedro de Oliveira Costa (UNESCO/WHC) Background This mission responded to the concerns of the World Heritage Committee regarding the integrity of Canaima National Park due to the threats posed by a proposal to erect a series of transmission lines across this World Heritage site. This issue was discussed by the Committee at its twenty-first session (Naples, 1997). Meanwhile IUCN and the Centre received numerous communications and messages from different institutions, including indigenous peoples organisations, concerning the threats to this National Park. The Committee in its twenty-second session (Kyoto 1998) called upon the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to field a mission to Canaima for a site assessment of the situation and to meet and discuss with all concerned parties. The goals of the mission were to: (a) enable the Bureau and the Committee to obtain an up-to-date and balanced view of any ascertained and potential threats posed by the power line construction project and other development in the mining, forestry and tourism sectors, to the World Heritage values of Canaima National Park; and (b) facilitate discussions of the Bureau and the Committee, concerning the state of conservation of the site, during their respective sessions in Paris (July 1999) and Marrakesh, (November-December 1999), to reach at a set of recommendations which will effectively address any significant issues and problems that may be threatening the World Heritage values of the Park. Field trip to Canaima National Park The Park was visited by the mission on 21 and 22 of May. A number of representatives from INPARQUES, MARNR2, and EDELCA participated in the field trip (see Annex 1). The inspection was carried out from Kavanayen (see Map in Annex 2), a small village located in the central part of the Park, where INPARQUES3 and CVG/EDELCA4 have a permanent base for operations. Due to time constraints the inspection was undertaken by helicopter, thanks to the contribution of EDELCA to this mission. On the first day the team flew over the Great Plain (Gran Sabana) to evaluate the power-line construction. They started from the northern part of the Park to the south following the road El Dorado-Santa Elena, which is the boundary of the Park on the east (marked on Map of Annex 2). To the north, the mission flew over Sierra de Lema, outside the boundaries of Canaima National Park, in the proximity of the Itacama Forest Reserve. In Sierra de Lema a 12-metre wide corridor for the construction and maintenance of the transmission line has been 1 This is a summary of key points arising from this mission. A full detailed report in Spanish is available on request from IUCN Programme on Protected Areas. 2 MARNR- Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources. 3 INPARQUES – National Institute for National Parks. 4 CGV/EDELCA- Venezuelan Corporation for Guyana/ Electrification of Caroní River. 2 established by deforesting the primary forest covering this area. With the exception of this, Sierra de Lema is well preserved and contains primary tropical forest very important for biodiversity conservation. The transmission line is parallel to the road between El Dorado and Santa Elena, as previously recommended by IUCN. At the point where this road enters into the National Park (Km 190, South), the lines will be located always on the eastern side of the road to reduce the visual impact when looking west from the road to the Tepuyes. Within the Park, the construction of the transmission line will use 30-metre high posts instead of traditional 45-metre high towers used for this kind of project. This makes a fundamental difference in relation to their visual impact (see Annex 3 for comparison between the two structures) because the posts are more transparent structures than the towers. Furthermore, the posts will be installed using helicopters with very limited deforestation on the ground, consisting of that necessary to anchor them, thus minimising environmental impacts. The construction of the transmission line is only crossing areas of the Great Plain (Gran Sabana), not affecting any forest areas of the park. The construction of the transmission line, while minimal, certainly will have a visual impact on the Park and, desirably, should never have been implemented. However, representatives from MARNR note that its implementation responds to major economic and political priorities. Flying over the Gran Sabana a number of small fires were observed, all of them related to traditional practices of the indigenous Pemón communities living in this area. Fires are a key element in the dynamic of ecosystems of the Great Plain and the indigenous Pemón communities have been managing fires for centuries in this area and have their own traditional procedures for control. In addition, EDELCA has a number of permanent stations for fire control to prevent any damage in the watershed of the Caroní River. On the second day, the mission inspected the central part of the Park, where the Auyan-Tepuy cluster is located. This is the region with higher international profile due to the presence of the Angel Falls, and is thus the one more visited by international tourists. In doing so the team flew over the Caruay River and Acanan River, noting that this region as well as the entire Auyan-Tepuy cluster, is in a pristine state. To conclude the inspection, the team flew over the Carrao River down to the Canaima Lake, where a commercial airport is the main entry point of visitors coming to the Park. Flying over the area of Lake Canaima, a disorganised network of trails and secondary roads was observed, most of them as a result of four wheel-drive vehicles used by tour-operators for field excursions. Also, there are a number of constructions for tourism facilities and services. Evidently, the area of Lake Canaima requires particular attention in relation to planning for sustainable tourism. Technical Discussions: During the mission a number of meetings and technical discussions were implemented, organised by MARNR on issues related to Canaima National Park. Governmental institutions, NGOs and representatives from indigenous Pemón communities participated in these meetings (see Annex 4). Key issues discussed are as follows: Management Plan: For the management of Canaima National Park its territory has been divided in two sectors: the western and eastern sectors. A land-use planning document was prepared for the eastern 3 sector in 1991 but its implementation has been limited due to the lack of human and financial resources. According to the existing legislation, all land-use planning documents need to be reviewed and updated every 5 years. This work has been initiated for the eastern sector but little progress has been achieved due to the lack of resources. No land-use planning document has been prepared for the eastern sector despite the fact that it includes some of the most important features of this National Park. At present, the management of this Park is based on operational plans that define the main actions to be implemented on a yearly basis, which does not allow for strategic long-term vision of the management of this site. Lack of financial and human resources as well as the lack of adequate base maps are the key issues limiting the preparation and implementation of a long-term management plan. There are ten (10) rangers and two (2) technical staff working in the Park. While this is an improvement in the situation of five years ago, when only five rangers were working in the Park, it is certainly not enough to ensure effective management of the 3 millions hectares of this site. Due to these limitations, INPARQUES created an alliance with CGV/EDELCA. On the basis of this arrangement, INPARQUES receives support for activities such as patrolling, forest control, and rescue missions, by having access to EDELCA’s helicopters, cars and other infrastructure. This infrastructure reflects EDELCA’s mission of protecting the Caroní River watershed, that feeds the Guri Dam, where one of the most important hydroelectric power stations of South America is in operation. This hydroelectric power station generates energy for all of Venezuela and soon will export energy to Colombia and Brazil. During discussion on the management of Canaima National Park with representatives of INPARQUES, MARNR, NGOs and the indigenous Pemón communities, some other important issues were highlighted: · It is considered essential that the boundaries of Canaima National Park coincide with those of the World Heritage site, due to the ecological linkages between the Gran Sabana and the Tepuyes cluster.
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