Current Gold Mining Situation in Canaima National Park: A World Heritage Site in Venezuela A Report Submitted to IUCN and UNESCO SOSOrinoco Caracas, Venezuela July 2018 P a g e | 2 "We're going to turn all of this upside down..." A comment made by a mining entrepreneur as he flew over Canaima National Park recently. Current Gold Mining Situation in Canaima National Park: A World Heritage Site in Venezuela. 2018. P a g e | 3 Table of Contents Acronyms ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 7 1.1. Geographic Location, Boundaries and its History as a Protected Area .................. 7 1.2. Canaima as a World Heritage Site ............................................................................................. 9 1.3. A Social Context for Canaima ........................................................................................................ 11 2. Goals, Scope and Issues Analyzed .................................................................................................. 13 3. Canaima as a World Natural Heritage Site: History and Previous Evaluations ....... 15 4. Previous Reports on Mining Activity in Canaima National Park ..................................... 18 5. The Discovery: Mining Activities Today in Canaima National Park .............................. 22 5.1. Analysis of Satellite Imagery .................................................................................................... 22 5.2. Systematic Web Search ............................................................................................................... 26 5.3. Interviews .......................................................................................................................................... 28 5.4. Socio-environmental Impacts .................................................................................................. 28 6. Understanding Mining Activity in Venezuela's Guayana Region .................................... 30 6.1. The Actors.......................................................................................................................................... 30 6.2. Types of Mining Activities.......................................................................................................... 32 6.3. The Reasons for the Mining Boom ......................................................................................... 33 6.3.1. Canaima Trapped in the Orinoco Mining Arc .......................................................... 33 6.3.2. The Socioeconomic Context ............................................................................................. 35 6.4. The Mining Scheme ....................................................................................................................... 37 6.5. How is it possible that mining activity in CNP has gone unnoticed? .................... 38 7. The Near Term Future of Canaima as a World Heritage Site ............................................ 41 8. Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................. 43 9. Cited References ..................................................................................................................................... 44 Appendix 1............................................................................................................................................................ 45 Natural and Social Aspects of Canaima National Park ....................................................................... 45 Appendix 2............................................................................................................................................................ 48 Systematic Web Search Regarding Mining Activity in ....................................................................... 48 Canaima National Park .................................................................................................................................... 48 A. Location of Illegal Mining in Canaima National Park: In Chronological Order. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 49 1994: ............................................................................................................................................................ 49 2007: ............................................................................................................................................................ 49 2009: ............................................................................................................................................................ 49 Current Gold Mining Situation in Canaima National Park: A World Heritage Site in Venezuela. 2018. P a g e | 4 2010: ............................................................................................................................................................ 50 2011: ............................................................................................................................................................ 50 2013: ............................................................................................................................................................ 50 2014: ............................................................................................................................................................ 50 2016: ............................................................................................................................................................ 54 2017: ............................................................................................................................................................ 54 B. Eviction of Miners from Canaima National Park: In Chronological Order ..... 54 2009: ............................................................................................................................................................ 55 2010: ............................................................................................................................................................ 55 2014: ............................................................................................................................................................ 56 2015: ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 2017: ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 C. Agreements and Campaigns of Recovery and Restoration: In Chronological Order ................................................................................................................................................................ 57 2013: ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 2014: ............................................................................................................................................................ 57 2015: ............................................................................................................................................................ 58 2016: ............................................................................................................................................................ 58 2017: ............................................................................................................................................................ 58 D. Links to Photographs ....................................................................................................................... 58 E. Links to Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 60 F. Links to Videos ..................................................................................................................................... 60 G. SubAppendices of Appendice 2, Downloadables and Zipped ................................ 61 Appendix 3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 62 Narratives By Interviewed Persons ........................................................................................................ 62 Appendix 4 ........................................................................................................................................................... 69 Characterization of mining sites inside and outside the NPC ..................................................... 69 Appendix 5 .......................................................................................................................................................... 74 Mining Patterns in Canaima National Park ......................................................................................