Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Forest Inventory

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

CARACAS, Apr 14 2003 (IPS) - Venezuela will conduct an inventory of its forestry resources over the next six year, with help from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announced environment and natural resources minister Ana Elisa Osorio. Taking stock of the country’s natural wealth will reveal the forest’s potential in terms of water, oxygen production and biodiversity, said Osorio, noting that the most recent information available is based on satellite images from a decade ago.

The forests of Venezuela, one of the top eight countries in terms of biodiversity, cover some 480,000 square km, 52 percent of the country. But environmental groups report that more than 2,400 square km are deforested each year