Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Mangroves Cut Down to Protect Lagoon

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CARACAS, Dec 8 2008 (IPS) - Venezuela's Environment Ministry began cutting down hundreds of meters of mangroves in Las Peonías lagoon, the core of a 2,100-hectare park near Maracaibo (600 km west of Caracas), despite regulations that protect mangrove ecosystems. “The uncontrolled growth of the mangrove, an invasive species, is obstructing the route of the Araguato river, which feeds Las Peonías with saltwater from the canal that links the lake to the Gulf of Venezuela,” Luis Arconada, director of the operation, told Tierramérica.

If the mangroves are not cut down, the lake will become overly rich in nutrients, covering the surface and blocking the sunlight from reaching the depths and killing off the lake's plant and animal species.

Mangrove species like Avicennia germinans and Languncularia racemosa extend over more than 200,000 hectares of the Venezuelan coastline.