The Orinoco (oren-o-ko) River winds and twists through the lands of South America before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It begins is flow in the Parima Mountains between Venezuela and Brazil and makes an arch through Venezuela before it meets the ocean. This murky muddy river was once a wild and undeveloped area bordered by a few villages, some missionary base camps and scattered hatos’ (haciendas or ranches). Then in the 1930’s oil and gas wells along the eastern banks in Venezuela started the industrial boom along the river.
The Orinoco River flows through rain forests, grasslands (tropical savanna biomes) pasture ranch land plains (Llanos) and highlands (Llanos Altos). The river has many rivulets branching out into jungle rainforests and meandering shallows provide precious water for agriculture, fishing, savanna’s and forests. It is joined to the Amazon water system by a natural canal and has a major internal connection to the overall well-being of South America, as a source of water. Two major cities developed on the river in the 1960’s, Cuidad Bolivar and Ciudad Guayana.
The river basin and various tributaries were inhabited by native Indian people for centuries. These indigenous people had nomadic lifestyles originally and eventually began to cultivate land around the river as they started small villages.
The Orinoco is one of the world’s longest rivers (2060 km) and is the home to over 100 species of animals, 300 species of birds, 1000 species of fish and 100’s of species of unique plant life.
The not so well known river has the world’s third largest river flow. Thus taming this flow has been viewed as a viable means to provide energy (hydroelectric power). The success of two dams constructed on an Orinoco tributary (Caroni River) have engineers and scientists comparing feasibility studies for hydroelectric projects on the Orinoco in the near future.
Modern development of the rich river bottom and subterranean deposits produced iron and bauxite mining operations along with oil and gas exploration. These industrial changes to the river have had grave results on the habitats of many species and environmentalists are fighting further exploitation of the river region.
Cattle farming has been expanding and changing the river shallows and bottom land drastically. The logging industry crashing through rainforest regions around the river is changing the flood plane and rainfall. Now a controversy over building a natural gas pipeline through this region raises grave concern on how the Orinoco will be affected!
The Nature Conservancy has been working with government agencies and local communities along the river to help protect degradation of the Llanos biodiversity and other biomes along the river. Expanding cattle ranching, logging, mining, agrochemicals and oil exploration are having a severe impact on several species of animals (the Orinoco crocodile is now endangered) and on migratory songbirds (that winter in this region).
For centuries the native people and diverse animal life have co-existed with the mighty Orinoco in a mutually cogent manner. The river provided food, water, rich bottom land and water travel access for the native peoples of all past generations. Then explorers came and conquerors came and scientists came and eventually captains of business came and saw this was a rich region where money could be made. Industrialization, corporate expansionism, irresponsible use of agrochemicals, human urban development, deforestation and human greed all influenced the changing the order of balance along the Orinoco River, as South American has grown.
Priorities need to be reviewed concerning this waterway which provides a basic requirement for all life – water. The Orinoco River has influenced the growth of South America by providing the “captains and kings” of South American Governments and Corporations its abundant and sought after natural resources. But these are limited and finite commodities that will expire someday, as the precious waterway is depleted of its many special treasures.
I wonder if the South American growth spawned by the Orinoco River will destroy that which has provided so much opportunity?
Sources: www.nature.org/wherewework.southamerica
www.ecc-platform.org
www.encyclopedia.com
