Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

52 per cent of Ven- ezuela is covered by a huge variety of tropical forest types, estimated at 47.6 million ha of complex and biodiverse forests [ ] 235 The conservation of crocodiles As a result of the high diversity in biomes, Venezuela concomitantly presents one of the world’s highest biodiversity indices in plant and ani- mal species. The Escudo de Guayana region, along with the mountainous systems of the Andes, the Cordillera de la Costa and the SerranÌa de Perij·, are the main endemic centres for the country’s wild flora and fauna Conservation of the Costa Cayman This significant programme aims to reinforce the existant populations and reintroduce specimens from the coastal Cayman (Crocodylus Acutus) throughout its natural distribution area. Among the actions taken for its conservation are population mon- itoring; the rescue of nests and/or newborns, and captive breeding for later release to the wild. To date, 703 specimens of the Costa Cayman have been released. Among the most important activi- ties are: • Monitoring of the population sta- tus of the species using a census of individuals • Estimation of the abundance of nests of the species by locality using a census of nests. Saltwa- ter crocodiles lay their eggs in a mound of plants and mud • Estimation of annual reproduc- tive success by locality in terms of viable nests • Collection of wild newborns for captive breeding • Captive breeding in nurseries by conservationists of the species • Annual releases of juvenile alliga- tors bred in captivity • Care of contingencies related to the wellbeing of the species • Mobilization of confiscated speci- mens and reintegration into the wild. El Consejo, Venezuela Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) T he Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has a privileged geography and physiography, with high orographic, climatic and ecological diversity. The country is located between the north of the Amazon Basin and Isla de Aves in the north of its exclusive economic zone, and from the Orinoco Delta and the Essequibo to the SerranÌa de Perij. The total area is 916,445 km 2 with a land surface of 882,050 km 2 . The maritime area includes approximately 71,000 km of territorial sea, 100,000 km of continental shelf and 472,000 km of exclusive economic zone in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. This location gives the country a wide diversity of ecosystems throughout 27 climatic zones, with 650 types of natural vegetation, 23 relief forms and 38 large geological units. Jose Prieto on Unsplash