The Passiflora sanctuary, an area of high biodiversity in the Bolivian Amazon, is facing a serious risk due to the construction of an ENDE power transmission line. The founder of Senda Verde, Vicky Ossio, denounced the illegal incursion of company personnel on the property, where clearing and logging were carried out without authorization.
The project “115 kV San Buenaventura – Ixiamas Transmission Line” would affect key ecological areas, fragmenting the habitat and endangering hundreds of species. Camera traps recorded 80 species of amphibians and reptiles, 303 birds, and 33 mammals, many of them endangered.
Ossio warned that deforestation will increase the risk of fires and ecosystem destruction, as well as causing bird collisions and electrocutions due to the power lines. She also pointed out that ENDE lacks environmental permits and did not carry out a public consultation.
Senda Verde rejects the project and demands transparency and respect for environmental regulations. In the context of increasing extractive pressure on the Amazon, the organization actively works on the conservation and restoration of the territory, highlighting the importance of preserving one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.
The Risks of Deforestation
Deforestation is an environmental problem that has many negative effects, including:
- Global warming: Forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, so their clearance releases stored carbon and increases global warming.
- Floods: Deforestation increases the frequency and severity of floods.
- Erosion and desertification: Deforestation exposes the soil to erosion and desertification.
- Climate imbalances: Deforestation causes more extreme temperature fluctuations that can be harmful to plants and animals.
- Infectious diseases: Deforestation creates conditions for a variety of deadly pathogens, such as the Nipah and Lassa viruses, and parasites that cause malaria and Lyme disease.
- Wildlife extinction: Deforestation is one of the main reasons why many animal species are endangered.
- Food insecurity: Forests provide food for much of the world’s population.
- Habitat loss: Deforestation reduces habitats for many animal species.
- Pollution: The use of chemicals for the production of cocaine base paste contaminates ecosystems.
Have you visited our YouTube channel yet? Subscribe now!
