Indigenous Communities In the Amazon Suffer from the Maduro Regime's Environmental Assault

The Maduro regime's environmental degradation in Venezuela is nearing a point of no return. The effects of this environmental assault are not contained within Venezuela's borders, and disproportionately affect Indigenous communities throughout the Amazon Basin. Ryan C. Berg sits down with Luis Felipe Duchicela, Senior Advisor for Indigenous People's Issues at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Cristina Burelli, Director of the V5Initiative, to discuss the impacts of environmental degradation on Indigenous communities in Venezuela and throughout the Amazon Basin. Together, they highlight the cultural diversity found in the Amazon Basin, discuss the environmentally damaging policies and practices of the Maduro regime, and expound on the various impacts these have on Indigenous peoples. Further, they chart a path forward for an inclusive and sustainable recovery for Venezuela and the region, specifically highlighting the role of Indigenous communities in this process.

Recommendations for further reading

• Gold flows from Venezuela: supporting due diligence on the production and trade of gold, OECD, Sept. 8, 2021, (http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/gold-flows-from-venezuela-supporting-due-diligence.htm)
• These 15 innovations are helping to restore and protect the Amazon, World Economic Forum, Sept. 23, 2021 (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/innovations-restoration-amazon-bioeconomy-ecopreneurs/)