Venezuela, one of the top 10 mega-diverse countries in the world, is proud to have within its Amazonia-Guayana region 29 Protected Areas: 8 national parks, 19 natural monuments, 2 Biosphere Reserves. 60% of the national territory lies South of the Orinoco River, 10% of Venezuela’s population lives in the area that is the habitat of 23 indigenous and tribal peoples.

What makes Venezuela’s Amazonian region unique within PanAmazonía is not its size, but that it comprises lowland tropical forests and a wide range of ecosystems along an elevational gradient of up to 3000 meters above sea level. This characteristic associated with the fact that Venezuela comprises most of the Guiana Shield – one of the last relics of the earliest part of the Earth’s history (The Precambrian Period), boasting the 3rd highest number in plant species, 4th in amphibious species, 6th in bird species – is what makes it so biodiverse. One of the “jewels in the crown” of Venezuela’s Amazonian region is Canaima National Park – the land of the Lost Worlds – widely celebrated as one of the most stunning landscapes on the planet, so much so that it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1994. Most importantly, this national park protects the rivers that supply 60% of the country’s hydroelectric power.