Environmental and government organizations said "NO to the mining arch"

Last Thursday, June 30, the 1st Ecosocialist Congress was held at the "Carlos Escarrá" Theater of PDVSA Guaraguao, chaired by the Vice Minister of MINEA, Siboney Tineo, and the Governor of the Anzoátegui State, Nelson Moreno, and more than 35 environmental organizations, including those that stood out: MAVEN, directed by Johan Paiva; INPARQUES, directed by Mariee Gil, the director of MINEA Anzoátegui Edgar Mata, MEVEN and FUNDACIÓN LA TORTUGA represented by Chelo Nogueira.

Last Thursday, June 30, the 1st Ecosocialist Congress was held at the "Carlos Escarrá" Theater of PDVSA Guaraguao, chaired by the Vice Minister of MINEA, Siboney Tineo, and the Governor of the Anzoátegui State, Nelson Moreno, and more than 35 environmental organizations, including those that stood out: MAVEN, directed by Johan Paiva; INPARQUES, directed by Mariee Gil, the director of MINEA Anzoátegui Edgar Mata, MEVEN and FUNDACIÓN LA TORTUGA represented by Chelo Nogueira.

The event began with a video of the late President Hugo Chávez Frías, in which he reminded those present of the fifth objective of the Plan de la Patria and which is summed up in these words “SAVE THE PLANET FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES AND GUARANTEE ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS”.

Subsequently, Johan Paiva, president of MAVEN, took the floor. This young man has been an active environmentalist since he was 9 years old, he is currently 19 years old, and his message moved the nerves of all those present because he recalled the importance of caring for and preserving the environment: “Nature has many stakeholders but few sufferers…”, ” “THE MINING ARCH MUST STOP NOW, I HAVE TRAVELED MYSELF TO SEE THE WORKS AND WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE IS CATASTROPHIC” “The GUAYANES MASSIF is the reservoir of WATER largest on the planet, THERE IS NO ANOTHER PLANET, THERE IS NO PLAN B, LET’S SAVE THE PLANET.” With these words, he closed his speech and the entire Theater stood up and applauded him in a standing ovation.

In the afternoon and at different work tables, meetings were held to discuss how to solve the different problems that are being experienced in the country, and among the topics addressed were: Arco Minero Project, Energy Crisis, Water Crisis, Crisis of Soils, Endangered Species, Protection of Water Basins, Recycling, among other issues that concern all citizens.

At the end of the day, the different spokespersons from the working groups read the agreements and proposed solutions. All were unanimously supported positively and these conclusions will be sent to the national executive. These agreements include:

- It is essential to review existing laws and if there are no specific laws that protect, supervise, and sanction, new laws must be created to ensure the protection of resources (WATER, LAND, AIR, TERRITORIAL SPACE).

- Water should be conserved and natural treatment plants created.

- Promote the planting and proper use of our soils, highly toxic chemical contaminants and transgenic seeds should not be used in our country.

- The Arco Minero Project is not viable because it will devastate rivers, basins, and WATER reserves, the same will happen with millions of hectares of species of the animal and plant kingdom. To carry out this project is to violate the Fifth Objective of the Homeland Plan.

- "Our Guianese Massif is the largest lung in the world, they are virgin lands where the destructive hand of man has not reached, the gold and the different stones cannot be breathed or eaten. Nature feels and is constantly speaking to us, only that we are so lost in our world of daily problems that we have forgotten that the EARTH gives us everything we need to live: AIR, WATER, FOOD, GOOD WEATHER, CLOTHING, MEDICINE, AMONG MILLIONS OF CONTRIBUTIONS that guarantee our well-being and life inside the planet.