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Environmental impacts of the oil industry on the Mauritia Flexuosa swamp palm groves (morichales) in Venezuela

Abstract:

The Mauritia flexuosa swamp palm groves provide varied ecological benefits, because they serve as ecological corridor and habitat for a diverse fauna. The M. flexuosa swamp palm groves also act as carbon sinks and regulators of the hydrological regime of the associated river, aswell as source of water for consumption, recreation, river transport for the community, and as scenic value for the landscape. In Venezuela, these ecosystems are found mainly in the Eastern Llanos, located in one of the main oil deposits of the country. The main objective of the present work is to highlight the major environmental impacts produced by the oil industry on these ecological systems. These include: i) degradation of the vertical structure of the M. flexuosa swamp palm groves, the adjacent wet grassland and the typical savanna vegetation including mostly slow growth evergreen shrub and small tree, ii) impacts on the lower atmosphere associated with oil spills burning of hydrocarbons and the associated temporal incorporation of particulate material, increases in the temperature of it by fire thermal heating, and emission of toxic gases, iii) sedimentation, alteration of drainage patterns, and pollution of natural or man-made lagoon water bodies, iv) changes in soil quality due to alteration of microbiological activity, burial, compaction, erosion, and hydrocarbon contamination, v) impacts on wildlife associated with habitat degradation; and vi) effects on the socioeconomic activities of the inhabitants of the adjacent areas and those who depend on these ecosystems. The ecological role played by the M. flexuosa swamp palm groves, the relative common presence in the Venezuelan Llanos and the lack of information about de impacts of oil activity, require of further studies for a better understanding of the changes produced by oil activities and the ability to recover this ecosystem after the impacts.