Venezuela exercises environmental sovereignty with the release of 400 birds rescued from illegal traffic

Published at: 05/06/2026 09:15 PM

In the framework of World Environment Day, the Minister of Popular Power for Ecosocialism, Freddy Ñáñez, led an act of restoration of nature's rights from the Waraira Repano National Park. The authority announced the recovery of 400 specimens of the Tejado canary, birds endemic to Venezuela, rescued through a seizure carried out in Brazil after being illegally captured for animal trafficking.

The owner of the ecosocialist portfolio condemned wildlife trafficking, describing it as “one of the darkest businesses invented by humanity, which we have to face in every way, through education, training, community awareness, but also through the heavy hand of the State”.

The minister affirmed that the country exercises sovereignty by stopping the illegal trade in national species and returning these birds to their natural habitat, a gesture that symbolizes the human capacity to compensate for damage and protect biodiversity.

We wanted this day to be a day of vindication for nature and that's why we came here to be able to say sorry to nature and also to tell it that the same human being who sometimes causes harm is the same human being who can repair wounds and who can sow life,” he said.

Misión Árbol strengthens national ecological awareness

Rosinés Chávez Rodríguez, president of the Tree Mission, highlighted the institutional commitment after twenty years of uninterrupted work. The official stressed that Mother Earth requires reflection and collective action aimed at greening the territory. Chávez Rodríguez described the growth of the mission as a harmonious and beautiful process, palpable both in the education sector and in the social and community spheres throughout Venezuela.

“We have seen how all the commitment that has been placed on the Tree Mission since its inception 20 years ago is green and is seen in the fruit and in the growth of each of these trees that have been planted,” he said.

He added that they work in coordination with the National Park Institute and small park rangers to consolidate a solid environmental culture. He highlighted the execution of the program “One Student, One Tree”, which seeks that each student establishes at least one copy during their academic training as a direct response to the call for planetary preservation. The mission continues with its community deployments to ensure reforestation and the growth of the country's natural capital.

Plan Chuquisaca reaches 300,000 trees planted in the country

For his part, Simón Arrechider, national coordinator of the Mother Earth Mission, reported during the day on the achievement of a significant milestone, reaching 300,000 trees planted in the national territory, as part of the Chuquisaca National Reforestation Plan, a reforestation initiative that encompasses mangroves, strategic hydrographic basins for planting water and semi-arid land, with an ambitious goal of reaching 10 million specimens.

Arrechider specified that the project mobilizes a growing number of volunteers that already exceed 150,000 registrations, including organizations, companies, educational institutions and research centers. He invited citizens to join through the portal www.misionmadretierra.com, a platform where they coordinate the weekly planting days planned for the next six months. With this deployment, Venezuela is implementing one of the most ambitious reforestation plans in Latin America, inspired by the first environmental decree issued by Liberator Simon Bolivar.

Mazo News Team