Venezuela, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, faces severe environmental challenges, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.

• Deforestation and land degradation: Illegal mining, particularly gold mining, logging and agricultural expansion are driving deforestation in the Amazon and other forest ecosystems. Mining activities also cause mercury pollution, deforestation and the degradation of water bodies.

• Biodiversity loss: Venezuela's ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest, the Andes, the Llanos, the Orinoco Basin and coastal and marine environments, host immense biodiversity. Threats include habitat loss, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and inadequate protected area management.

• Climate change: Venezuela is vulnerable to climate change impacts, including sea-level rise, increasing storm intensity and changing rainfall patterns that affect agriculture and water availability.

• Chemicals and waste: Mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining is a major environmental and public health concern. The management of obsolete pesticides, industrial chemicals and solid waste remains extremely limited, partly due to institutional capacity constraints.

The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP) can support community-led initiatives that contribute to Venezuela's national and global environmental commitments.

• National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Support Indigenous and local communities in community-based forest conservation, the sustainable management of protected areas and the protection of threatened species.

• Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Promote decentralized renewable energy solutions, including solar power, in remote communities; climate-resilient agriculture; and forest conservation to enhance carbon sequestration.

• National Action Plan (NAP) under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): Support sustainable land management practices, agroforestry and the restoration of degraded lands, including areas affected by mining.

• National Implementation Plan (NIP) under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants: Promote mercury-free mining practices, integrated pest management in agriculture and community-based waste management.

• Community management of threatened ecosystems and species: Support Indigenous communities in sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and the protection of threatened species.

• Sustainable agriculture and food security: Promote agroecology, sustainable farming practices among smallholder farmers and local food systems to enhance food security and resilience.

• Access to low-impact energy and co-benefits: Support community-scale solar energy solutions for remote communities, schools and health centres, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

• Local-to-global coalitions for chemicals and waste management: Work with mining communities to reduce mercury pollution and promote sustainable practices, while supporting integrated pest management in agriculture.

• Sustainable urban solutions: Support urban and peri-urban agriculture, green infrastructure and food loss reduction in Caracas, Maracaibo and other urban centres.