Wildlife of
Roraima

Primary Threats

• Illegal artisanal gold mining is a dominant pressure, especially in remote forest regions and Indigenous Territories (notably Yanomami). It causes localized deforestation, river siltation, and widespread mercury contamination of waterways and fish, while opening access routes that enable additional hunting, logging, and land grabbing.
• Habitat conversion and fragmentation occur around Boa Vista and along accessible corridors (e.g., BR-174 and secondary roads), with clearing for cattle pasture, mechanized crops (including in savanna landscapes), and settlement expansion. In the Roraima savanna, conversion disproportionately affects a naturally patchy ecosystem with high specialization and endemism.
• Cattle ranching and crop expansion (notably in the Roraima savanna and along riverine floodplains where feasible) drives clearing, fencing, and drainage/soil alteration. Increased use of fire to manage pasture and expansion of mechanized agriculture can simplify native savanna mosaics and degrade riparian habitats.
• Selective and often illegal timber extraction occurs in accessible forest areas and near transportation routes. Even when canopy loss is partial, logging increases road/track networks that facilitate hunting, wildlife trade, and further clearing.
• Road paving/maintenance and new access routes increase deforestation pressure and wildlife mortality, and facilitate rapid spread of illegal activities. Energy and communications infrastructure can fragment habitats and increase human presence in previously remote Guiana Shield and forest interiors.
• Mercury from gold mining contaminates rivers and sediments, bioaccumulating in fish and affecting Indigenous and riverine communities. Agricultural runoff (fertilizers/pesticides) around intensively used areas can degrade water quality in tributaries feeding the Branco River system.
• Subsistence hunting is culturally and nutritionally important in many communities, but commercial bushmeat and hunting linked to mining/logging camps can depress populations of slow-reproducing species (e.g., large primates, tapirs, large birds) and alter forest ecological processes.
• Cross-border dynamics with Venezuela and Guyana, plus road access to Boa Vista, facilitate trafficking of parrots, songbirds, reptiles, and ornamental fish. Trade pressure can be acute near transport corridors and border towns.
• River and lake fisheries can be depleted near population centers and in areas with high transient workforce (e.g., mining zones). Large-bodied, high-value fish (including arapaima where present) are particularly vulnerable without local rules and enforcement.
• In the Roraima savanna, altered fire regimes (more frequent/late-season burns) and pasture management can shift savanna structure, reduce native ground-layer diversity, and increase erosion. Riverine habitats can be modified by channel disturbance from mining and by local impoundments/drainage works.
• Hotter temperatures and altered rainfall increase drought stress and raise the likelihood of large, severe fires in the Roraima savanna and forest edges. Climate shifts may also compress suitable conditions for Guiana Shield upland and table-top mountain endemics with limited dispersal options.
• Jaguar and puma predation on cattle in ranching areas leads to retaliatory killing and tolerance loss. Conflict also occurs around crop-raiding and perceived risk near settlements expanding into wildlife habitat.
• Mining camps, informal airstrips, and increased river traffic disturb sensitive aquatic and riparian species (e.g., giant otter) and increase noise/light impacts. Tourism in iconic landscapes (e.g., Monte Roraima/tepui environments) can concentrate impacts without careful visitation management.
• Introduced pasture grasses and other non-native plants can spread in disturbed savanna/pasture edges, increasing fuel loads and changing fire behavior. Domestic animals and commensal species near settlements can also pressure native fauna through predation and competition.
• Expanded human presence in remote areas (especially mining zones) increases risks of pathogen introduction to wildlife and can intensify zoonotic disease dynamics. For small or isolated populations (including upland endemics), disease outbreaks can be disproportionately damaging.
• Fragmentation in the lavrado and along major access corridors can isolate populations of habitat-specialist species, reducing gene flow. Tepui/upland endemic species already have naturally small, isolated ranges, making them vulnerable to genetic bottlenecks when additional pressures occur.
• High-demand extraction of timber, bushmeat, fish, and non-timber forest products can outpace replenishment near settlements, along rivers, and around mining fronts-especially where governance is weak and enforcement difficult.
• Growth around Boa Vista increases land conversion, sand/gravel extraction, water demand, and roadkill risk. Urban expansion also drives pollution loads into nearby waterways and increases pressure on peri-urban natural areas.