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According to Anita Mendez-Reyna from the NGO Tierra Viva Foundation (an offshoot of Living Earth Foundation), the resulting salinization of land and water has forced the Warao natives to migrate to cities or concentrate in high-density dwellings - begging for food, because their natural gathering and hunting grounds have been ruined. But the river is still buoyant with water and resources. New generations have arrived, and their knowledge is more extensive.

© WWF/J Pratginestos Crocodile, Orinoco

The opinions of biologists and ecologists now count, and NGOs are collaborating with the authorities. An old project known as PROA (its Spanish initials) aimed at building dams, locks and lakes to increase the navigability of the Orinoco-Apure system has been thoroughly revised. Adalberto Núñez, the agricultural engineer in charge of PROA, said that the project has been modified to guarantee minimum environmental impact, and he supported his statement by pointing to the cooperation he receives from the World Wide Fund for Nature, the University of the Llanos, Fudena (WWF's Venezuelan counterpart), La Salle Foundation, the University of Florida and various NGOs.

The socio-political component of the project visualizes many small settlements along the river banks to house about 5m inhabitants coming from the overpopulated Venezuelan coastal areas. Adalberto Núñez claims he has an interdisciplinary team of 120 professionals to plan the future of the llanos and the welfare of Venezuela. Deborah Bigio, Fudena' s director, concedes there are favourable factors and willing cooperation from PROA. Fudena is participating in a river model and in the geographical information system.

PROA promotes collaboration among all the participants to gather and share available information. Donald Taphorn, ictiologist from the Llanos University recognizes that governmental institutions are changing for the better. PROA now consults, listens and modifies its plans accordingly. The project switched from big ships to smaller barges and these will only navigate during the 6 rainy-season months. They will not dredge the river, and there will be no locks or dams.

Gernant Magnin, from the WWF Living Waters Campaign, is cautiously optimistic. "WWF, in a unique cooperation with its counterparts in Venezuela and Colombia and the relevant ministries in the two countries, has initiated the development of a three-dimensional hydrological model of the entire basin. This tool (a global first on this scale) will allow the authorities to predict what the effects will be of, for example, the construction of a dam on the areas downstream. We are convinced that with modern technology and good planning, the Orinoco river can be developed so that its ecological qualities are preserved for generations to come."