In November 1996, the government removed the illegal rice farmers from the protected area of the Nariva Wetlands and began an environmental impact assessment (EIA), which for the first time offered an economic valuation of that natural asset.
In November 1996, the authorities evicted unauthorized rice cultivators from the Nariva Wetlands' conservation area and started a comprehensive evaluation to assess the environmental effects, marking the first time an economic value was assigned to this natural resource.