Defending Bolivia`s Biodiversity

Meche Lu

The forests of the Tropical Andes contain unparalleled biodiversity and are home to thousands of endemic species of plants and animals. Some scientists estimate that only 25% of original forest land in the Tropical Andes is still intact. Small-scale agricultural burning and resource extraction activities threaten to destroy what remains of this irreplaceable forest land.

E-LAW U.S. Environmental Research Scientist, Meche Lu, traveled to Bolivia earlier this year to help SBDA educate communities near Madidi National Park, one of the world`s most pristine rainforests. The following is her report.

I recently returned from Santa Cruz where I helped SBDA reach out to community leaders from Ixiamas, a remote village on the outskirts of the Madidi National Park, one of the world`s most pristine rainforests.

E-LAW partners at the Bolivian Environmental Law Society (SBDA) are educating local communities about protecting private and public forests through law. Together, we facilitated a workshop for a dozen participants who traveled overland from Ixiamas to Santa Cruz. The trip took them two days. The leaders from Ixiamas were eager to hear about the impacts of deforestation, the dangers of gold mining in rainforest rivers, and stories from communities around the world working to protect forest resources. Forests in Bolivia`s tropical Andes are home to thousands of endemic plant and animal species. Bolivia`s 1996 Forestry Law created innovative legal mechanisms to protect Bolivia`s unique ecosystems. Agrupaciones Sociales de Lugar (ASLs) are a legal mechanism that enables Bolivian citizens living near publicly-owned forest lands to gain the authority to manage these forests sustainably. Private land owners may create Reservas Privadas del Patrimonio Natural (RPPNs) to protect forests on private lands.

Workshop participants, Ixiamas, Bolivia

E-LAW U.S. is working with partners in Bolivia to help local communities use these legal mechanisms to protect biodiversity on both public and private forest lands. SBDA`s workshop in Santa Cruz strengthened the skills of ASL leaders to manage local forests.

The leaders from Ixiamas were inspired by my stories of E-LAW advocates around the world. I told them about M.C. Mehta`s efforts to clean up the Ganges River, Lottie Cunningham Wren`s work protecting the lands of indigenous communities on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, and Victor Ricco`s work getting clean water for a low-income community on the outskirts of Cordoba, Argentina.

One participant said, "Now I know that we can make changes for our community too." Participants asked many questions and were eager to learn. They wanted to know about the environmental and health effects of mercury used in artisanal gold mining in the Amazon. I shared with them the experiences of communities in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru that are working to keep mercury from contaminating their rivers. Later, workshop participants asked local authorities to help protect the rivers. The authorities expressed their concern and said they would work on it. For a community that did not know anything about mercury before the workshop, I consider this a good outcome!

Meche’s work in Bolivia was made possible by generous support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Bolivia at a Glance

The Lonely Planet Guide says: "Bolivia has five geographical regions: The highly populated Altiplano, a 11,480 foot plateau that stretches from the Peruvian border north of Lake Titicaca southwards to the Argentine border; the highland valleys, which lie to the south and east of the Altiplano and which boast near optimum climatic conditions and fertile soils; the Yungas, which form the transition zone between the icy peaks of the Andes and the steamy Amazonian forest; the Chaco, a hot, dry, impenetrable and uninhabited plain along the Paraguayan and Argentine borders; and the underdeveloped swamps, savannas, scrub and rainforest of the Amazonian Basin, which occupies much of the north and east of the country. "Due to its relatively sparse population, lack of development and diverse geography, Bolivia is one of the best places on the continent to see South American wildlife. Fauna include the rare spectacled bear, jaguar, vicuna, llama, alpaca, anteater, tapir, capybara, turtle, alligator, rhea and condor. Although Bolivia has a fairly good national park system, encroachment into the lowlands of the Amazonian Basin by settlers is increasing, and the huge fortunes awaiting those prepared to exploit the area`s mineral, agricultural and timber resources have made environmentalism a less convenient posture for the government to adopt."

http://www.lonelyplanet.com