Clean Air Campaign Protects Bolivia`s Forests

SBDA`s Aire Puro campaign produced air freshners for cars that say: "Movimiento Aire Puro: Hace tu parte" (Clean Air Campaign: Do your part).

E-LAW partners in Santa Cruz are using creative approaches to protect Bolivia`s tropical forests. Attorney Diego Gutierrez and radio producer Mauricio Aguilera have teamed up to launch "Aire Puro," a multimedia clean air campaign that calls attention to the serious health hazards of breathing smoke-filled air.
Aire Puro has brought widespread attention to illegal burning of forests, and mismanagement of fire on farms and ranches. The campaign has put pressure on Bolivian authorities to enforce Bolivia`s fire laws to protect public health, the environment, and the economy.
In October, E-LAW U.S. Environmental Research Scientist Meche Lu and Communications Director Maggie Keenan traveled to Bolivia to work with Diego and Maurcio at their non-profit environmental law organization, Sociedad Boliviana de Derecho Ambiental (SBDA). Maggie`s report is below.

Trip Report
Maggie Keenan
Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Santa Cruz, Bolivia, is one of the windiest places in South America. Winds funnel down the east side of the Andes and fan fires used to clear farm lands and forests, destroying critical habitat and leaving a thick haze over Santa Cruz and surrounding areas.
When Meche and I stepped off the plane in Santa Cruz, we could immediately smell the smoke, and the sky was obscured by a smoky haze.
"There are laws to control burning, but the laws are not being enforced," says SBDA Director Diego Gutierrez. Bolivian law requires farmers to get a permit to burn their fields, and fires are never permitted during high winds. Using fire in public forests is also illegal. "Only 2% of the population complies. This is an official number!" said Diego.
The sad result is that air quality in Santa Cruz these past two years has been three to six times worse than standards set by the World Health Organization, and forests are dwindling. Neighboring Brazil has similar problems with forest fires.
SBDA has found an effective way to bring much needed attention to Bolivia`s forest fire problem. In May 2005, at the start of the windy season, SBDA launched the Aire Puro campaign. SBDA tapped $100,000 worth of free radio and television production services, as well as air time and newspaper ads.

SBDA included this illustration in an educational booklet that it produced to help people around Ixiamas learn to manage forests sustainably.

"The air is full of smoke and the campaign drives home the health threat. Breathing this air is dangerous! The authorities are now under increasing pressure to enforce the law, which protects the forests," said Mauricio.
Meche and I worked with Diego and Mauricio to strengthen SBDA and identify funding prospects for their forest protection work in the year ahead. A guiding principle at E-LAW is that dedicated grassroots advocates, working at home, in strong organizations, can protect ecosystems for generations to come. That`s why we focus on groups like SBDA.
E-LAW U.S. has worked with SBDA for several years to protect Bolivia`s forests. Together, we have hosted forestry workshops in Ixiamas, a small town near Madidi National Park – one of the world`s most pristine rainforests. SBDA forestry workshops have educated communities here about sustainable forest management and how to protect the Park.
Richard Collins, a Tacana rubber tapper, was motivated by SBDA workshops to become the first indigenous person elected to the Ixiamas City Council. SBDA forest workshops helped Richard understand Bolivia`s forest laws and protect the resource that he depends on to support his family.
The Tropical Andes contain unparalleled biodiversity and are home to thousands of endemic plant and animal species. E-LAW U.S. congratulates its partners at SBDA for their hard work and ingenuity in protecting the region`s magnificent forests. E-LAW U.S. also thanks the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its support of E-LAW`s work in Bolivia.