According to the Spanish-language Eju!, the Bolivian government has been facilitating mining access in 3 protected areas in La Paz: “Madidi, Apolobamba and Cotapata. Documents accessed by the digital media La Nube show that the Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM) and the National Protected Areas Service (Sernap) agreed to "continue" the procedures and "use the necessary means" so that the cooperative members with " preconstituted rights” legalize the extraction of gold in these sites.”
“On September 13, 2021, the director of AJAM, Brenda Lafuente, and the director of Sernap, Teodoro Mamani, signed a meeting minutes together with mining leaders to make possible 93 procedures for mining areas in said protected areas: 12 in Madidi , 68 in Apolobamba and 13 in Cotapata.”
“The AJAM will proceed with the 76 adaptation requests framed in national protected areas based on the certificates of compatibility of use (CCU) that will be issued by the Sernap (…). The AJAM and the Sernap, regarding the 17 adaptation requests that correspond to the National Park, will resort to the necessary means to issue the respective CCUs for the purpose of their adaptation with the signing of the mining administrative contract”, says one of the conclusions of the minutes. of said meeting.”
“Obtaining a CCU is an important step to obtain the environmental license and subsequent final authorization for mining activity in a protected area.”
“The 93 procedures indicated above would correspond to "preconstituted mining rights", that is, acquired before the Mining Law 535, of 2014; although this may vary.”