According to this Spanish language article published in Pagina Siete, “One of the main problems regarding the rights of indigenous peoples is that there is a historical imbalance between recognized and applied rights,” Several examples were given in this article:
—”Of the 58 claims for land titling filed in the Lowlands, only half were titled in favor of the claimant indigenous peoples. Thousands of other lawsuits remained unresolved.”
—“Another problem is the economic policy promoted by the State, which is based on indiscriminately extracting natural resources, many of them in indigenous territories, increasingly affecting their way of life.”
— “The expansion of the agricultural frontier in the country's Lowlands and the fires caused by this expansion are problems that have also become evident in recent times. Only in August of this year, of the 58 titled indigenous territories, 48 have been affected by fires in areas of “high vulnerability.”
—”Despite the fact that the CPE specifies the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples in their territories, they are not taken into account.”
—”Other problems are the management of territories and the economic situation of indigenous peoples, who lack the necessary support to adapt their productive systems to the new climatic conditions, which is causing them to have to migrate to cities in order to survive (currently more than 60 % of the indigenous population has come to reside in cities). This, in turn, is causing the extinction of their culture and native languages such as Baure, Cayubaba, Leco, Maropa, Moré or Pacahuara.”
Positions from 5 of the 7 candidates for the October 18 Presidential election in Bolivia are described in the article. None of the parties specifically mentioned the plans for megadams. Citizen Community (CC) is the party that specifically mentioned the Amazon: “In the Amazon we will promote sustainable productive alternatives free of deforestation, to live in harmony with nature, eliminating the regulations that allow the burning of forests and protected areas.” When asked about sustainability, MAS replied their plans for “Incorporation in the matrix of the Financial Law the bases for the gradual and sustained transformation of the extractivist logic towards a post-development economic model.”