Los Tiempos reported that “The executive director of the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP), Teodoro Mamani Ibarra, reinstated the head of Protection of Madidi National Park, José Luis Howard, after the wave of criticism and pronouncements for the dismissal of at least seven heads of Protection of areas protected areas of the country.
Activists and different institutions called for the restitution of all those fired, including the head of Protection of the Tunari National Park, Alberto Terrazas, who was also acting director and denounced different irregularities within the protected area.
A couple of days ago, the Bolivian Association of Park Rangers, Conservation Agents (Abolac) denounced that Mamani dismissed the officials without respecting their seniority, professionalism, management career, performance and without reaching a consensus with the Management Committees by selecting “people without the profile required by the regulations ”.
Abolac demanded the restitution of the officials and warned that otherwise they will declare a state of emergency, protests and the installation of a hunger strike.”