Indigenous peoples are confined to their territory, without medical attention or food

In this Spanish-language article published by Pagina Siete, members of indigenous nations north of La Paz and the Eastern part of Bolivia complain about food shortages.

From the Uchupiamonas community which borders Madidi national park, the indigeneous leader, Alex Villca “mentioned that the protected areas of the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory, and of the Madidi National Park and Natural Area for Integrated Management, “remain quartered in their own communities and territories, as our ancestors used to do, with the hope that they will be safe there and that the land, the forest and the rivers will provide them with food and medicine. ”

However, the leader added that they feel unprotected by the central government and even assured that if the inhabitants did not know the benefits of the forest and the rivers, they would be condemned to die in these regions.”

“Regarding hospitals and health centers in the area, the leader affirmed, “some do exist, but they lack equipment, medicines and trained personnel… All our ailments are mostly treated by healers and the benefits of medicinal plants. "

Inhabitants of the Central de Pueblos Indígenas Tacana II, located in the Iturralde province are suffering food shortages. According to Ángel Quimo, the maximum leader of the Toromona community.: “We are having difficult times. Here we lack food, no authority listens to us when we call our authorities, or the municipality. The truth, people, is not going to bear this quarantine. By the way, we have our unsold almonds, which puts us in a critical situation.”

Indigenous Uchupiamonas turn their gaze to cinchona in the face of the danger of the coronavirus

Efforts to quarantine and use indigeneous plants to fight the coronavirus outbreak are described in this Spanish language article.

“Quina is a tall, broad-leaved tree found in the Amazon rain forest. Its bark has many medicinal qualities, like other species of the Cinchona genus, and was widely used against malaria, yellow fever, and flu-related viral illnesses…Other plants in which interest is put are ebanta (bark), guava, wild maga and matico, always used against flu-related illnesses.”

“Villca points out that ebanta has many properties and cures from stomach infections to intoxication, more so if it is combined with wild mage shell and matico, a preparation that can cure viral diseases such as the flu. They combine just like western medicine combines medications. The elderly transmit their knowledge on the appropriate amounts, doses for adults and children, or which part of the plant is the most appropriate according to the type of ailment…If we lose ancestral knowledge, we will be more vulnerable to diseases that even western science cannot overcome.”

“In 2016, Bolivian scientist Carla Maldonado discovered a new species of Cinchona, a medicinal plant for the treatment of malaria, where the bark of quina comes from, and was collected within the Madidi park and in the Chapare. The discovery was part of his doctoral thesis.”

"There is no doubt that the rainforest is probably the best natural pharmacy that humanity can have to face numerous diseases, even unknown ones, and for this reason we must take care of it and protect it," says Villca, who became widely known for its iron defense of indigenous territory against the project to build the El Bala and Chepete dams, in the Evo Morales government.”

Protected natural areas: risks and benefits of closure due to coronavirus

Two Spanish-language articles in Mongabay and Mongabay LATAM describe how “Illegal activities and the reduction of budgets due to the absence of tourism” present problems in reserved areas. “Specialists also consider that it is a respite from human pressure and a unique opportunity to carry out studies of changes in ecosystems.”

Despite the fact that the 22 protected areas have been closed by the Bolivian government due to the coronavirus health crisis, a boat detained in Madidi National Park was found to have an illegal shipment of fish and a tapir (an endangered species). The closure of the protected areas by the Bolivian government is the same measure that most countries in the region have taken in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Marcos Uzquiano, head of the Madidi National Park rangers expressed concern that people from the surrounding communities may enter the national park to hunt and fish to supply their family with food. “Uzquiano fears that this necessary closure will not be enough to stop the mafias that profit from the illegal sale of flora and fauna within the protected natural areas.”

Melgar, the executive director of Sernap in Bolivia, points out that 300 park rangers in total are in charge of the control and surveillance tasks in the 22 natural protected areas of the country. Of these, around 200 were within protected areas when restraint was ordered, therefore they will be quarantined at their workplace. The rest will remain in their homes for the duration of the measurement. Rangers will only patrol in emergencies, for now they remain at their checkpoints.

“In addition to the concern about illegal activities, the economic impact that the cut in income from tourist visits will bring to protected areas, which in some countries represented up to 40% of the annual budget of national parks, is also discussed. Likewise, the question of what will happen to the productive projects carried out by indigenous communities both in protected areas and in buffer zones also remains in the air.”

According to Melgar, the executive director of Sernap in Bolivia, the income from tourist visits means between 35% and 40% of the annual budget. "We still cannot quantify the impacts, because the time they will remain closed is still uncertain, it can be a month, three months or the whole year."

“Even the situation in financial terms is not critical, indicates Maikol Melgar, since they have the budget of the public treasury to cover the needs of the outstanding personnel within the reserved areas. For this reason, they have not "thought about reducing personnel," he adds.

Uzquiano also mentions that the ecotourism initiatives of the communities that live within the parks, as well as other productive projects, will have repercussions because they will not generate income. "The indigenous population will seek means to subsist. There will be people who enter the park to carry out illegal activities, "he says. The Government has not yet proposed a solution to these problems.”

“Experts interviewed by Mongabay Latam acknowledge that this crisis will allow protected areas to rest, especially those ecosystems most frequented by tourism.

"Nature returns to take its place as human activity moves," says Iván Arnold, director of the Fundación Nativa, from Bolivia, on the cessation of activities and assures that it is an "irreplaceable and unrepeatable opportunity to look at the changes that they can occur in nature ”.

For Arnold it can even be taken as an experiment to evaluate what happens in this period of rest in the protected natural areas of Latin America and the world. “Sometimes nature gives us unthinkable lessons and this is one of them. A lesson and a call to change our way of acting. If we do not acknowledge receipt, other situations like this will come ”, he adds in relation to the world crisis caused by the coronavirus.”

“José Luis Mena, director of the Species Initiative of WCS Peru, maintains that the closure of the activities in the ANP is a truce and an opportunity to make an assessment of the state of the biodiversity of the reserved areas and compare with what happens when tourism is reactivated. "It is an unbeatable situation to collect data with good methodology and then compare with the influx of tourism," he says.

Mena also refers to the possible reduction in the trafficking of species that occurs with the closure of Asian markets, such as China, whose government has for now banned the sale of wild animals.”

Fight for the environment in Corona times

According to this German -language article, “the fight against environmental destruction is in no other region of the world as dangerous as in Latin America, every week two environmental activists in the region lose their lives. There is no improvement in sight because of Corona - on the contrary.”

Alex Villca, a Bolivian environmental activist is quoted in the article: “While governments all over the world are arresting us for the corona virus, they are exploiting our natural resources and resources with even more violence .” He “fears that the government and the economy will intensify their policies of extractive activism in these times: “The coronavirus and the associated economic catastrophes will serve as a welcome excuse to rob countries with a great biodiversity—especially countries in Latin America.”

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, environmental activities like Alex Villca had a hard time—”Again and again they have to justify themselves for their struggle, are criticized and dismissed as refusal to progress, who are also paid for by foreign NGOs and can be harassed.” His mother and siblings have been intimidated, and they have received threats that he will be placed in prison.

Indigenous communities demand cancellation of the El Bala-Chepete project

On March 19, 2020, a Spanish language article in Pagina Siete reported on a statement that was issued by “representatives from 17 communities settled around three rivers in the north of La Paz and Beni… The representatives maintain that the government is not working to cancel the hydroelectric projects that endanger their lives, biodiversity and the environment.“ The statement demands “that President Jeanine Añez cancel the regulations that make the El Bala and Chepete hydroelectric projects feasible, since these establish at risk the ecosystem and environment of this region.

“We have held a meeting with all those who are part of the Commonwealth of Indigenous Communities of the Beni, Tuichi and Quiquibey Rivers in order to continue defending our rivers, but mainly to demand that the decrees that are in force be annulled and put communities at risk. These rules are still in force and the government is not talking about leaving them without effect, ”said the San José de Uchupiamonas leader, Ruth Alipaz, during the meeting held on Saturday in Rurrenabaque.”

YPFB will not enter Tariquía, but neither does it terminate with operators

In a Spanish-language economic analyses published in Los Tiempos regarding hydrocarbon exploration, Alex Villca, spokesman for the National Coordination of Defense of Native Peasant Indigenous Territories and Protected Areas (Contiocap) raises concerns regarding existing contracts for hydrocarbon exploration: “Alex Villca, said that the Government has the strategy of saying "Tariquía no se toca", but at the same time maintains contracts with the operators. "To the extent that the transitional government does not demonstrate that these contracts are no longer in force, because at any time this or another government can activate it (the project)," he said…

Contiocap spokesman Alex Villca believes that the transitional government uses a strategy similar to that of Tariquía in other projects that involve protected areas such as the Chepete-Bala and Rositas hydroelectric plants. Villca affirmed that the Government maintains the discourse of not executing said projects, but does not review the decrees or signed contracts, so that they can be resumed at any time. "For us it is not a guarantee because a decree is the one that gives rise to these projects being on track, to remain in force. So, as long as they are not canceled, there is no peace of mind, ”he said.”

Bolivia presents environmentally friendly sustainable tourism at a meeting of Ibero-American ministers

According to this Spanish-language article in FM Bolivia, “the Minister of Cultures, Martha Yujra, on behalf of the Government of Bolivia, presented on Tuesday the positive progress made by the country in terms of sustainable tourism friendly to the environment and rural and indigenous communities such as: Rurrenabaque-Madidi Pampas, Chiquitania, Salar de Uyuni, Toro Toro, among others.” Her remarks were made as part of a plenary session of the XII Sectorial Ministerial Meeting of Tourism Ministers of Ibero-America. The theme of the meeting was: Innovation for Sustainable Development - Objective 2030.

The FM Bolivia article stated that the “Minister of Cultures assured that the Bolivian government is convinced that sustainable tourism is the option that Bolivia has to become a tourist power, strengthening the three pillars of sustainability; economic, social and environmental…At the XII Sectorial Ministerial Meeting of Tourism Ministers of Ibero-America in which 17 countries participate, it was agreed to give a strong boost to tourism as an important engine of sustainable development in the Ibero-American region, a proposal that will be presented to the Heads of State and Government during the XXVII Iberoamerican Summit.”

Conservationists cautiously optimistic after Bolivian government changes hands

This Mongabay article discusses how the new interim government in Bolivia has reversed some of the Morales administration’s decisions, however conservationists caution there is more left to do.

“It has been disastrous, something described as biocide and ethnocide,” said Ruth Alipaz, indigenous leader of the National Coordinator of Indigenous Peoples for the Defense of Territories and Protected Areas (CONTIOCAP). “Fundamental resources such as river waters have been contaminated and fish are dying.”

“The Minister of Public Works [Yerko Núñez] said that the Chepete-El Bala hydroelectric dam was unviable, but there are ministers and civil servants pushing to continue Morales’ projects,” said Ruth Alipaz of CONTIOCAP. Alipaz denounces the risks of extractive activities in indigenous territories. She says that indigenous communities have declared an emergency and requested an audience with the interim president. “We make up 42 percent of the population and are the most affected by extractive policies,” Alipaz said….”

““One of the main causes of contamination in Bolivia is gold mining,” said Pablo Villegas, also of CEDIB. “So far, no mining registry has existed and the government has not applied the Minamata Convention, a global treaty that seeks to protect health and the environment from mercury emissions.” According to Villegas, the government is granting authorizations to mining entities, which allows them to mine legally in indigenous territories and protected areas. “The issue lies with the Mining Law, which gives authorization to companies that do not have a legally registered status,” Villegas said.”

SERNAP and FFAA start intervention in 22 parks

According to this Spanish-language article in Los Tiempos, the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP) is collaborating with the Armed Forces to address land trafficking, illegal settlements and drug dealing in 22 protected areas. The intervention will include “audits of administrative, financial and technical management” and is being coordinated with the Ministries of Government and Defense. The director of SERNAP, Maikol Melgar, “clarified that all communities that are legally established within the Natural Area of ​​Integrated Management (ANMI) of each park will be respected and will have support. The ANMI is an area where low intensity agricultural activity is allowed. Meanwhile, the Minister of the Environment, María Elva Pinckert, said that no more illegal settlements will be allowed in protected areas and that funding is sought to strengthen control in those areas.”

“The environmental activist and defender of the indigenous peoples Alex Villca Limaco said that the native peoples will be very attentive to the results of this intervention in the parks, but warned that he hopes that it is not a “distracting maneuver”. "We do not believe much in the actions of the Government, probably that control action that is taking place simply has a distracting purpose to make us believe that it is being taken seriously," he said. He asserted that the MAS Government was dedicated to destroying natural parks and displacing indigenous peoples. However, the current transitional Executive has also promoted the clearing of forests and has continued the extractivist policy. He said the park rangers are insufficient and have no equipment, so he asked that the inhabitants of those areas become “sentries” who take care of the parks.”

Amazonas, a trip to the heart of the Bolivian jungle: A unique experience with indigenous communities, rural tourism and wildlife in the jungle

La Vanguardia, a Spanish online newspaper, recently wrote an article on visiting Madidi National Park and ecolodges in the area with video and photos. “This protected area is distinguished by being unique in the world. The visit of tourists requires education and environmental awareness. The real threats are related to hunting and fishing that are prohibited (only local communities are allowed to hunt or fish), as well as large-scale mining - there is gold in the river. The previous governments tried to build a hydroelectric dam and a highway.“

It is recommended that visitors to this protected area “take a tour with an agency that is socially responsible, as there are countless companies that offer visits but are fined for hunting, cutting down trees or entering trails Not allowed. Another fundamental warning is not to buy any product that derives from illegal hunting, such as alligator wallets, snake oil and other similar items. Besides not destroying the flora and not touching the animals.”

You can read the original Spanish article here.