Park rangers denounce clearing and mining concessions in parks

According to this Spanish-language article in Los Tiempos, park ranges in Bolivia have raised concerns that “protected Areas face serious problems of clearing plans and "invasion" of mining concessions, with scarce economic resources, without sufficient personnel and with a general director of the National Service of Protected Areas (Sernap) who has no commitment to these areas , but with political interests.”

“The head of Protection II, Marcos Uzquiano, told the ANF that they have three important demands: that the eventual rangers be hired permanently, improve the budget for park management, and the growing mining problem.

One of the major concerns is the number of mining concessions that have been granted, when the Madidi Park was created in 1995, there were 50 pre-existing concessions, that is, when the area was established, they were already in place, therefore It was necessary to "respect" and "assume", but now "we are for the 94 mining concessions," he warned.

Although he said that not all the concessions are operating and that the activity is at least 30% that does so in a mechanized or artisanal way, Uzquiano expresses his concern that mining operators could put their concessions into operation at any time.

"It seems that they want to turn the Madidi into a mining megafield," warned the head of Protection of one of the most important protected areas in the country for its great biodiversity, recognized worldwide as a natural lung.

He regretted that this situation "does not interest" the director of Sernap; and that the Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM) continues to authorize concessions without respecting the status of protected area. "Leaving us highly vulnerable to miners who arrive with their machinery and in breach of environmental regulations."

Uzquiano believes that it is a "mining onslaught", because in Mapiri and other municipalities in northern La Paz they have already exhausted mining exploitation, therefore, they are under pressure to seek other areas and one of those would be the Madidi Park.

El Madidi has an area of ​​1,895,740 ha (18,957.40 km²), is characterized by having a large number of hydrological basins, has an immense flora and fauna, Ernesto Lucía is one of the park's guardians, assures that the "problems they are in the 22 protected areas ".

It confirms that they are being "invaded by mining concessions and that the entire banks of the Tuichi River are occupied by mining companies, which in the future are expected to enter with mechanized activity." We feel abandoned, because the conditions do not exist to carry out patrols either. , Lucia specified.

Uzquiano observed that while in protected areas such as Madidi there are many needs to fulfill their functions, the general director is focused on hiring directors through "rigged" and non-transparent processes.

For these reasons, he said that, if the director Teodoro Mamani is not committed to protecting and conserving protected areas, instead yielding to extractive pressures, he should "resign" from the position, because until now he has not demonstrated to defend these areas that are they constitute in true natural patrimonies.

The head of Protection II of Madidi, is intimidated with administrative processes open to complaint of the miners, only because he is fulfilling his function. On the other hand, he pointed out that other park rangers do not dare to report for fear of losing their job source.”

Indigenous people on Runasur: "Evo stars in events to wash his face at the international level"

On April 25, former Bolivian President Evo Morales and representatives from 3 other countries gave a press conference to communicate conclusions from Runasur, with repeated mention of mother earth. According to this Spanish-language article, two indigenous representatives from the lowlands of Bolivia: Roni Ribera and Alex Villca provided critical responses.

“Roni Ribera, from the Chiquitana nation, said that the theory put forward by Morales does not fit with practice. He criticized that they do not include the indigenous peoples of the lowlands. For Ribera, the commission spoke of decolonization, despite the fact that what has been done and will continue to be done at this time is internal colonization… He regretted that there is talk of Mother Earth, but extractivism is promoted from practice, and that the indigenous people of the highlands are denatured, instrumentalizing them as social movements.”

“According to Villca,  Runasur is merely 21st century socialism and to enter that for indigenous peoples is to lose the horizon . “They say that the only ones who achieved the purpose of plurinational integration are Ecuador and Bolivia. They say that having been dominated by neoliberal governments has caused a social, economic and environmental crisis, which is the one we are experiencing now, but they  unload the responsibility on the supposedly neoliberal governments, but they say absolutely nothing that they deepened the crisis.”

“For Villca,  what Evo says to the media is interesting, but in practice he does the opposite . There are  many events that he is leading to wash his image , especially at the international level, obviously also at the local level, and for them social organizations are those that are subordinate to power, to their ideology. The critics who question their policies are not valid indigenous people, nor are we valid interlocutors . There is a social stratification in the indigenous peoples, it seems that there are first, second and third class indigenous people, "he alluded to the former president, current MAS president.”

Andean forests have high potential to store carbon under climate change

According to this Washington University press release, “the Andes Mountains of South America are the most species-rich biodiversity hotspot for plant and vertebrate species in the world. Andean forests are helping to protect the planet by acting as a carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide and keeping some of this climate-altering gas out of circulation, according to new research published in Nature Communications.” the research draws upon “two decades of data from 119 forest-monitoring plots in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.”

“By locking in carbon, trees in forests around the world play a role in maintaining global climate stability. Some forests play a bigger role than others — the Andes prime among them, the study found.”

“In only 1% of the Earth’s land surface, the tropical Andes contain 15% of the world’s plant species, or about 45,000 species in total. Approximately half of these plants — about 20,000 species — are endemic, meaning they are only found in the Andes. In addition to harboring extreme levels of biodiversity, Andean forests provide and protect sources of food, water and power for more than 50 million people. However, global environmental change — including deforestation, human population growth and climate change — is endangering Andean biodiversity and ecosystem services.”

International forum on the main challenges of vaccination of indigenous peoples

“With the aim of reflecting on the challenges of vaccinating indigenous or native populations, specifically against the vaccine against covid-19 in countries of the Amazon region, the Ministry of Culture and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) , will hold an international forum on April 21 and 22 with the participation of representatives of the State and organizations of indigenous peoples and civil society from Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador.”

The international forum will contribute to the "Contingency plan for the protection of health in highly vulnerable indigenous peoples and in initial contact" that is supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

A representative from the Protection Area of ​​the Madidi National Park and Natural Area of ​​Integrated Management of Bolivia will participate on the panel discussing “The vaccination plan in the field of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI).”

Indigenous people of La Paz announce "March for Land and Territory"

According to Los Tiempos, the Central of Indigenous Peoples of La Paz (Cpilap) plans to carry out a "March for the Land and the Territory" starting on May 10, “in search of legal security over their ancestral territories, respect for their rights and the rejection of extractivism.” The march is to “enforce respect for the ancestral territories of the indigenous peoples, who today are subjected to domination by intercultural so-called "new settlers." ", as well as the imposition of mining activities without properly made consultation.”

“Over the years the populations have grown and there are young people who do not have access to land such as the young people of the north of La Paz; some Community Lands of Origin such as the Tacanas II brothers have been demanding a territorial space for more than 20 years and the Government has not provided a solution…eight indigenous peoples have pending demands for titling, some compensation, while others do not have access to land, as in the case of the TCO Tacanas II, Esse Ejja, as well as Mosetenes communities by Kauka B.”

Minister of Hydrocarbons: Bolivia has great potential to produce energy and export to the countries of the region

This Spanish-language article reports that Bolivia’s Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energies, Franklin Molina announced that “Bolivia's potential to produce electricity and export to the markets of the region is diverse and inexhaustible.” He specifically mentioned the Chepete and El Bala hydroelectric projects, located in the north of the department of La Paz, that have been “questioned by some environmental groups and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).”

“"I have seen studies by some extremely biased NGOs where they even try to induce the population that the large dams of these hydroelectric projects are not renewable and are therefore renewable. What does the water depend on? On the rain," he replied.”

The article goes on to state: “According to official data, the Chepete and El Bala hydroelectric projects have a potential of 3,676 megawatts (MW), the first with 3,251 MW and the second with 425 MW, which makes it an important power generator. During the administration of former President Evo Morales, the execution of these projects was halted because, according to activists, it would affect the environment despite the fact that it was guaranteed that the constructions will respect the norms that protect Mother Earth.”

France's LVMH to combat deforestation in Amazon

According to this article, “LVMH – a partner of the UNESCO MAB (Man and the Biosphere) programme, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – has launched an initiative to combat deforestation in the Amazon. The initiative, being taken in partnership with the UNESCO MAB programme, is part of the group’s new biodiversity strategy, launched at a forum organised by UNESCO.”

”The strategy is one of the pillars of the new LIFE 360 programme (LVMH Initiatives For the Environment), and aims to have a positive net contribution to biodiversity by limiting the activity’s impact on ecosystems, by helping to rehabilitate 5 million hectares of habitat for flora and fauna by 2030, in particular thanks to regenerative agriculture.”

”LVMH and UNESCO are targeting the factors of deforestation in the Amazon, with a budget of five million euros over five years. The programme aims to address the origins of deforestation and water pollution in the Amazon Basin by combining eight biosphere reserves in Bolivia (Pilón-Lajas, Beni), Ecuador (Yasuní, Sumaco, Podocarpus-El Condor), Brazil (Central Amazon) and Peru (Manu, Oaxapampa-Ashaninka-Yanesha).”

“In the short term, this will result in creation of a local radio system dedicated to the prevention of forest fires based on existing infrastructures. In the long term, it will enable the identification of good practices and the establishment of sustainable economic activities in areas of severe deforestation…The LVMH Group has structured its biodiversity strategy around four objectives -establishing a clear and precise measurement of biodiversity impact; avoiding and reducing impact on ecosystems; promoting animal welfare; and regenerating ecosystems.”

Biological corridors in Bolivia: between fires, agricultural expansion and conservation efforts

Mongobay provides a discussion of the importance of biological corridors in Bolivia in this Spanish-language article. “The purpose of a biological corridor is to maintain the functional continuity of ecosystems and a way of maintaining the provision of environmental services. No protected natural area can be considered an island, ”says Daniel Villaroel, Deputy Manager of Projects at the Fundación Amigos por la Naturaleza (FAN) of Bolivia. In Bolivia there is no legal figure that establishes conservation corridors.”

“In 2020, the San Matías Integrated Management Natural Area, the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, the Madidi National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area and the Otuquis National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area were among the most devastated by forest fires. . All of them, in addition, are considered within biological conservation corridors. “With the rate of deforestation in Bolivia, there is a tendency for protected natural areas to remain as islands. In the future, this does not guarantee the viability of conservation, ”Cometa Villaroel. The FAN expert adds that the most worrying thing in the case of fires is the change in land use that occurs in the intermediate zones between protected areas.”

“One of the corridors that marked an era due to international relations that they signified was the Amboró-Vilcabamba Conservation Corridor," says Villaroel from FAN. The specialist points out that this corridor covers a large extension of protected areas in Bolivia and Peru that includes the Great Madidi-Tambopata Landscape. The Amboró-Vilcabamba corridor is part of the Tropical Andes hotspot , which stretches from the Vilcabamba mountain range in Peru to the Amboró National Park in Bolivia and is made up of a chain of 19 protected areas with mountainous forests and tropical plains. Villaroel also explains that this 30 million hectare corridor was aimed at guaranteeing the water supply. He adds that the Great Madidi Tambopata Landscape emerged within the corridor, since it included these conservation units. «This corridor was left in the nebula. The lack of investment had a lot of influence, "says Villaroel about the lack of continuity in the protection of Amboró-Vilcabamba. Of that project, the Great Madidi-Tambopata Landscape has been the sector that has been best maintained, says the FAN representative.”

World Wildlife Day: Experts question policies that go against their protection

On World Wildlife Day, El Pais interviewed biologist and researcher Vicent Vos and Alex Villca, park ranger, expert in Tourism Management and co-founder of the Coordinator for the Defense of Protected Areas. They urged “productive alternatives (such as Amazonian fruits, ecotourism, fish farming, integrated forest management, agroforestry, ecological agriculture, etc.) that allow us to generate an economy without destroying our natural resources” as well as “repeal of certain laws and decrees that are considered threatening to the environment and mainly to wildlife, such as the laws of burns and chaqueos and the approval of the use of transgenics.”

The 2020 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), “establishes that Latin America is the region most affected by the reduction of wildlife (mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles). According to this report, these species have been reduced by 94% between 1970 and 2016 in the region.”

According to Alex Villca: “In recent years, as a result of the approval of a set of pro-agribusiness regulations and expansive livestock farming, Bolivians have lost incalculable and unique forests on the planet, as is the case of the Chiquitano dry forest, which is also a dwelling of ancient indigenous peoples such as the Ayoreos, where sadly millions of wild species have been incinerated, from the smallest (microorganisms) to the largest trees and mammals (flora and fauna) ” Added to all this is the increase in wildlife trafficking, such as the Jaguar tusks, “which has increased especially since the arrival of Chinese citizens in our country. With such an accelerated pace and colossal magnitude of destruction of terrestrial habitats and ecosystems, the lives of millions of wild species and the lives of indigenous peoples are in serious danger of extinction, ”

Vincent Vos agreed that “Unfortunately there is not much to celebrate in Bolivia. 'Development' trends mean that more wildlife is being lost in the country than ever. Policies in favor of the deepening of the extractivist model and the expansion of the agricultural frontier have helped to position Bolivia as one of the countries with the highest rates of deforestation and with the fires of recent years we have lost more wooded areas than ever.”

Hotspots of deforestation in the Amazon in 2020

According to a recent report from the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), “more than 2 million hectares of primary forest loss by 2020, in the 9 Amazonian countries. The countries with the greatest loss of primary forest in 2020 are 1) Brazil, 2) Bolivia, 3) Peru, 4) Colombia, 5) Venezuela and 6) Ecuador. Several of the most intense hotspots were in the Bolivian Amazon.”