Madidi National Park and Pilon Lajas

Establishment of Madidi National Park:

Madidi National Park and Area for Integrated Management is located in Bolivia and was established in 1995 through the combined efforts of many organizations and individuals including Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, Eco-Bolivia, and Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. The establishment of Madidi National Park was a lengthy endeavor, as the initial proposal to create a park to protect the rich wildlife and biodiversity was first mentioned in the 1970’s, over two decades before the park was founded. Following extensive research and scientific explorations, the area was deemed ecologically exceptional and in need of protection. Madidi National Park and the Area of Integrated Management (a section of the park dedicated to the maintenance and protection of Madidi) consists of 4.7 million acres. The park spans the upper Amazon River basin and reaches the Andes mountains, making it one of the largest areas of protected tropical rainforest in the world. Madidi National Park is currently managed by the National Park Service in Bolivia.

Sources:

• MacQuarrie, K. (2001). Where the Andes meet the Amazon: Peru and Bolivia's Bahuaja-Sonene and Madidi National Parks. The History of Madidi National Park. (pp 46-49). Jordi Blassi

• Nag, O. S. (2017). Madidi National Park Bolivia. World Atlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/madidi-national-park-unique-places-in-bolivia.html

Biodiversity in Madidi National Park:

Madidi National Park is widely known as a biodiversity hotspot, as it is home to over 45,000 plant species, 1,000 tropical bird species, and 1,700 vertebrate species. Roughly 11% of all avian species on the planet can be found in Madidi National Park. In addition to the incredible wildlife population present in the park, Madidi boasts spectacular topographical diversity as well. The park contains, rainforest, waterfalls, grasslands, lagoons, snow clad mountaintops, and archaeological remains from the Incas. The park is also home to 46 indigenous communities (e.g., Uchupiamonas and campesinos). These communities rely on fishing, agriculture, and ecotourism to sustain the local economy.

Sources:

• Chalalan Ecolodge. Welcome to Chalalan Ecolodge. http://chalalan.com/es/index_en.php

• Green Tracks. (2020). Madidi National Park Chalalan Ecolodge Information. https://www.greentracks.com/Madidi-Information.htm

• Wallace, R. (2017, April 22). Bolivia’s Madidi National Park and the Power of Protected Areas. Medium. https://medium.com/identidad-madidi/bolivias-madidi-national-park-and-the-power-of-protected-areas-1189f2eb54fe

Indigenous Communities of Pilon Lajas:

Pilon Lajas shares a western border with Madidi National Park and is officially considered a Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory. The four indigenous communities that inhabit Pilon Lajas are Tsimane, Moseten, Takana, and Esse-Ejja. Pilon Lajas is protected and supported by the State through the National Service of Protected Areas. This protection has offered the indigenous communities the chance to initiate economic endeavors such as developing an eco-tourism enterprise. In addition to the economic opportunities available in Pilon Lajas, the area has cultural and ancestral significance to the indigenous communities, as these ethnic groups have occupied the Bolivian lowlands for over 500 years.  

Sources:

• Peredo-Videa, B. (2018, August) The Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory Beni, Bolivia https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/import/downloads/pilon_lajas_bolivia_report_icca_grassroots_discussions.pdf

• Sewel, E. Tsimane. Database for Indigenous Cultural Evolution. http://dice.missouri.edu/docs/south-america-other/Tsimane.pdf

Economic Benefits

The annual revenue generated from Madidi National Park amounts to around 2.5 million U.S. dollars. In fact, about 97% of the money brought in from the park comes from sources outside of Bolivia, such as foreign tourists and international agencies. Therefore, Madidi National Park is economically beneficial to Bolivia because it brings in revenue that, if not for the protected area, would have been spent elsewhere.

The ecotourism industry is instrumental in bringing in revenue to the park. There are multiple ecolodges in Madidi which offer tourists the chance to visit the park in a sustainable manner. Ecotourism profits are typically used to improve infrastructure in the area. The ecotourism industry also creates many job opportunities and diversifies the economy. In addition to the tourism industry, profits are also made off of produce grown in the park. Restaurants in La Paz, a large Bolivian city, use crops grown in Madidi, such as mushrooms and cacao, in their dishes, thereby creating a demand for locally grown produce. The indigenous communities in the protected areas also profit from fishing, timber harvesting and agriculture.

Sources:

• Conservation Strategy. Economic Benefits of Madidi National Park. https://www.conservation-strategy.org/project/economic-benefits-madidi-national-park

• Equator Initiative. (2012). Chalalan Eco-lodge Bolivia. Equator Initiative Case Studies. https://www.equatorinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/case_1348151493_EN.pdf

• Gill, N. (2016, August 8). Bolivian National Park Serving Up Sustainable Ingredients for Fine Dining. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/08/bolivia-madidi-national-park-chefs-sustainable-ingredients

Protection Provided to Pilon Lajas and Madidi

Madidi National Park is managed by the National Park Services. The management team dedicated to overseeing the park is severely understaffed which impedes upon the ability of the team to enforce security. This is especially true regarding the lack of park rangers. While the park would require 60 rangers to effectively provide protection, the park has only been provided with 26 rangers.

The Wildlife Conservation Society in Bolivia also works with local governments to protect the indigenous communities and biodiversity in Pilon Lajas and Madidi. Despite the protection offered, there are often environmental disputes regarding access to natural resources such as logging.

Sources:

• Berton, E. F. (2020, January 29). Rare Trees are Disappearing as ‘Wood Pirates’ Log Bolivian National Parks. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/rare-trees-are-disappearing-as-wood-pirates-log-bolivian-national-parks/

• Initiative 20x20. Protecting 1.5 Million Hectares of Watershed in Bolivia.  https://initiative20x20.org/restoration-projects/protecting-15-million-hectares-watersheds-bolivia

• Parks Watch (2004). Madidi National Park and IMNA Park Profile- Management. Parks Watch Bolivia. https://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofile.php?l=eng&country=bol&park=mdnp&page=man

• Wildlife Conservation Society. (2017). Protected Area Management. Bolivia Wildlife Conservation Society. https://bolivia.wcs.org/en-us/Global-Initiatives/Protected-area-management.aspx

Proposed Mega-dam Threatens Local Communities and Biodiversity

The indigenous groups in the lowland regions of Bolivia are affected by current proposals by the national government under President Evo Morales to open indigenous lands and protected areas up to large-scale development, including hydroelectric dams and natural gas extraction.

Examples of these projects are two proposed hydroelectric dams, El Bala and El Chepete. These dams would affect 46 indigenous communities and displace thousands of people living in the region. There are many global actors (oil and natural gas companies) being granted access to indigenous territories and protected areas (such as Madidi National Park) by Bolivia’s government, but there is very little discussion about this issue at the international level. National and international NGOs and environmental organizations based in Bolivia are prohibited from speaking out due to a law passed in 2013 to limit civic criticism. The development of the proposed mega dams would result in the destruction of key ecosystems and the loss of untold biodiversity.

SOURCE: Bottazzi, P. The Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255716582_%27Linking_Socio_and_Bio_Diversity_The_Stakes_of_Indigenous_and_Non-Indigenous_Co-Management_in_the_Bolivian_Lowlands%27/figures?lo=1