Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ranchers in the Beni department have long set fire to the savannas annually to encourage the sprouting of new
grass. These days, however, the most dramatic defoliation occurs along the highways in the country's east, the
new agricultural frontier. Here the forest is being consumed by expanding cattle ranches and pristine natural habit-
at is being replaced by seemingly endless monocultures. Although the burned vegetable matter initially provides
rich nutrients for crops, those nutrients aren't replenished. After two or three years the land is exhausted and it
takes 15 years for it to become productive again. That's too long for most farmers to wait; most just pull up stakes
and burn larger areas.
As the rural population increases, so do the effects of
el chaqueo.
Despite the fact that this burning is prohibited
by Bolivian forestry statutes, the law has proved impos- sible to enforce in the vast Bolivian lowlands. The long-
term implications aren't yet known but international pressure to reduce the negative effects of the burning has
seen the Bolivian government implement a program encouraging lowland farmers to minimize
el chaqueo
in fa-
vor of alternatives that don't drain the soil of nutrients, and culminated in the signing of a joint agreement with
Brazil and Italy to reduce burning in the Amazon region. Despite this, it seems that
el chaqueo
will be a fact of
life in Bolivia for many years to come.
