Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
different terrains and ecosystems in Bolivia, from the tropical forests of the Amazon
lowlands to the frozen peaks and high-altitude Andean deserts. They include many of
Bolivia's most outstanding scenic attractions, but their principal aim is to protect nat-
ive flora and fauna, and there are relatively few facilities for tourism. Though in some
parks you can find basic accommodation, in general visiting these areas involves a wil-
derness expedition, which is usually possible only with the help of a tour operator.
The country's national parks and reserves are administered by the
Servicio Nacional de
Areas Protegidas
(SERNAP), which has a head office in La Paz ( 022426272,
www.sernap.gob.bo
)
, though it offers little in the way of practical information. In cases
where you need
permission
to visit a park or reserve, you can do so in the local or regional
SERNAP offices. Details about permission and entrance fees for individual parks and re-
serves are given in the guide. Protected areas range in size from the vast 34,411-square-kilo-
metre
Parque Nacional Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco
, the largest in South America, to the rel-
atively small 164-square-kilometre
Parque Nacional Toro Toro
.
Many of Bolivia's protected areas were established only relatively recently in response to
pressure and incentives from international conservation groups. Some, including the Parque
Nacional Madidi, were set up through
debt-for-nature swaps
, whereby international groups
bought up large amounts of the country's international debt at discounted rates, then can-
celled the debts in return for Bolivia agreeing to establish protected areas and invest money
in their conservation. Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado was expanded as part of a pi-
oneer
carbon-trading scheme
, under which US energy corporations finance the protection
of forest areas in Bolivia in return for being allowed to claim credits for the carbon dioxide
the forests absorb from the atmosphere when meeting their own emissions targets.
Despite suchschemes, manynational parksandotherprotected areas areunderintense pres-
sure from
landless peasants
, mostly migrants from the highlands looking for new areas of
forest to clear and cultivate. Small teams of park guards with almost no resources struggle
to protect thousands of square kilometres of wilderness from incursions by hunters, logging
and mining companies, cattle ranchers and peasant colonizers, who are often better organ-
ized, financed and equipped. In addition, though many Bolivians are aware of the enormous
value of their remaining wilderness areas and support conservation measures, there is also
widespread opposition to the
national parks system
. Peasant federations in particular view
the protected areas as a form of imperialism whereby natural resources that are rightfully
theirs are handed over to international conservation groups intent, they believe, on stealing
Bolivia's biodiversity and patenting any scientifically valuable species discovered.
