LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY FOR PROTECTED AREAS IN BOLIVIA

SO, AN AREA IS DECLARED PROTECTED... THEN WHAT?

In the Bolivian Gran Chaco, oil mining, agricultural expansion, and illegal hunting endanger its ecological integrity and jeopardize access to clean water for local communities.

Life in the Chaco can be volatile. Wildlife, plants, and people within sparse, lowland forest depend on limited water sources, especially during the dry season. One of the most vital water supplies is the Parapetí River which flows northeast from the Bolivian Andes and through the Gran Chaco.

In collaboration with Fundación Natura and with help from donors like you, from 2015 - 2021, Nature and Culture supported the creation of a 1.95 million acre “Water Corridor” in the upper basin of the Parapetí River uniting five municipal protected areas where over 350 different rural farm and Indigenous Guaraní communities live, all dependent on the Parapetí.

Like other protected areas we help create, we are dedicated to supporting the long-term sustainability of Bolivia’s Water Corridor. With your support we will continue to bring our expertise in participatory mapping, governance planning, ranger training, and conservation fund development to help strengthen capacity of local area managers so that water resources are protected for generations to come.

Visit https://www.natureandculture.org/donate/ to continue supporting projects like these.