Biodiversity conservation in Bolivia: History, trends and challenges

Abstract

Bolivia is one of the most biological diverse countries of the world maintaining vast, intact humid and dry forest ecosystems; yet, it is the poorest country in South America where both poverty and development lead to biodiversity degradation and loss. Conservation efforts have evolved rapidly from the first species-protection-laws in the nineteenth century, to the creation of the first national park in the mid-twentieth century, to the implementation of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, the formulation of a national biodiversity strategy, and a current national protected-area- coverage of 16%. However, there are severe conflicts with accelerating economic and development. Threats in the most sensible ecoregions (e.g. population shifts from the Andes to the forest lowlands, increasing agricultural activities, growing activities of the oil and gas sector, deforestation, climate change) represent important conservation problems. Based on the current institutional, social, economic and ecological situation, the paper describes the general challenges for future biodiversity conservation. © 2005 Springer.