Facing the challenges of biodiversity conservation in Bolivia

Abstract

Bolivia’s public policies on the conservation of biodiversity have been directly influenced by the government’s position on development. Since 1993, the government of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada has undertaken structural reforms to change the country’s prevailing unsustainable development patterns. With this goal in mind, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and the Environment was created to plan and promote national development which would incorporate sustainable patterns of production as part of the management of Bolivia’s natural resources. The Government’s commitment to the conservation of biodiversity is exemplified by the work of the National Directorate of Biodiversity Conservation, whose main achievements are described in this paper.