Forests for sale: How land traffickers profit by slicing up Bolivia's protected areas

[Judi Lynn]

by Eduardo Franco Berton on 25 November 2021

SAN IGNACIO DE VELASCO, Bolivia — On Feb. 12, 2021, Bolivian conservationists joyfully celebrated the creation of the Bajo Paraguá Municipal Protected Area. Located in the municipality of San Ignacio de Velasco in the Bolivian department of Santa Cruz, the new reserve was established to protect 983,006 hectares (2.4 million acres) of Amazonian and Chiquitano forest.

The news was celebrated internationally. U.S. actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio who wrote on his Instagram account: “This is encouraging news for the wealth of wildlife these areas support, and also for the Chiquitano and Guarasugwe Indigenous groups that live within the areas and depend on the forests for their livelihoods.”

But the celebrations were short-lived. Just a few days after Bajo Paraguá was established, reports of continuing deforestation and colonization inside the new protected area began filtering to regional authorities. Local sources said that what was once lush forest filled only with the sounds of wildlife was suddenly overpowered by the noise of tractors and chainsaws as trees began to fall.

One man, Miguel Ángel*, who lives near Bajo Paraguá, claims he was one of these invaders. On a warm, windy day in May, Ángel settled under the shade of a mango tree next to a lake near the San Ignacio de Velasco dam to speak to Mongabay reporters about how land trafficking mafias operate. He agreed to the interview on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety.

More:
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/forests-for-sale-how-land-traffickers-profit-by-slicing-up-bolivias-protected-areas/