Environmental Issues
Deforestation
Deforestation is a large threat to the health of Bolivia’s environment. Between 1990 and 1995 around 3 million hectares of forest were lost. Bolivian forests are cut down mostly to make room for more farmland, but also for livestock grazing, and to harvest tropical timber which is then exported. 
It is difficult for the bolivians that live in the lowland rainforests to get around deforestation because they depend heavily on raising livestock and agriculture for their income. Agricultural methods such as overgrazing and the traditional style of farming known as ‘slash and burn’ where existing vegetation will be cut down and then burned before seeds are sown.
These methods not only lead to deforestation, but soil erosion and a loss of soil fertility.
Demand from international traders for tropical lumber has been a big economic component pushing along this process even faster. In the past, the Bolivian government has also been pushing for more settlement of the underpopulated rainforest areas aggravated the issue.
When you lose forestland, you not only lose animal and plant species due to a loss of habitat, but you will also find deforestation linked to the build-up of greenhouse gases, soil erosion, sedimentation in the rivers and lakes, and climate change.
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion happens in all ecosystems. It is typically caused by water, wind or simply gravity. It becomes a problem when the rate of erosion is faster than the rate of soil creation. Deforestation, overgrazing and farming are all things that can increase the rate of soil erosion, thus creating an imbalance in the environment while also changing how fertile the remaining soil is. Erosion is a problem, especially in Bolivia, due to how mountainous the country is. The loss of vegetation that helps hold the soil together and absorb excess water, leads to large amounts of fertile top soil eroding away.
Government
While Bolivian President Evo Morales may be thought of internationally as being a strong supporter of environmental rights, when you look closer you find that his actions do not match his words.
In 2010 Evo held a climate change conference in Cochabamba, Bolivia and got the ball rolling by introducing four big ideas. Two of which are: nature should be given rights in order to protect ecosystems from being wiped out, and, those who violated those rights would have to deal with legal consequences.
The Isiboro Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS) is a beautiful place full of thousands of different animals birds and plants. It also happens to be one of the poorest areas in Latin America. The park is protected as a national park, but also as the home to a few different groups of indigenous people. Evo wants to build a highway that goes straight through the middle of the park and has been quoted as saying “Whether they like it or not, we will build that road,"(Cabitza). He argues that the connection between isolated communities and towns will benefit all of Bolivia including the indigenous living in TIPNIS.
Mauricio Cuellar, one of the leaders in TIPNIS, says he "regrets that, despite Morales' self-depiction as a protector of "Mother Earth" and the rights of indigenous people, the president wants to go ahead with a project which the TIPNIS residents say will lead to environmental degradation.”
Those living in TIPNIS were so outraged that more than 1,000 of them started to march to defend the place they call home. By the time those marching reached La Paz, tens of thousands of Bolivians had spilled out onto the streets to greet the marchistas as if they were heroes. They gave speeches and showed that the power of public protest was as strong as ever. The people had everything to lose, and were willing to give up much more to protect the rights that had been fought long and hard for. Morales ended up canceling the plans to build the road, although there are those who still view him in a negative light.
All of these issues may not seem much more related than the fact that they are all related to the environment, but they bring up some questions for me about how Governments know where to draw lines, how they are able to make laws and improve infrastructure while at the same time keeping the people happy, and doing what is right for the environment. If it hurts the people/environment in the short term, is it worth it to do something that would benefit everyone in the long run? Those are some questions I will be taking with me as we go on our journey to Bolivia. I may never come across the answer, but in thinking about them I hope to gain a better understanding of how things work.
Bolt , Alina. "bolivia-guide." bolivia-guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. <http://bolivia-guide.com/about-bolivia.php?id=64&tid=td2>.
Cabitza, Mattia. "Evo Morales plays a double game on Bolivia's environment."theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 4 July 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jul/04/bolivia-evo-morales-hypocrisy-environment>.
No comments:
Post a Comment