Last night, Los Tiempos website reported an unfortunate chain of events:
Current government, suspended (this Friday) the operating license to the only tourism company that operates in the TIPNIS: Untamed Angling. The rationale: the government says this company is not in compliance with environmental permits; and that this activity contradicts the Short Law which states that “intangible” concept of this natural reserve, said Deputy Minister of Environment and Waters, Cynthia Silva.
The National Service of Protected Areas (Sernap) continues with the field inspection inside the TIPNIS; it is expected to issue a report once their work is complete and other administrative actions will be taken. In case of evident damage to the natural reserves, the authorities shall provide appropriate sanctions to comply with the term “intangible” in the TIPNIS.
Silva continued to explain that the Law 180 declared the TIPNIS as protected zone; one of their articles requires to take administrative enforcement measures under this category [intangible], which has led to the administrative decision to revoke the operating licenses granted to the tourism operation inside the TIPNIS. However, she said this does not derail, if you change the conditions of the intangibility and could resume this activity after clarifying other legal issues [that may come up].
We have therefore quashed the environmental permit on November 8th, and the company is being notified today (November 11), said Silva in a news conference.
For the last five years, the Indigenous Territory and Isiboro Secure National Park (TIPNIS) has a management program that involves hunting lizards, which implies hunting of controlled specimens; their meat and leather are marketed legally. This year’s hunt was authorized and 1,216 alligators have been hunted as of September this year.
For next year, this activity will be suspended in adherence to the short Law that declares “intangibility” in the Tipnis. Under the Law 180, as of next year, we are prevented from giving the same permission and can not authorize hunting quotas; however hunting is allowed for subsistence purposes; but commercial hunting, and in that sense the new agreements or future agreements with leather trading companies can not be recognized either, said the authority.
The communities living in the TIPNIS have used tourism and controlled deforestation as a source for their survival; but now with the suspension of these activities, the indigenous group will have to seek other sources of survival within their territory.
The environmental authority denied that these administrative measures to stop these activities are in retaliation for having forced the government to suspend construction of the road Villa Tunari-San Ignacio de Moxos that should pass through the heart of the TIPNIS. However, she requested the leaders of the VIII Indigenous Protest Walk to reflect on the effects that the term “intangible” has on their communities, inside this natural reserve. The intangibility affects the rights of the communities, so that “the communities should consider whether this is the reality they want to live inside the park,” said the deputy minister. [if that is the case, CIRPAS in the ANMI San Matias; the Izocenos in the Kaa-Iya; Chore, Carrasco; people next to the Noel Kempff Park, and all the other reserves, natural parks will have to endure the same condition, right? Is that feasible, if there is a law and jurisprudence takes over, this government will have a humongous social problem, where coca growers, settlers and indigenous people will have to go somewhere else for survival. If that is not the case… is it just revenge? is it just the dog-in-the-manger?]
“Clearly, indigenous rights for their survival are respected, however, activities involving corporations can no longer be allowed,” she concluded.
The Company Untamed Angling (Pesca Salvage in Spanish), dedicated to tourism and fishing, operated in four communities in the Alto Sécure, showed its environmental licenses, which as explained by their executives were granted by the Ministry of Environment for the construction of tourism infrastructure (CD 3 N 3699/10) and for the tourism operation (CD 3 N 4539/11). [are laws retroactive in nature? I do not think so, so why is this activity being cut and leaving the indigenous people without these revenues?]
As those documents were shown by the vice president of the company, Marcelo Perez, who also attached a copy of the contract signed on August 23rd with indigenous Sécure substation and the National Service of Protected Areas of the Indigenous Territory Isiboro Secure (Sernap-Tipnis). [what is the value of documents, the value of laws?]
I feel sorry for those tourists who made plans and set aside money to enjoy nature. Tourist plan their lives, take leaves, plan to the smallest detail, who will take care of the pets, who will pick up mail, etc. I just hope they are warned on time.
As a law abiding citizen I feel ashamed for the way this tourist company is being treated. What a poor message to our incipient tourism industry… and they say is not revenge, then what is…
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