Protected Areas Endangered by Irregular Mining Rights | Áreas protegidas peligran por derechos mineros irregulares

By El Diario:

  • According to the AJAM, there are more than 260 applications for mining rights from companies or cooperatives, some of which would be located within Bolivia’s 15 protected areas.
Irregular mining rights may affect wildlife and flora.

Bolivia’s 15 protected areas face high risk due to mining rights granted irregularly decades ago, which, if efforts are made to consolidate them, could lead to the extinction of natural heritage and biodiversity wealth as a result of uncontrollable illegal mining activity.

Biologist Alfredo Fuentes, a researcher affiliated with the National Herbarium of Bolivia, warned that the increase in mining operations will lead to road construction and, with it, deforestation of jungles and forests, as well as fragmentation of habitats for plant and animal species.

According to the Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM), there are more than 260 applications for mining rights submitted by companies or cooperatives, in addition to some state areas, all located within Bolivia’s 15 protected areas, of which at least 50 percent correspond to mining operations functioning irregularly.

According to information from the Pro-Defense Commission of Bolivia’s Protected Areas (Copdeabo), pre-constituted mining rights granted over certain snow-capped mountains within the Apolobamba National Integrated Management Natural Area are currently under processing before the AJAM, in addition to watershed areas, river courses, and even within core zones or strictly protected zones of protected areas.

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