Two research reports published by the duty this week show the vulnerability of Bolivia’s natural resources in the face of the illegal exploitation of organized mafias and the lack of effective control over forest fires. While the wood is looted by criminal networks, last year’s fires razed a larger forest surface than the official data indicated. Both situations have caused incalculable damage and will continue to do so while preventive policies are not implemented.
In the first case, it was revealed that a Peruvian-Bolivian mafia, called “Tahuamanu villains”, operated in Pando extracting wood illegally to transport it to Peru. Once there, the wood acquired legality through the forest transport guides sold by Peruvian dealers, allowing its distribution in different cities, including Lima, both for internal consumption and for export.
These are valuable and scarce woods, such as cedar and mara, highly demanded for furniture manufacturing. The criminal network was composed of Bolivian timber and Peruvian corrupt officials. The former took advantage of border areas unprotected with Peru and Brazil, using chestnut collection routes to enter forests. The latter were responsible for legalizing wood on the other side of the border.
In recent years, operations have been carried out to dismantle these networks. Before the “villains” operated the “hostiles of the Amazon”, which were dismantled. It is evident that efforts have been insufficient, since the business persists, taking advantage of the structural weaknesses of both countries.
On the other hand, the forest fires of 2024, according to official data, affected about 10 million hectares in the Bolivian East, already an unprecedented environmental disaster. However, a team of environmental geomatic experts, through monitoring with the Modis Terra sensor, determined that the real figure amounted to 14 million hectares, of which more than 8 million corresponded to forests.
The impact of these fires was reflected in the devastation of protected areas such as the natural area of integrated management San Matías, the Noel Kempff Mercado Park, the Bajo Paragua and Choré reserve, as well as several indigenous territories (TCO). Specialists warn that this destruction implied an alarming loss of biodiversity and the emission of more than 100 carbon megatons to the atmosphere.
Despite the recurrence of these disasters and their catastrophic consequences, environmental protection remains absent from the national political agenda. The rulers and presidential candidates focus their speeches on the economy and productive expansion, ignoring that the destruction of forests is directly related to the global climatic crisis and the availability of water, an essential resource for agriculture.
The common denominator of both problems is the lack of awareness about the importance of environmental conservation. The immediate economic benefit is prioritized, even above the legality. Meanwhile, control mechanisms in the national territory are practically non -existent.
Bolivia, their neighboring countries and the whole world must, sooner or later, revalue forests and their natural wealth. Its responsible use is the only way to guarantee life on the planet. It is time for the environment to be a real priority and not just an issue that reappears in each emergency.
