Madidi National Park
Madidi National Park, Bolivia
Map showing the location of Madidi National Park
Map showing the location of Madidi National Park
LocationLa Paz, Bolivia
Nearest cityRurrenabaque, Beni
Coordinates13°48′0″S 67°38′0″W / 13.80000°S 67.63333°W / -13.80000; -67.63333
Area18,957.5 km²[1]
EstablishedSeptember 21, 1995
Governing bodySERNAP Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas

Madidi (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈðiði]) is a national park at the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia. It was established in 1995,[2] and possesses a total land area of 18,958km² (approximately 11779 sq mi). Together with the nearby (though not all contiguous) protected areas Manuripi-Heath and Apolobamba and the Manu Biosphere Reserve (Peru), Madidi is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world.[3]

Ranging from the Andes Mountains to the rainforests of the Tuichi River, Madidi was recognized in 2018 by the Wildlife Conservation Society as the world's most biologically diverse national park.[4][5] Madidi extends to protect parts of the Bolivian Yungas and Bolivian montane dry forests ecoregions.[6]

Madidi National Park is accessible from San Buenaventura by crossing the Beni River via passenger ferry from Rurrenabaque.

The local inhabitants who have migrated here from the Andean highlands speak the Quechua language. The park is home to indigenous groups including the Tacanan-speaking Tacana and Ese Ejja, the closely related Tsimané and Mosetén, and the voluntarily isolated Toromona.[7][8][9]

Ecolodges are found in and around the Madidi National Park, the oldest and best known being Chalalan Ecolodge in Chalalán on the Tuichi River, a community-based enterprise that generates economic benefits for indigenous communities.[10]

Location

The National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area Madidi is located in the northwest region of the Department of La Paz, in the provinces Franz Tamayo, Iturralde and Abel Bautista Saavedra. The involved municipalities are Apolo, San Buenaventura, Ixiamas, Curva, and Pelechuco.

The park is bordered to the west by the adjacent Tambopata-Candamo Reserve and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park in Peru, to the east by the TCO (Tierra Comunitaria de Origen, 'indigenous community land') Tacana I, to the north by TCO Tacana II, and to the south by the Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area, TCO Lecos Apolo, TCO Lecos Larecaja and the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands.

The PN and IMNA Madidi constitute one of the largest protected areas in Bolivia. They have a total land area, according to the Supreme Decree, constituting take km2 of which 12,715km2(7900.73 sq mi) come under the heading of National Park and 6,242.5km2 come under the heading of Integrated Management Natural Area.

The park boundaries are between 12°30' and 14°44' southern latitude and between 67°30' and 69°51' western longitude.

The area under conservation covers an altitudinal gradient ranging from 180 to 5,760 meters above sea level and covers a variety of ecosystems.

Weather

The climate varies with elevation: it is cold in the alpine region, moderate at mid-level elevations, and tropical in the northern lowlands.

The winds come predominantly from the north, while cold fronts from the south have little impact on the temperature of the Madidi region. The dry season aligns with the southern hemisphere's winter. The average annual temperature is 26 °C but varies greatly depending on altitude. Isotemas

Annual precipitation averages around 716mm. The wet season spans from October to March, while the dry season lasts from May to September.[11]

Flora

Madidi National Park hosts more than 8,000 documented species of vascular plants, with the likelihood of many more being discovered.[12]

The Madidi Project of the Missouri Botanical Garden had identified at least 132 new plant species in Madidi as of 2010.[13]

Wildlife

Dr. Robert Wallace, wildlife biologist, is credited for discovering a previously unidentified titi monkey, a new species to science, in Madidi. This monkey is endemic to the area. The right to name the new species was auctioned through an agreement between the scientists, the Bolivian National Protected Area Service (SERNAP), and the Foundation for the Development of the Protected Areas (FUNDESNAP). The auction was won by online casino GoldenPalace.com, which paid US$650,000 for a trust fund that now generates enough income to pay for fourteen park guards annually. The species was named Plecturocebus aureipalatii with the specific epithet meaning "of the Golden Palace.” The park is also notable for being home to over 1,254 bird species, representing 14% of the world’s 9,000 bird species.[14]

In addition to the biodiversity found on its land, there is also a rich and varied life found here in the water.

(undescribed species not included)

Ecotourism

Madidi National Park is home to several ventures of Responsible Tourism and Community Ecotourism, Chalalan Ecolodge being one of note, owned by the indigenous people of San José de Uchupiamonas. Followed by San Miguel del Bala Ecolodge owned San Miguel Tacana community, both located in the Madidi National Park. Other local initiatives were opened recently, such as Berraco del Madidi Amazon adventure tour, Madidi Jungle Ecolodge, Sadiri Ecolodge and Ecolodge Madidi heart.

Chalalan Ecolodge is a community ecotourism venture that belongs to the indigenous village of San José de Uchupiamonas, which receives the profits from running the hostel, besides contributing in other areas such as health and education. Chalalan operates since 1999 offering tours to the Madidi National Park. The tourism product includes transportation from Rurrenabaque to the hostel on a tour of the Beni and Tuichi rivers, cabin accommodation Tacana style rooms with private bathrooms, international fusion cuisine - English Amazon and guidance for indigenous community who speak Quechua, Spanish and they are trained and certified. Chalalan has a system of solar panels that feed the hostel with clean energy and has a system of solid waste management and wastewater treatment to reduce its environmental impact. The hostel has 9 cabins located in the vicinity of Lake Chalalan, which has taken the name for the hostel. Chalalan has 30 km of environmental interpretation trails, paddle canoes to get around the lagoon, a large gazebo and a dining room that also has a social area. The average stay is 4 days and 3 nights.

Sadiri Lodge

Sadiri Lodge was born as an alternative proposal for protection against extractive and deforestation activities that threaten the existence of this rich, diverse, natural area and water reservoir, through responsible and non-profit community tourism that also promotes the local development of the communities. Currently, Sadiri Lodge is managed and administered by community members of the San José De Uchupiamonas Indigenous People, a community that is located in the heart of the most mega-diverse protected area in the world, Madidi. The main goal of Sadiri Lodge is to preserve the 34 thousand hectares of pristine forest, natural water reservoirs, and creatures of the living Bolivian jungle.

The mission of Sadiri Lodge is to protect the forest whose exuberant natural wealth creates a refuge for the species that inhabit the place. Within the area that Sadiri guards, there are more than 430 species of birds, this being an indicator of the natural importance of the area, which translates into the diversity of reptiles, insects, amphibians and magnificent species of flora that adorn the environment such as bromeliads and orchids. In addition, being a forest at 900 meters above sea level, it has a pleasant climate, housing different species of monkeys, whose morning chorus awakens the forest, and the little ones delight with their shrieks and jumps from tree to tree. But the melodic sounds are offered by the birds, making the jungle a naturally symphonic theatre. Not to mention the spectacle of the hummingbirds that flutter in the environment, and the most colorful insects and butterflies, among others. All of them are skillfully identified by the expert local Uchupiamonas guides, who use their ancestral knowledge of the forest, with animal calling techniques, their eyes and ears, complemented with stories of their culture, making an unforgettable and life-learning experience for those who visit Sadiri Lodge.

Berraco Madidi Amazon adventure tour is a private initiative of a member of the indigenous community Quechua-Tacana José de Uchupiamonas, located in the Madidi National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management. The idea arose in 2007 and became a reality in 2010, with great enthusiasm and a lot of experience gained over many years as a guide. It is operated 100% by the population of the community in order to generate jobs and benefits to it. The camps (Ecocamp) is surrounded in the same territory as the community (210 thousand hectares), the Ecocamp is 6 hours away by boat outboard motor, it is the deepest in the Madidi National Park and has cabins built traditionally Quechua-Takana style using the same natural resources.

Madidi Jungle Ecolodge, which has been open to visitors in mid-2011, is a 100% local initiative, operated by indigenous families of the TCO San José de Uchupiamonas, which comprises 210 hectares of forest within the Madidi National Park, region Amazon of Bolivia. The Ecolodge is located 3.5 hours away by motor boat sailing upstream the Beni and Tuichi rivers in the Madidi National Park and has a capacity to accommodate 14 visitors in traditional Amazonian style cabins.

The enterprises of Responsible Tourism and Ecotourism settled within the Madidi National Park, comfortable boats offer transportation, unique accommodation, the best local guides and interpreters exquisite and delicious homemade food prepared on the basis of local products. Rurrenabaque is beginning to live this unforgettable adventure ecotourism by visiting the Bolivian Amazon.

The Bala Dam Project

One of the threats against the Madidi NP has been the proposed Bala Dam Project at the Beni River in the Bala Gorge, where the Beni River breaks through the Bala Mountain Range. The proposed hydroelectric dam project has a long history, and the project was especially relevant in 1998. The project was abandoned some years later, but resurfaced again in 2007. The dam would flood about 2,000km2, including a large part of the Madidi NP, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Simulations suggest that a dam failure or break would flood the whole area for several days.[15]

The Apolo-Ixiamas road project

Another of the main threats against Madidi is the proposed construction of the Apolo-Ixiamas road. This is an old demand from local politicians and communities from the Altiplano, who want to colonize the park for timber and agriculture exploitation. However, independent studies from the NGO Conservation Strategy Fund have shown that this project is not a good development alternative for the region. [16][17] The project is economically unfeasible and would induce significant deforestation within the protected area.[17]

Environmental losses caused by the road project could threaten current and future conservation and tourism activities in this protected area, which generate significant economic benefits to the region.[16][18] Alternative investments such as improving the road that connects Apolo to La Paz [19] and directing the road investment towards social investments such as health and education [17] have greater prospects of improving local quality of life while maintaining the important environmental services provided by Madidi.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "SERNAP". Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  2. ↑ "Right to Name New Monkey Auctioned for Conservation". Environment News Service, international daily newswire. 2005-02-10. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  3. ↑ "Is This the World's Most Diverse National Park?". The New York Times. 2018-05-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  4. ↑ Hays, Brooks (22 July 2018). "Bolivia's Madidi National Park is most biodiverse in the world". UPI.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Wildlife Conservation Society". Archived from the original on 2008-01-30. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  6. ↑ Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "THE EXPEDITION TO APOLOBAMBA". Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  8. ↑ Alcázar, José Luis (2006-06-09). "BOLIVIA: In Search of the Toromona". www.ipsnews.net. Inter Press Service News Agency. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  9. ↑ Berton, Eduardo Franco (2016-10-05). "Hydropower threatens Bolivian indigenous groups and national park". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  10. ↑ Malky Harb, Alfonso; Pastor Saavedra, Cándido; Limaco Navi, Alejandro; Mamani Capiona, Guido; Limaco Navi, Zenón; Fleck, Leonardo C. (2007). El efecto Chalalán: Un ejercicio de valoración económica para una empresa comunitaria (PDF). Conservation Strategy Fund.
  11. ↑ MADIDI DE BOLIVIA, MAGICO, UNICO Y NUESTRO 2001 (Spanish) Archived 2006-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ "WCS Bolivia > Landscapes > Madidi-Tambopata > Madidi". bolivia.wcs.org. Wildlife Conservation Society. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  13. ↑ "Eight new species discovered in Boliva national parks". ScienceDaily. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  14. ↑ "Why Is Madidi So Amazing?". Wildlife Conservation Society. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  15. ↑ "Science Engineering & Sustainability: Dam break simulation with HEC-RAS: Chepete proposed dam". Science Engineering & Sustainability. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  16. 1 2 Fleck, L. C., Amend, M., & Painter, L. (2006). Beneficios económicos regionales generados por la conservación: el caso del Madidi (No. CIDAB-S934, B6-C6t-5). Conservación Estratégica CSF..
  17. 1 2 3 Fleck, L. C., Painter, L., Reid, J., & Amend, M. (2006). A road through Madidi: an environmental-economic analysis. Conservation strategy fund. Serie Técnica, 6, 1-95.
  18. ↑ Malky, A., Pastor, C., & Limaco, A. (2007). El efecto Chalalan:: Un ejercicio de valoración económica para una empresa comunitaria. Bolivia, Serie Técnica, (13).
  19. ↑ Peñarrieta Venegas, L., & Fleck, L. C. (2007). Beneficios y costos del mejoramiento de la carretera Charazani-Apolo (No. CIDAB-S934. B6-C6t-14). Conservación Estratégica CSF..

See also

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