Operationalising the Rights of Wetlands in Bolivia

The municipality of Santa Rosa del Yacuma, located at the headwaters of the Ramsar site Río Yata and in the transition zone between the Yungas forests and the flooded savannas of the Llanos de Moxos, hosts a vast array of wetlands, including rivers, lagoons, floodplains, and peatlands. This municipality preserves remnants of ancient cultures that built discontinuous embankments for agriculture, creating forests along the edges of the floodplains and islands in present-day wetlands without disrupting the seasonal water flow. Nearby are the Madidi Indigenous Park and Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve, placing the area within one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

Since the early 19th century, this territory has been primarily used for cattle ranching, with large estates taking advantage of natural pastures, forests, and abundant water resources. In these areas, only a few communities coexist among the estates, living alongside ecosystems such as the Yomomos, Curiches, and Bajíos, which are categorized based on their flora, fauna, or moisture levels. For these communities, livestock farming is the primary source of livelihood, though they also practice hunting, fishing, and subsistence farming.

The Darwin Initiative ‘Operationalising the Rights of Wetlands’ project began with the identification and visits to communities near the wetlands. Communities within the Ramsar site and close to the Santa Rosa Municipal Protected Area were selected. Additionally, a baseline data survey and a study on wetland use and conservation perception in the municipality were conducted. The survey results show that around 53% of the population believe that various wetlands (rivers, lagoons, floodplains, and flooded forests) are in a worrisome state of deterioration despite their economic importance. Furthermore, 58% of the population sees urgent intervention as necessary to preserve these ecosystems.

As part of the project, a series of indicators have been developed within the Aguaysal community to assess the state of the wetlands based on local knowledge and aligned with the eight recognized rights of wetlands. Currently, community members are monitoring these indicators every three months as part of the project.

In addition, Matthew Simpson and Rebecca Woodward of the Cobra Collective conducted training sessions on wetland rights for the communities of Aguaysal and Picaflor, along with representatives from the largest cattle ranching association in the area and the youth organisation JASAYE. This training was complemented by workshops in participatory video production, where members of both communities and young people from the association started planning the documentation of their own solutions to the challenges facing the wetlands.