Amboró National Park
Amboró is at the center of Bolivia, Central South America. In 1973, Reserva de Vida Silvestre German Busch, which is more popularly known these days as the Amboró National Park, was officially established. It covers a total land area of 442,500 hectares. One of the landmarks the national park is identified with is known as the “Elbow of the Andes,” where the western Andean Cordillera alters its temporal course to get back to the north-south direction, which offers many natural resources.
Amboró National Park has so many different ecosystems as it gives an opportunity for diverse types of species to occupy the land. It allows access to three main water sources, which include the Ichilo River, the Rio Grande, and the Yapacaní River. It gets a lot of rainfall (approximately, 1,400 up to 4,000 mm per annum) because of its ideal location. Because of its many water sources the reason, it gives the park a significant amount of different fish species such as the sábalo, pacú, and barred surubim. This urges the people that live near these water sources to want to fish. Luckily, there are laws against it. Hence, the preservation and conservation of the park’s biological diversity (that is, existence of different ecosystems and presence of numerous species) are amongst the major reasons why it became a protected area. Some of its different ecosystems include seasonal evergreen forests, piedmont forests, Andean forests, cloud forest ridges, and the inter-Andean valley.
Further, Amboró National Park’s topography and different climates allow for the diversity in animal and plant lives. Its fauna, or in other words, the types of animals that inhabit Amboró National Park vary by zone. Over 1,200 different species are accounted for in Amboró’s inventory; hence, it is one of the most diverse national parks in the world. Among these different species, the park has a couple of rare species that are on the verge of being extinct, yet another reason for Amboró as a protected area. Some of these species include the jaguar, ocelot, puma, margay, spider monkey, tapirs, peccaries, capybaras, to mention a few. One of the rarest species of bears found only in the southern part of America is the spectacled bear, which is popularly hunted and its habitat is slowly diminishing due to recurring conflicts within the National Park. Aside from its mammal inventory, Amboró has a large number of bird species that surpasses more than 60% of the country’s total. Examples of these rarities are Andean cock-of-the-rocks, macaws, and toucans. On the other hand, the reptile community has about 105 different species (e.g., Tupinambis teguixin, Boa constrictor, Caiman yacaré, Bothrops jonathani, Prionodactylus eigenmanni, etc.), which makes it as one of the most diverse reptile communities in the world. In addition, Amboró National park has one of the most diverse floras or botanically rich parks ever observed. More than 3,300 types of plants have been registered. Among these species are the most commonly known bigleaf mahogany, mountain pine, ferns, acaí palms, and orchids. Additionally, there are Chonta palms (Astrocaryum), Mara wood (Swielenia), giant ferns, bamboos, and so forth.
The oldest records found show that humans inhabited the land as far back to 3,000 BP, which includes the hunter-gatherers people of the Yuracaré. One invasion of the land was that of the Chiriguanos who forced the Andean cultures into the highlands. At the start of the 20th century, the nomadic tribes inhabited Amboró and included the Yuquí, the Yucararé, and the Churapas. In the northern zone, Jesuit missions were founded throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. These missions integrated the Chiriguano Indians. At the end of the 18th century, the Creole people came, took over and then created large ranches for agriculture. Afterwards, the land was expropriated and expanded following the logging boom. In the southern zone, it is unknown who the native tribe that inhabited the area, but it is said that regardless of the high poverty rates then, they adapted well into the land.
Amboró, which have a rich biodiversity, have its advantages, as well as, disadvantages. Many conflicts or threats have arisen over time in the park, which has essentially, what led to the park becoming a protected area. One of the conflicts is the farther colonization of the local peoples for more agricultural opportunities. Although this helps the people of Bolivia, it has caused some damage to the park. Another conflict within the park is illegal logging and mining. In the 1970s, commercial operations sought out the mahogany and pine trees, which caused an added exploitation of the land. As such, the national park management put a logging ban and sanctions to control the problem. Despite the rules, it is said that some of the farmers go on night raids to retrieve the woods from the operators. This is one of the problems that occurred under the radar. Aside from deforestation, there were also small mining operations in the riverbeds. Despite some legal compromises, there are operators who choose to work illegally. Other popular problems include hunting and fishing within the park. Hunters came in to hunt reptiles such as snakes and armadillos for their skin and/or parrots and primates as pets to sell. Although they are huge reoccurring problems, the park has been able to get a handle on it – nonetheless; it is still a big problem up to these days. As for fishing, commercial fishing is allowed but there are restrictions as to which species can be hunted. Regardless of the restrictions, the off limit species are still hunted illegally. In addition, even when Amboró is already a protected area, there are still oil reserves within the park that are being largely exploited. However, in 2001, a highly publicized case for more oil companies to come to exploit the land was dismissed because the civilians were able to fight back and win over them. It was one of the countries’ first victories, which helped Amboró. Another problem that the government and Armed Forces are aware of is the use of the land for coca leaf plantations. Coca leaves are used for the production of cocaine. It is said that the park has small drug laboratories because of its topography, which makes it easier to disguise.
Despite various pressures and threats from many sides, Amboró National Park’s management ensures that its natural ecosystems and habitats are protected a/s best it could. It makes regular revision of the park’s bylaws and conducts corroboration with the majority of nearby residents against illegal practices and other specific problems related to human settlements, deforestations, mining, hunting, oil exploitation, cattle raising, and so on. Consequently, local residents of Amboro’s and its surrounding / nearby areas’ socio-economic activities have subsistence practices not largely detrimental to the area. This includes livelihood by means of agriculture, fishing, hunting, non-timber harvest, beekeeping, and tourism. Although tourism is allowed inside the Amboró National Park, the management exercises a huge effort to keep it controlled by having limited access to it. Tourism causes animal disturbance, soil erosion, and other problems. Even though there are some negative points for tourism, it is highly accepted because it brings in money for the park’s upkeep and other benefits for the residents.
Amboró is a highly respected National Protected Park because of its virgin rainforests, ever-refreshing waterfalls, moss-covered caves, and other exotic features. It is highly praised for its special beauty, high potential for ecotourism, and other such natural things that it offers both for people, its habitats, in itself, and environment. It is very important for this park to be protected because of the number of endemic species that resides in it and to counter any possible problems it would bring to the community, surrounding areas, and the world, in general. Among other national parks in Bolivia, Amboró National Park is one of Bolivia’s most prized possessions and another great asset to South America and the rest of the world. Thus, a continuous international debate concerning the relations between parks and the local populace should be taken into account. Conservatist and socio-environmentalist policy statements should be characterized and largely dependent on a socially-oriented compact that adheres to the conservation of nature and fulfilling the local residents’ aspirations for better living conditions. Only through this approach that the future of Amboró National Park could it be truly protected, conserved, and preserved.
Works Cited
Bucklin, David. Protected-Area Effectiveness Near Dynamic Colonization Zones: Forest Clearance In and Around Amboró National Park, Bolivia. 15 June 2010. Oregon State University. Web. 4 June 2013. <http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/16259>.
Conservation International. Vilcambamba-Amboró Conservation Corridor. 2013. Conservation International. Web. 4 June 2013. <http://www.conservation.org/where/south_america/peru/Pages/Vilcabamba-Amboro-Conservation-Corridor.aspx>.
Derksen, Jonathan. Amboro National Park, Bolivia. 15 September 2010. Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP). Web. 4 June 2013. <http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-bolivia-birdwatching-hiking-sidwcmdev_054276.html>.
Pauquet, Stéphane and Adrian Monjeau. Bolivia: Amboro National Park and IMNA. 2004. ParksWatch. Web. 4 June 2013. <http://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofile.php?l=eng&country=bol&park=amnp>.
Wikipedia. Amboró National Park. 16 March 2013. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. 4 June 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambor%C3%B3_National_Park>.
