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The Sajama National Park in Bolivia Author(S): Dirk Hoffmann Source: Mountain Research and Development, 27(1):11-14

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The Sajama National Park in Bolivia Author(S): Dirk Hoffmann Source: Mountain Research and Development, 27(1):11-14 The Sajama National Park in Bolivia Author(s): Dirk Hoffmann Source: Mountain Research and Development, 27(1):11-14. Published By: International Mountain Society DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/0276-4741(2007)27[11:TSNPIB]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/0276-4741%282007%2927%5B11%3ATSNPIB %5D2.0.CO%3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. 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Mountain Research and Development Vol 27 No 1 February 2007: 11–14 The Sajama National Park in Bolivia Dirk Hoffmann A Model for Cooperation Among State and Local Authorities and the Indigenous Population 11 Sajama National Park in Bolivia’s Cordillera tude of about 4000 m—Mount Sajama plays Occidental is not only the country’s oldest a key role in traditional indigenous mytholo- national park; it also contains Bolivia’s high- gy, as well as in the formation of the pres- est mountain, ice-capped Nevado Sajama, ent-day identity of local communities. The at 6542 m. Created in 1939 by presidential latter factor is largely due to a new policy decree with the primary objective of protect- and to multiple activities launched by the ing native keñua ( Polylepis tarapacana) Bolivian national parks authority (Servicio forests, the Sajama National Park, later rati- Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, SERNAP) dur- fied by national law, had neither formal ing the past decade. As an initial result, administration nor park rangers until 1995. local perception of Sajama National Park as Towering over the barren lands of the Alti- an “imposition from above” has given way to plano—Bolivia’s highland plateau, at an alti- referring to the park as “our protected area.” Nature conservation and opment, putting the country at the fore- sustainable development front of environmental politics in the “Sajama, for his works and southern hemisphere. One of the Law’s deeds, gained himself the Open keñua forests form a vast belt articles calls for the creation of a national respect and tender recogni- around the Sajama Volcano (Figure 1) at park system and park administration, altitudes between 4300 and 5200 m, and which was put into full effect in 1998 with tion of the whole people, are considered to be the highest forests in the founding of the SERNAP. who made him their chief, the world. Until Bolivian President Busch Throughout the 1990s and the early calling him with much created Sajama National Park in 1939 to 21st century, new national parks were respect: Doctor Sajama.” halt indiscriminate use of keñua, the declared, and in many older ones, such as (José Mendoza Villca, forests had been cut on a large scale to Sajama NP, an administration was put in produce charcoal, which was used in the place for the first time in 1995. Following Andean Mountain Tales) mines of the Bolivian Altiplano, as well as standard top-down approaches, local to fuel the train connecting the mines acceptance of these national parks was with the Chilean ports. Nowadays local generally non-existent. This was the situa- inhabitants use small quantities of keñua tion in Sajama NP when, around the turn for cooking under special permits from of the century, SERNAP tried to tackle the park authorities. existing problems in the management of Relatively small—at somewhat more its parks by elaborating principles and than 100,000 ha—and with an indigenous policies for managing the national park Aymara population of about 1700 within system and putting in practice its motto of its limits, Sajama National Park lies in an “parks with people.” Compared to older otherwise poor and abandoned region conservation practices, SERNAP’s philoso- where people earned a livelihood from phy explicitly recognizes the existence of FIGURE 1 Nevado Sajama; in the foreground, a typical raising native llamas and alpacas for most traditional communities within its parks, wetland. (Photo by Dirk of the 20th century, as agriculture is virtu- as well as these populations’ rights to Hoffmann) ally impossible due to altitude and climat- ic conditions (Figure 2). Only temporary or permanent migration, and the smug- gling of goods from neighboring Chile, helped to alleviate endogenous poverty. Development of a national policy for protected areas The Bolivian National Park System as such has its origins in the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, which provided the impulse for the Law on Envi- ronment (1992) and the subsequent cre- ation of the Ministry of Sustainable Devel- Dirk Hoffmann 489500 499500 Cerro Anallajchi 519500 529500 539500 70°W 60°W BBRASILRASIL 5583 m Cayruta 10°S ni la gu n 801500 OKORURO MUNICIPALITY a 801500 Cerro Huallcani ri T 4294 m PPERUERU Cerro Llisa Caripe 4708 m La Paz 12 4202 m B O L I V I A Cerro Condoriri Jiskha Khasira Castilluma Citari Jahuira 5762 m Study area Tomarapi Chojña chuto Khellhua Khasira n a Tomarapi e 20°S Inca Ingenio Iru pata c PPARAGUAYA Cerro Sunu Kkollu O R A c i G f U i A c 800500 800500 Chiar Q’ota Huaña Q’ota 4306 m Y a Pacific Ocean PPacific CCHILEHILE N Sora Pata Caripe CURAHUARA DE CARANGAS MUNICIPALITY AARGENTINARGENTINA 0 300 km Castilluma Cuita Casilla Pisica Uma SAJAMA NATIONAL PARK Farm Irupata Irupata lcoma Juchusuma Nevado Sajama Pa Nevado Pomerape Cerro Huisalla Sicuyani Tomarapi Village Juntuma 6542 m Canta 6222 m 5031 m Senkha Sajama 3901 m Viacha Main road 4242 m 799500 799500 Caracollo Villa Rio Lorumiri H Secon dary road Sajama u a Nevado Parinacota Suni Papel ythañ Municipal boundary 6330 m Plazuela Pampa Huichu Collo Hiro Churo 4218 m Huerta Sururia a Cosapa Castilluma Uma Muyta 3891m International boundary Umapalca Thola Pampa Llaytani CHILE Kala Kollo masl National Park boundary Pacollo Esquillani Challhuani Espiritu Santo 6000 m River, perennial 798500 798500 Lagunas 4126 m Kotaña Romero Kota Pasto Grande 5500 m River, non-perennial CerroQuisi Quisini Hornuni Lago 5542 m Chungara Chajhualla Cayllachuru 5000 m Lake TURCO MUNICIPALITY Tambo Quemado Thola uta 4500 m Disclaimer: Municipal boundaries shown N Sajam Cosapa on this map are not legally binding. They Ventilla 4000 m 05 10 km a Cerro Jitiri only serve as orientation for the National 499500 509500 5019 m 519500 529500 539500 Park’s management plan. FIGURE 2 Map of Sajama development; this is clearly stated in the 2 ment, and the local communities of Lagu- National Park, showing the villages and farms involved in main objectives established: nas, Caripe, Sajama, and Cosapa districts. consultations and projects. The main levels of cooperation and (Map by Andreas Brodbeck, • To conserve the natural and cultural integration consist of the 3 “Ps”: planning, based on data collected for the Sajama NP Management Plan, heritage of the protected area and its participation, and projects. Planning, as a courtesy of SERNAP) surroundings; and tool for coordination, aims at the integra- • To contribute to socioeconomically tion of Sajama’s management plan into sustainable development at local, the municipal development plan. regional, and national levels. a) Integrative planning process The Strategic Agenda, as the expression of According to the law, all of Bolivia’s more state policy concerning protected area than 300 local administrative and political management, also defines the integration units, called municipios, must elaborate of the administration of national parks and periodically update Municipal Devel- within a broader political and administra- opment Plans (PDMs) with a 5-year hori- tive context as one of its 6 strategic areas zon, as a means of promoting a strategic of action. This clear state policy of “nei- approach to local development efforts. ther islands nor impositions” as a guiding These plans commonly tend to neglect principle is probably the most innovative environmental matters or policies regard- feature and cornerstone of success in Saja- ing the use of natural resources. ma National Park, and has helped gain On the other hand, article 28 of the acceptance over the years for its concept General Ordinance for Protected Areas of biodiversity conservation. defines management plans as “the funda- mental instrument for planning and spatial Sajama NP: a model of organization, which defines and supports implementation at the local level administration and conservation of the pro- tected areas’ resources.” However, up until At the center of this approach stands the the elaboration of the SERNAP guidelines orientation of state-protected areas for the elaboration of management plans for towards municipal governments and local protected areas, these “plans” often resem- indigenous populations: active promotion bled biological encyclopedias and contained of integrated planning processes, full par- very little in terms of
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