In eastern Bolivia:
The tropical rainforest gives way, south of Santa Cruz, to the savannahs and the plains of the Chaco,
shared by Paraguay and Argentina.
Kaa-Iya National Park,
Parque Nacional y área natural de manejo integrado Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco,
may be the largest national park in South America, and is dedicated to protecting
the wetlands and the indigenous peoples living there.
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park,
Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado,
(
map and
photos)
"Due to its unique bio geographical location, the rich, extraordinary diversity on
species and habitats found in this National Park are unequaled in the New World
tropics. Nowhere else in South America can you see such a wide variety of habitats
with so little effort - humid tropical rainforests, seasonally flooded savanna,
Cerrado, gallery forest, thorn scrub, dry forest, and large expanses of wetlands
similar in appearance to the famous Pantanal formation found in eastern Bolivia and
south-western Brazil." (About Bolivia)
Beni Biosphere Reserve and Biological Station,
Reserva de la Biosfera Estación Biológica del Beni,
"was designated a Biosphere Reserve with the purpose of promoting conservation in a
context of balance between people and nature. 215,000 inhabitants (1988) live in the
biosphere reserve, engaged in extensive cattle raising and increasing timber extraction
activities, affecting natural forests ecosystems."
Biosphere Reserve Information"
Like, Beni, Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve,
Reserva de la Biosfera y Territorio Indígena Pilón - Lajas, protects an "impressive biodiversity.
The park contains four distinct ecological regions, and is home to several threatened
species, including the Giant Otter, and extraordinary floral diversity."
Protected Areas.
Tariquia fauna and flora reserve Reserva nacional de Flora y Fauna Tariquía, protects
the "biodiversity of the Andean Yungas, or Bolivian Tucumanic Jungle, ecosystem."
At the time of writing,
Unrest rocks Bolivia and travel may be difficult. Please use caution
and investigate the situation before traveling to or in Bolivia.
