As of February 5th, Sena, a small town in Bolivia has established a law that protects 1.1 million acres of the Amazon Rainforest! Local municipalities and Indigenous communities have decided to take forest protection into their own hands, and are piecing together a "conservation mosaic".
In the past 25 years, towns like Sena have protected 25 million acres of the Amazon, which has helped the people maintain their livelihoods as well as endangered wildlife. Their goal was to conserve and protect 30% of its lands, which they accomplished ahead of schedule!
This mosaic of protected areas consists of 90 interconnected forests. These forests help conserve the Speckled Bear, which is South America's only native bear species. It also protects pollinators for the cacao production, as well as fresh water sources. A newly protected area acts as a protected corridor to the Andean foothills which is where the Andean Condor lives. Currently, these new world condors are listed as "Not Extinct", and as of 2023 the central coast population is only 103.
Historically, Bolivia has had one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. In 2021 alone, the Amazon lost more than 1.4 million acres, which is close to the size of Delaware. In order to turn this trend around, partnerships with Indigenous people, local communities and governments, as well as national governments are needed.
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