New Bolivian reserve protects 715,000 acres for jaguars, river dolphins and giant otters
The new Agua Dulce Municipal Wildlife Reserve in Baures, Bolivia, protects nearly 715,000 acres of habitat for jaguars, Amazon river dolphins, giant otters and hundreds of bird species.
A new protected area in Bolivia, the Agua Dulce Municipal Wildlife Reserve in Baures, now covers nearly 715,000 acres of habitat for jaguars, Amazon river dolphins and giant otters, Rainforest Trust announced on 7 October. The reserve was created with the Bolivian conservation group Faunagua and the Baures municipal government.
Hundreds of species in one reserve
The reserve, roughly 289,000 hectares, includes 11 types of vegetation and is home to more than 70 mammal species, 489 bird species, 47 reptile and amphibian species and 55 fish species. Alongside jaguars, river dolphins and giant otters, it shelters lowland tapirs and black caimans.
It also links habitat across the border. The reserve is part of a chain of six neighbouring conservation areas shared by Bolivia and Brazil along the Iténez River, allowing wildlife to move between them.
“This strategic alliance among local stakeholders and international conservation partners, including Rainforest Trust, is achieving lasting impacts for biodiversity conservation, the preservation of vital ecosystem services along the Iténez River, and the sustainable development of the communities involved in its stewardship.” — Rosmery Ayala Lozada, Executive Director, Faunagua
Local support secured the legal designation
Faunagua said Rainforest Trust provided technical and financial support to build agreement among local people and the municipality, secure the reserve's formal legal status and develop its management plans. Other partners include Conserva Aves and the Andes Amazon Fund.
The reserve pushed Rainforest Trust past 70 million acres protected worldwide since 1988, an area roughly the size of Nevada, with 10 million acres added since February. Other new protected areas have also made news, such as a national park in Laos created to protect the rare saola.
Designation is the first step. How well the reserve protects wildlife will depend on the management plans now being put in place and the communities who look after it.
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