Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve

A  stream cuts through  the brown of winter at Eduardo Avaroa. © TROPICO

At least 25,000 tourists flock annually to Eduardo Avaroa, making it Bolivia's most popular national park. Named for a 19th century Bolivian war hero, its elevation starts at 11,482 feet (3,500 meters) and extends to well above 16,400 feet (5,000 meters). 

Location
Eduardo Avaroa is in the high Andes Mountains on the Chilean and Argentine border in far southwestern Bolivia.

Animals
Hardy animals such as vicuñas, pumas, Andean foxes and brown furry Andean rabbits known as vizcachas are among the 23 mammal species thriving in Eduardo Avaroa.

Borders of the reserve were expanded in 2001 to include the newly created Laguna Colorada National Wildlife Sanctuary. Its freshwater lakes and saltwater lagoons are nesting sites for three of the world's six flamingo species—Chilean, Andean and James. Flamingoes, Andean geese, falcons, ducks and large, flightless birds called lesser rheas are some of the 80 species of birds living here.

Flamingos count on Eduardo Avaroa's saltwater lagoons and freshater lakes as nesting sites. © TROPICO

The sanctuary's water bodies are of vital importance to animals in an area where just three inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain falls per year. The region harbors 10 types of reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Plants
At least 190 species of plants and trees grow in this hardscrabble environment. They have adapted to harsh conditions such as salinity, lack of fresh water, low temperatures and scarcity of nutrients.

Yareta, which looks like a foamy bubble bath but is as hard as stone, grows on rocky outcrops and is combustible. Villagers use the long-lived and slow-growing plant as heating and cooking fuel. It grows about a half inch each year.
 

Why the Conservancy Works Here
Although beautiful, Eduardo Avaroa is one of Bolivia's most economically depressed regions because of  its ruggedness and remoteness. Threats to the region include unregulated tourism, mining and poor farming practices near fragile bogs.

What the Conservancy Is Doing

• Most of the 40,000 visitors trekking to Eduardo Avaroa each year see the park from the back of four-wheelers driven by untrained tour guides. The bulk of the visitors are twentysomethings lokking for high adventure on a low budget. These trucks disturb wildlife and tear up sensitive landscapes. Also, lack of restrooms means human waste is polluting the reserve. The Conservancy and its in-country partners have combined resources to hire and train 14 park guards who are equipped with patrol vehicles and two-way radios. But that isn't enough.

  Some tourists visit  Eduardo Avaroa's on bicycles; but sport utility vehicles are more common. © PROMETA

  
  
  The Conservancy and the National Protected Areas Service (SERNAP) are developing a strategy to funnel park entrance fees toward a park management plan featuring ecotourism. Paying tourists will provide the primary income for villagers from two poor communities-Quetena Grande and Quetena Chico. Access will be restricted to some of the park's most vulnerable resources.

•  Many of the 500 villagers in Quetena Grande and Quetena Chico raise llamas and alpacas. The herds destroy native plants and animals by overgrazing. Villagers collect combustible plants such as yareta as fuel for cooking and heating.
  
  The Conservancy and partner TROPICO are helping local communities and park staff to adopt sustainable farming practices and efficient energy alternatives. Local farmers will learn how to breed healthier animals and how to use fences to regulate when and where their herds graze. As well, villagers will have access to natural gas and solar technology for their cooking and heating needs.

  Andean foxes have adjusted to the harshness of Eduardo Avaroa. © TROPICO

•  Mining is a major industry in and around the reserve. Some 61 mining concessions are polluting Eduardo Avaroa by leaving tailings behind and depleting its natural resources. The reserve is geologically well-endowed with veins of lead, zinc and silver. Nonmetallic minerals such as sulfur and evaporating minerals like ulexite also are extracted. Sulfuric acid is used to transform ulexite into boric acid, which is exported to the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
  
  The Conservancy and its partners are working to make sure existing environmental regulations are enforced. The idea is to use Eduardo Avaroa as the model project that limits mining in protected areas across Bolivia.