Ecotourism in Bolivia: Brand or objective? 

Ecotourism is a sector that has undergone considerable development in Bolivia since 1999. For many, it is not only a form of income but a way of life. With this in mind Bolivian Express reached out to two ecotourism projects located in the Bení department of the country, at the gateway to Madidi National Park and protected area.

We spoke with Pedro Macuapa, owner of the Berraco del Madidi tour company which organises rainforest tours deep within Madidi National Park, and Gueider Gonzales, a Spanish- and English-speaking tour guide working with the Canopy Villa Alcira tour group, located just outside the entrance to the park. Our objective was to delve deep into the concept of ecotourism in Bolivia and find out more about what the projects mean to the people involved.

Following the United Nations’ International Year of Ecotourism in 2002, the National Committee of Support for Ecotourism was founded in Bolivia. The Committee defines ecotourism as ‘recreational activities that promote learning and introduce people to national protected areas under norms that reduce the environmental and cultural impact of travellers and generate economic benefits for the community while valuing local cultural traditions.’

Bolivia is one of the top 15 most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to 36 distinct ethnic populations and has an altitude variance ranging from 6,500 metres to less than 100 metres above sea level. Many communities living in the most biodiverse and environmentally unique areas of the country have recognised the potential gains of informing tourists about their lifestyles and the virtues of breaking any associated cultural taboos.

Pedro Macuapa, owner of ‘Berraco del Madidi’ Jungle Tours

Pedro Macuapa of the San José de Uchapiamonas indigenous group first developed an interest in tourism after observing the industry in Peru. He informs us that it is ‘through tourism that the people of the indigenous community express themselves and demonstrate their customs and traditions.’ He goes on to describe ‘ecotourists’ as people who are ‘investing in the conservation of their destinations of choice.’ Macuapa says that the ‘conservation of natural resources so as to ensure their sustainability has always been a top priority for [indigenous communities].’ In order to minimise their environmental impact, members of the Berraco del Madidi community strive not to ‘disturb the surrounding organic environment by means of sound pollution or uncontrolled deforestation.’

Gueider Gonzales - Spanish and English speaking guide for Alcira Canopy tours

Gueider Gonzales of the Tacana indigenous community works with Canopy Villa Alcira tours, who offer various packages and activities centred around Tacana identity, including community visits, traditional jewellery-making, forest walks and canopy zip line tours. Gonzales believes that the key difference between ecotourism and traditional tourism lies in their respective objectives. ‘Ecotourism,’ he says, ‘is more centred around the conservation of flora and fauna by acting in a more friendly manner around nature in protected areas.’ In order to limit their carbon footprint, the Tacana emphasise ‘the importance of the community's natural resources’ when educating their children, so that they learn to respect the environment around them and pass that knowledge on to future generations.

The ideals attached to ecotourism in Bolivia are certainly adhered to when it comes to projects such as the Canopy Villa Alcira and Berraco del Madidi tour companies. However, ecotourism is difficult to monitor on a national level, especially given the lack of concrete government laws on what constitutes an ecolodge or ecotour. Any legislation that does exist is barely enforced. The ambiguity surrounding the term ecotourism weakens its meaning, damaging the industry as a whole and leading to problems such as a lack of trust between tourists and agencies and difficult advertising.

Ecotourism in Bolivia remains an industry with much potential, but its definition is ambiguous under current national legislation. More work needs to be done to enable community groups to discuss laws and decide how best to implement them, in line with their traditions. Macuapa and Gonzales work for tour groups that represent just two examples from amongst a multitude of admirable community-run ecotourism projects, which offer an exciting and very personal alternative to traditional tourism.

Beauty from Pachamama 

Grooming is an essential part of our daily ritual. But in spite of the attention we pay to our appearance, we often think little about the chemicals we are expose ourselves to or the indirect effects they have on our health and the environment. Lorgia Lina Mercado Figueredo, a La Paz native and the founder of Botanika Eco Cosmética, one of a handful of organic beauty-product companies that have sprung up in Bolivia in recent years, describes herself as having always been a nature lover, but her first business ventures had nothing to do with Pachamama or cosmetics. In fact, she studied psychology and worked a corporate job for much of her 20s. It wasn’t until she was pregnant with her son that she became concerned with the complex names on the back labels of the beauty products she used. ‘When you’re pregnant, you want to do whatever is best for the baby,’ she says. ‘You take care of what you eat and avoid anything that’s harmful to you and the baby. I began to take an interest in the products I was using on my hair and my skin because they are absorbed and become part of your body, and are ultimately passed on to the baby.’

Since founding her company in 2014, Mercado’s mission has been to promote sustainable and affordable beauty products – a task that is not without its challenges here in Bolivia. The country’s biodiversity is an unbeatable advantage when making organic products. Many native plants and herbs from the altiplano (coca) and the Amazon (acai, cat’s claw, cocoa) have important medicinal properties well-known to indigenous people. Many of the herbs used in Botanika’s formula are grown just outside of La Paz, in Achocalla, ensuring their organic status. Mercado’s brand is ‘proudly Bolivian’, drawing on the long-lost beauty rituals and knowledge of previous generations. The company’s Rescatando nuestras raíces (rescuing our roots) campaign aims to revive and revamp the beauty rituals of indigenous women using locally sourced ingredients to recreate conventional beauty products. 

Botanika’s collpa shampoo is a solid rocklike product that contains naturally occurring salt deposits, a formulation that has been used by Aymara women for generations. Unlike conventional shampoos, it is free from artificial and harmful chemicals like parabens, foaming agents and synthetic fragrances. Botanika also produces sajrañas, plant-based brushes used by Aymara women that are renowned for their gentleness. Unlike plastic combs, sajrañas don’t snag or tear hair, and they are alleged to have magical properties. ‘There’s the belief that when a woman is afraid at night, or during a difficult birth, holding on to her sajraña gives her strength,’ Mercado says. ‘There’s a lot of rich culture and history that we have lost over the years. Fortunately, people have really taken to the campaign. The best part is that it enables people in these small, rural communities to keep making them.’ Botanika’s lip products carry the delicious, sweet smell of copoazú, a superfruit from the Amazon rich in oils, which prevents drying and repairs damage caused by UV exposure. All colouring is naturally derived using plants like airampo to give the lipstick red pigmentation as opposed to using heavy-metal based colouring.

Botanika now has eight points of sale in La Paz and is expanding to other cities in Bolivia. It hasn’t been an easy journey for Mercado, in part due to the challenges that come with juggling motherhood and running a business. She single-handedly makes Botanika’s products in her home lab and has yet to open up her own store because of the expensive rents. Mercado’s biggest challenge, she says, is competing with the cosmetic giants that dominate the Bolivian market. They are able to draw in millions of consumers thanks to huge advertising budgets and clever marketing, as well as their ability to mass-produce and transport their merchandise across the country at a low cost. ‘It is about changing people’s habits,’ Mercado says of the challenge. ‘A lot of people base their choices on costs, and that can mean whatever is cheaper or the opposite – some people spend lots of money on branded products but they don’t understand what goes into them.’ Mercado also organises and hosts workshops to teach attendees how to make a variety of organic products, empowering others with the same knowledge that has changed her life and allowing more people to take part in Bolivia’s organic future.

Photo: Nick Somers − Past Intern 

Cover Issue #73

PERFORMANCES

In 2014, the city of La Paz was named one of the Seven New Urban Wonders of the World by the New7Wonders Foundation. This global distinction came after a long and hard-fought campaign spearheaded by the city government and local citizens. It remains a badge of honour for us, as well as a central theme of the city’s efforts to bolster tourism. This award is both a boon to, and result of, La Paz’s emergence onto the world stage.

The attention given to the city is not unwarranted. The teleférico system has revolutionised transport here, for citizens and guests alike. The city’s gastronomic reputation is gaining renown as new restaurants, cafés and bars are focusing on local ingredients to create a distinct modern cuisine. The arts in this city are gaining more and more support as musicians and theatres receive more recognition abroad and more support locally, and the walls of the city come to life with bright murals by local artists. The list of ways in which La Paz is evolving, both culturally and economically, sometimes seems endless.

Such recognition as bestowed on La Paz in the past few years does not come without work. While a city may grow and improve organically in some ways, gaining attention from abroad does take planning and coordination. A lot of thought has gone into how La Paz presents itself, and what this presentation means. In some ways, its identity is carefully crafted, honed (albeit in a decentralised way) to put the city’s best face forward. Much like a person carefully shaping their identity through edited posts and rehearsed smiles on social media, performance is the name of the game, as the city creates a more modern and trendy image and shares it with the world.

We want to look at performance as a way to understand the things happening around us. In La Paz, as anywhere, people are performing every day: in the street, on stages, in work meetings, at social functions. The clothes we wear, the words we use, the actions we take, all put forward representations of who we are, or at least who we want to be. In this issue of Bolivian Express, we take a look at the people, organisations, and places around us, and explore the relationships between who or what they are, how they present themselves, and how we see and interpret them. By looking at Bolivia in this way, we refuse to take things at face value and commit to digging deeper to make sense of why things are shown as they are.

We look at traditional performers, and what they put into their craft, from standup comedians to Bolivian K-pop fanatics. We visit the Conservatorio Plurinacional de Música to review the state of opera and classical music in Bolivia, and spend an afternoon with Juan Carlos Aduviri, a renown Bolivian actor honing his vision for a cinematic style that is purely alteño. And we meet a group of homeless young people living on the street and changing their lives through hip-hop. We also learn about the performance of work, and hear from Bolivian entrepreneurs to understand how they use their experiences to present innovative ideas to local and international marketplaces. And a young bartender talks about his goals for reinventing La Paz’s cocktail scene, using taste, smell (palo santo! tobacco!) and sight to create inspired and stunning drinks.

La Paz’s ascent onto the international stage is undeniable. Plenty of international attention has been paid to this city as a cultural, culinary, and general tourist destination. Hopefully this issue of Bolivian Express helps spread the word on what La Paz and the rest of Bolivia has to offer, and to encourage everyone to stop and watch the show that is life here. It is one not to be missed.

Editorial Issue #73, by WILLIAM WROBLEWSKI

Read more here: http://www.bolivianexpress.org/magazines/73