Madidi National Park Bolivia, South America
Country Bolivia
Established 1995
Region Northwest region of the Department of La Paz
IUCN Category National Park (CAT. II)
Project Size 18,958 km² (12,715 km² Madidi National Park and 6,243 km² Madidi Natural Area of Integrated Management)
Population 19,000
Biome Amazonian rainforests, montane cloud forests, dry inter-Andean forests and more
Key Species Andean condor, vicuña, Andean bear, jaguar, migratory cat fish
Conservation Relevance Key Biodiversity Area
Managing Authority National Protected Area Service of Bolivia (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas)
Partner Wildlife Conservation Society
Funding Partner Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Where the Andes and the Amazon Meet
Legacy Landscapes Fund Project Candidate | Status 05/2021
The Madidi Protected Area comprises both a National Park and a Natural Area for Integrated Management, spanning some 18,958 km² along an almost 6,000 m altitudinal range in the Northwestern Bolivian Andes. It is immersed in a landscape of high ecological integrity of more than 50,000 km².
Recent expeditions through its diverse ecosystems confirmed the presence of more than 1,800 vertebrates, 1,800 butterfly subspecies, and 5,500 plant species within the protected area, making it a contender for the most biodiverse protected area on the planet.
The protected area of Madidi not only secures regionally and globally relevant ecosystem services but is home to more than 30 indigenous communities and overlaps with four legally recognized indigenous lands of critical cultural and ecological importance.
Conservation programs focus on strengthening the links between protected areas and land management units of local communities, indigenous territories, and neighboring municipalities. For this reason, conservation priorities are incorporated into regional development plans, whilst also meeting the livelihood needs and aspirations of the local communities that have supported conservation efforts over the last quarter of a century.
Key Threats
- Agricultural expansion as well as roads and hydroelectric dams
- Mining and oil exploitation
- Droughts and associated fire risk in grassland areas
Key Activities
- Improve management effectiveness of Madidi protected areas
- Joint control and surveillance, enforcement, and monitoring with neighboring protected areas and indigenous lands
- Implement tourism and natural resource management activities to improve local livelihoods
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