By Nelfi Fernández Reyes
Regardless of what satellite images show, inhabitants who have illegally planted crops within the protected area told committee officials that they “take care of Curichi”, because each union member’s rice plots do not exceed three hectares. Behind their crops, a row of trees is visible in the background.
So, on approaching the area, the officials were understandably surprised to discover that more crops lay behind the trees.
The Global Forest Watch (GFW) satellite monitoring platform confirms this loss of forest cover. Images show that some 5,005 deforestation alerts were recorded between August 2022 and November 2023. Vitally, 4,558 of that total were generated between October and November 2023 alone. Each deforestation alert represents a loss of 30×30 meters of tropical forest, equivalent to the size of a basketball court.
These figures disprove what agricultural union members told officials, saying “this has been going on for 20 years.”
Active fire alerts picked up by VIIRS, NASA’s monitoring technology, also reveal that 42 hot spots were recorded between September and November 2023, the highest number for a decade.
Fire is often used to clear land in preparation for planting crops.
Councilwoman Mónica Vaca Gil, one of the committee members, was shocked by the extent of the damage. She says that she had tried to inspect the reserve in 2021, but was unable to complete her visit because the invaders took the local guide hostage and repeatedly assaulted him, eventually breaking his nose. On that occasion, she says, together with four other council members and Natura Foundation, they were able to reach the stork nests. At that time some virgin forest remained, and reports of encroachment and deforestation only made reference to a small cultivation plots.
A drone flying inside the Curichi Las Garzas municipal protected area recorded images of houses as well as crops. Image by Miguel Surubi
Getting around the laws
Union representatives were asked if they had known that their crops were located in a municipal reserve and whether they had documents proving ownership of the occupied land. They confirmed they knew it was a protected area, but claimed that they had permission from the INRA (Bolivia’s National Institute of Agrarian Reform) and the agreement of Mayor Óscar Zinko, who came to the municipal seat with the support of the Movement Toward Socialism party (known by its Spanish acronym, MAS).
When asked about the recurrent fires, the group were quick to say that they see to it that the fires do not get out of control, with one woman claiming “We prevent the fire from going any further. We fight the fire with our lives.”
In October, fire destroyed around 300 hectares of the reserve, according to estimates by Blanca Nieves Suárez, an environmental expert with Natura Foundation. An analysis of satellite images carried out by the journalistic alliance also confirms that the recent damage is at least 300 hectares, and could even be up to 400 hectares.
But what happens after the fire is put out? Based on vague information provided by the encroachers, it seems that that’s when machinery is brought in, and then planting begins. And so, explains Blanca Nieves, agricultural activity in the area increases year on year.
Soybean crops being harvested in the Curichi Las Garzas municipal reserve. Image by Fuad Landívar.
“There are now 300 new hectares being used for agriculture. This is concerning because, from what we have seen during this inspection, they are continuing to burn the area with a view to creating more new hectares. They even want to apportion out the reserve,” says Suárez.
Suárez warns that, if this pattern continues, not only will the district of Antofagasta run out of water, but the entire San Carlos municipality. “It is possible to grow crops, but it will mean no water for the actual production, or for people to drink,” she says.
Walter Menacho, a legal advisor for the ABT, Bolivia’s Forest and Land Authority, accompanied the group of officials. Menacho says that the ABT took disciplinary action following the fire in October, and investigations found four people responsible, who were subjected to abbreviated proceedings and received an administrative sanction by way of a fine. Menacho did not specify the amount of the fine, although currently the official figure is 20 cents per hectare burned. The government is currently pushing for this to be increased to $20 per affected hectare.
A drone flying inside the Curichi Las Garzas municipal protected area recorded images of houses. Image by Miguel Surubi.
Who is to blame?
But just who is to blame for the situation at the reserve, which is intended to protect wildlife, regulate the climate, and provide a water supply? Committee members that visited the area are pointing the finger at the San Carlos local government, the INRA, and ABT.
Eulogio Núñez, the INRA’s National Director, told El Deber and Mongabay Latam that the “Curichi Las Garzas Municipal Wildlife Reserve is unavailable public land,” and that his organization “did not authorize any settlements. Should anyone say otherwise, they should provide their authorization, as the INRA completed the area’s land titling in 2014.”
Núñez says the responsibility sits with the San Carlos Mayor’s Office. “If illegal settlements exist, the municipal government must report them to the agro-environmental court. If illegal land clearing has taken place, the municipal government must report it to the ABT,” he explains.
He goes on to say that Law 477 sets out jail sentences of 3 to 8 years for land grabbers and land traffickers. “And if any public body (that make up the four “organs” of Bolivia’s public power) is involved, the penalty is increased by 30%.”
On November 30, 2023, there were clear signs that heavy machinery had entered the municipal reserve. Image by Fuad Landívar.
When we contacted Mayor Óscar Sinko by telephone, he asked, “But what more do you want to know? I think it is up to the competent authority to look into the matter.”
Mayor Sinko believes it is up to community members to report the land grabbers, “giving their full names”, because “we (the Mayor’s office) are not going to go looking for them or run around after them. It is not up to us to do that.”
When asked why he had allowed agricultural activity to destroy legally protected patuju plants, junco reeds and any of the reserve’s other trees, and when there are ecotourism projects attracting visitors to Buen Retiro (a neighboring district of Antofagasta), he responded: “Listen; these stories are just stories.”
As for the ‘go-ahead’ he allegedly gave for the encroachers to enter the area with machinery, Sinko said that he is not a park ranger and cannot be “aware of everything”. “Those people who, regrettably, entered the area know the rules. So, they simply have to abide by the consequences.” With this, he abruptly ended our call.
Farmers who illegally entered the municipal reserve say they did not cut down any trees, but there is clear evidence to the contrary. Image by Fuad Landívar.
However, Gonzalo Colque, a researcher with Fundación Tierra, explains that neither the INRA nor the San Carlos municipal government can shirk their responsibility. What is happening in El Curichi Las Garzas is not unique to this municipality, nor is it the only protected area in Bolivia that has experienced encroachment.
Colque says that land titling without evicting encroachers is causing problems in Bolivia. “When titles are granted and the regularization process is completed, the INRA is obligated to evict all illegal settlements. This is part of its responsibilities, and it can even make use of law enforcement to protect these areas of public property.”
In the case of the Municipality of San Carlos, declaring an area as a reserve “does not only buy rights, but also obligations to protect that area. And those obligations imply a municipal budget for the management, conservation, and improvement of these areas,” he says.
Aerial images from November 30 show a column of smoke rising from one end Curichi. Image by Miguel Surubi.
While local government officials continue to pass the buck, the encroachers – as one of them explained – have turned the reserve, where thousands of storks arrive every year to nest, “into a sieve”.
Now, the chicks, whose mothers were the last to arrive at Curichi and who were not affected by the huge fire in October, are preparing to leave. “What will they find next year when they return?” asks scientist Huáscar Castillo. He adds that the people of San Carlos should be aware that the Curichi reserve is not only a haven for wildlife and a breeding ground for the storks, but also functions as an ecosystem that regulates the climate and temperature, as well as the water they themselves consume.
Banner image: An aerial view of El Curichi Las Garzas shows that rice and soybean crops have been planted on the west side of this municipal protected area. Image by Miguel Surubi.
This article was originally published on Mongabay
