Protected Areas in Bolivia

Noted for its rugged and varied topography, Amboró National Park lies within three distinct ecosystems: the foothills of the Andes, the northern Chaco, and the Amazon Basin. Nowhere else in the world do three such diverse environments coincide.

One of the first protected areas to be established in Bolivia, the Beni Biosphere Reserve is located at the convergence of three biogeographical zones: the Amazon, the Chaco, and the Cerrado. The reserve is home to important indigenous Amazonian groups.

The Central Andean puna ecoregion is a high-elevation montane grassland and shrubland of South America and is part of the Puna grassland region. It is located in the high southern Andes, extending from southern Peru through Bolivia into northern Argentina.

The Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in southwest Bolivia, its most visited protected area, contains an extensive range of landscapes, including volcanic mountain peaks, hot springs, geysers, lakes, fumaroles, and windswept deserts.

Madidi National Park is located in the upper Amazon River basin of Bolivia, close to the borders of Peru and Brazil. The National Park is located in one of Earth's most biologically diverse regions that range from glacier-covered Andean mountain peaks to tropical rainforests.

Home to the Aymara indigenous people, Sajama National Park, is situated in Bolivia's Cordillera Occidental. It includes Nevado Sajama, an extinct stratovolcano and the highest peak in Bolivia. Its primary objective is the protection of the native queñoa tree.

The Pilón-Lajas Biosphere Reserve is located on the far eastern spur of the Andes. It comprises mixed mountain and highland ecosystems. The Bolivian government has designated the reserve as a territory and Native Community Land of the indigenous groups living in the Pilón-Lajas region.

Located in the higher elevations of Bolivia, the Ulla-Ulla Biosphere Reserve protects part of the Central Andean wet puna ecoregion. It contains a combination of ecological formations, including the high plateau, tundra, high cordillera, mountains, lakes, river headwaters and a permanent snow zone.