Environmental issues in Bolivia: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Ilivits (talk | contribs)
25 edits
Adjusted lead to summarize information added to the article
Yziouras (talk | contribs)
25 edits
Added pollution section
Line 111: Line 111:
=== Landfills and Recycling ===
=== Landfills and Recycling ===
In Bolivia, only 8% of landfills are regulated, and recycling is under 4% of the total waste generated in the country.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Bolivia. New facilities for the treatment and recycling of urban waste {{!}} COOPI |url=https://www.coopi.org/en/bolivia-new-facilities-for-the-treatment-and-recycling-of-urban-waste.html |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.coopi.org |language=en}}</ref> In September 2019, COOPI implemented a waste management program in La Paz municipality titled "''LaPazRecicla. Integrated approach to waste management in the municipality of La Paz, Bolivia. New technologies to promote the circular economy''."<ref name=":12" /> This program focuses on increased sustainability in Bolivia’s capitol through the implementation of waste treatment plants and related machinery, as well as awareness campaigns for the separation of waste.<ref name=":12" />
In Bolivia, only 8% of landfills are regulated, and recycling is under 4% of the total waste generated in the country.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Bolivia. New facilities for the treatment and recycling of urban waste {{!}} COOPI |url=https://www.coopi.org/en/bolivia-new-facilities-for-the-treatment-and-recycling-of-urban-waste.html |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=www.coopi.org |language=en}}</ref> In September 2019, COOPI implemented a waste management program in La Paz municipality titled "''LaPazRecicla. Integrated approach to waste management in the municipality of La Paz, Bolivia. New technologies to promote the circular economy''."<ref name=":12" /> This program focuses on increased sustainability in Bolivia’s capitol through the implementation of waste treatment plants and related machinery, as well as awareness campaigns for the separation of waste.<ref name=":12" />

== Pollution ==

=== Air ===
In Bolivia's eastern and Amazonian lowland areas, air quality remains high throughout the year, except during the four-month dry season when these regions are prone to fires.<ref name=":73">{{Cite web |last=Slunge |first=Daniel |date=May 2015 |title=Environment and Climate Change in Bolivia - Challenges and Opportunites for Development |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel-Slunge/publication/277198222_Environment_and_Climate_Change_in_Bolivia_-_Challenges_and_Opportunities_for_Development/links/59f59cceaca272607e2a98e4/Environment-and-Climate-Change-in-Bolivia-Challenges-and-Opportunities-for-Development.pdf |website=ResearchGate}}</ref> Fires have increased in these regions during the past few decades due to the expansion of agricultural activities.<ref name=":73" />

Cities situated at altitudes above 2000 meters, such as [[La Paz]], [[El Alto]], and [[Cochabamba]], face significant air pollution issues.<ref name=":73" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last=Mardoñez |first=Valeria |last2=Pandolfi |first2=Marco |last3=Borlaza |first3=Lucille Joanna S. |last4=Jaffrezo |first4=Jean-Luc |last5=Alastuey |first5=Andrés |last6=Besombes |first6=Jean-Luc |last7=Moreno R. |first7=Isabel |last8=Perez |first8=Noemi |last9=Močnik |first9=Griša |last10=Ginot |first10=Patrick |last11=Krejci |first11=Radovan |last12=Chrastny |first12=Vladislav |last13=Wiedensohler |first13=Alfred |last14=Laj |first14=Paolo |last15=Andrade |first15=Marcos |date=2023-09-15 |title=Source apportionment study on particulate air pollution in two high-altitude Bolivian cities: La Paz and El Alto |url=https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/10325/2023/ |journal=Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |language=English |volume=23 |issue=18 |pages=10325–10347 |doi=10.5194/acp-23-10325-2023 |issn=1680-7316}}</ref> These cities are home to nearly 50% of Bolivia’s population and have grown rapidly since the 1950’s.<ref name=":152">{{Cite web |last=Trohanis |first=Zoe Elena |last2=Zangerling |first2=Bontje Marie |last3=Sanchez-Reaza |first3=Javier |date=May 2015 |title=Urbanization Trends in Bolivia: Opportunites and Challenges |url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/600fdb16-ec84-5672-8bd1-3d993a8d6821 |website=Open Knowledge Repository}}</ref> This swift expansion has led to an increase in the number of motor vehicles and industries (brick production, oil refineries, metal foundries, etc.) within these urban areas, making them the primary contributors to air pollution.<ref name=":73" /> Vehicular emissions contribute up to 35% to the particles in the air in these high altitude cities.<ref name=":13" /> Another major contributor to air pollution is the burning of agricultural and household waste.<ref name=":73" /> In some parts of these cities, the concentration of air particles smaller than 10 micrometers is 2.5 times higher than the Latin American and Caribbean average and comparable to heavily polluted South American cities such as [[Santiago]] and [[Mexico City]].<ref name=":73" />

Beyond urban areas, indoor air pollution affects almost 80% of the rural population.<ref name=":73" /> This issue stems from the extensive reliance on firewood and solid fuels for cooking within economically disadvantaged rural communities.<ref name=":73" />

=== Water ===
Rapid low-density expansion of Bolivia’s urban areas likely results in water pollution, as a result of insufficient sanitation coverage paired with a lack of wastewater treatment.<ref name=":02">{{Citation |last=McDonald |first=Robert I. |title=Urbanization and Global Trends in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services |date=2013 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7088-1_3 |work=Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities |pages=31–52 |access-date=2023-11-09 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |isbn=978-94-007-7087-4 |last2=Marcotullio |first2=Peter J. |last3=Güneralp |first3=Burak}}</ref> The use of unregulated septic tanks likely exacerbates the problem.<ref name=":02" />


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 00:39, 9 November 2023

Environmental issues in Bolivia include deforestation caused by commercial agriculture, urbanization, and illegal logging, and biodiversity loss attributed to illegal wildlife trade, climate change, deforestation, and habitat destruction.[1] Since 1990, Bolivia has experienced rapid urbanization raising concerns about air quality and water pollution.[2]

Deforestation

Bolivia has the 13th largest national share of the world's forest cover.[3] As of 2015, its primary forest cover was 36.2 million hectares, the 13th largest national area in the world and representing 2.8% of the worldwide total.[3] Bolivia also has the seventh largest amount of tropical rainforest. Overall, forests made up 51.4 million hectares or 46.8% of the country's total area as of 2013.[4] Both primary forest and overall forest cover have been declining in recent decades.[4]

Colonization schemes have also contributed to deforestation in Bolivia.[5] Since the 1960’s, the Bolivian lowlands have seen large scale colonization by rural nationals from the Andean region as well as America and Japan.[5] This has largely been encouraged by the Bolivian government [5]. Inexpensive land and fertile soil were additional driving factors for these immigrants who contributed to organizing commercial farming causing  deforestation to increase by 60% from the 1980’s to the 1990’s.[6]

Deforestation in the Bolivian Andes

In recent years, the growth of coca-leaves has become widespread in Bolivia. To create space for these large plantations, large areas have been deforested via slash and burn operations.[7] An estimated 4 hectares of forest need to be cleared for each one hectare of land needed for the cultivation of coca. [7]

Logging, which is often done illegally in Bolivia, and forest fires are additional causes of deforestation.[7] Illegal logging has occurred even in the Isiboro Secure National Park and Indigenous Territory (TIPNIS) which is a designated state park.[8] Concerns about the impact of illegal logging on deforestation were so serious that in 2011 Bolivian protestors were able to halt the construction of a highway that would have increased access to the TIPNIS territory.[8] Bolivia's highway network remains underdeveloped, restricting access to specific forested areas.[7] However, as the country progresses, expanded road construction might not only lead to deforestation but also enhance access for illegal loggers to these forested regions.[7]

Forest Cover in Bolivia (1,000s of hectares of primary forest)
1990 2000 2005 2010 2015
40,804 39,046 38,164 37,164 36,164 2.8%
As reported to the Global Forest Resources Assessment.[3]

The final figure (2.8%) represents the percentage of worldwide total in 2015.

Forest cover in Bolivia by type of forest (2013)
Forest Type Area
(ha) 		Percent
of forest 		Percent
of Bolivia
1 Amazon forest 19,402,388 37.7 17.7
2 Chaco forest 9,098,162 17.7 8.3
3 Chiquitano forest 8,645,849 16.8 7.9
4 Yungas forest 6,565,994 12.8 6.0
5 Tucumano forest 3,322,885 6.5 3.0
6 Flooded forest 3,047,598 5.9 2.8
7 Pantanal forest 1,147,401 2.2 1.0
8 Dry inter-Andean forest 172,227 0.3 0.2
9 Andean forest 4,496 0.01 0.0
Total forest, 2013 51,407,000 100 46.8

Source: MMAyA-OTCA, summarized by Andersen et al 2016:S1.[4]

Endangered species

There are 452 species endemic to Bolivia classified by the IUCN Red List as threatened.[9] Biodiversity loss in Bolivia can be mainly attributed to illegal wildlife trade, climate change, deforestation, and habitat destruction.[9][10] Poor land management in Bolivia’s cattle ranching industry accounts for around 50% of habitat destruction in the country.[9] Bolivia’s economic conditions and rapid development have led the country to increasingly rely on cultivating soybeans, producing fossil fuels, engaging in illicit logging, and other practices that further exacerbate habitat loss.[9][10] A lack of historical road access in Bolivia has aided biodiversity conservation more than active conservation efforts, but the increased rate of development in the country has highlighted a need for more focused conservation policies in the face of growing biodiversity degradation.[10]

Waste

Waste management has a high level of urgency in Bolivia.[11] The World Bank implemented a technical assistance program titled the Disaster Recovery and Vulnerability Reduction Project to increase the country’s capacity for response to environmental disasters and the waste management made necessary by these events. The controls implemented include erosion and runoff control, fuel management, site sanitation, trash and construction debris management, pesticide management, dust control, and noise reduction.[12]

Collection services

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) system in Bolivia relies heavily on open dumping, specifically in smaller communities.[13] Open dumping is the act of disposing solid waste in a manner that may harm the environment, and leave the waste vulnerable to open burning, exposure to numerous environmental elements, and scavengers.[13]

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been proven to have a positive impact on waste management in countries such as India and Uganda.[13] When used in conjunction with waste management systems, GIS provides “better designation and handling of waste and disposal sites, improved observational safety reporting, and a more defined and proactive approach to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).”[14]

Landfills and Recycling

In Bolivia, only 8% of landfills are regulated, and recycling is under 4% of the total waste generated in the country.[15] In September 2019, COOPI implemented a waste management program in La Paz municipality titled "LaPazRecicla. Integrated approach to waste management in the municipality of La Paz, Bolivia. New technologies to promote the circular economy."[15] This program focuses on increased sustainability in Bolivia’s capitol through the implementation of waste treatment plants and related machinery, as well as awareness campaigns for the separation of waste.[15]

Pollution

Air

In Bolivia's eastern and Amazonian lowland areas, air quality remains high throughout the year, except during the four-month dry season when these regions are prone to fires.[16] Fires have increased in these regions during the past few decades due to the expansion of agricultural activities.[16]

Cities situated at altitudes above 2000 meters, such as La Paz, El Alto, and Cochabamba, face significant air pollution issues.[16][17] These cities are home to nearly 50% of Bolivia’s population and have grown rapidly since the 1950’s.[18] This swift expansion has led to an increase in the number of motor vehicles and industries (brick production, oil refineries, metal foundries, etc.) within these urban areas, making them the primary contributors to air pollution.[16] Vehicular emissions contribute up to 35% to the particles in the air in these high altitude cities.[17] Another major contributor to air pollution is the burning of agricultural and household waste.[16] In some parts of these cities, the concentration of air particles smaller than 10 micrometers is 2.5 times higher than the Latin American and Caribbean average and comparable to heavily polluted South American cities such as Santiago and Mexico City.[16]

Beyond urban areas, indoor air pollution affects almost 80% of the rural population.[16] This issue stems from the extensive reliance on firewood and solid fuels for cooking within economically disadvantaged rural communities.[16]

Water

Rapid low-density expansion of Bolivia’s urban areas likely results in water pollution, as a result of insufficient sanitation coverage paired with a lack of wastewater treatment.[19] The use of unregulated septic tanks likely exacerbates the problem.[19]

References

  1. ^ Slunge, Daniel (May 2015). "Environment and Climate Change in Bolivia - Challenges and Opportunites for Development" (PDF). ResearchGate.
  2. ^ Trohanis, Zoe Elena; Zangerling, Bontje Marie; Sanchez-Reaza, Javier (May 2015). "Urbanization Trends in Bolivia: Opportunites and Challenges". Open Knowledge Repository.
  3. ^ a b c Morales-Hidalgo, David; Oswalt, Sonja N.; Somanathan, E. (2015-09-07). "Status and trends in global primary forest, protected areas, and areas designated for conservation of biodiversity from the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015". Forest Ecology and Management. Changes in Global Forest Resources from 1990 to 2015. 352: 68–77. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2015.06.011. ISSN 0378-1127.
  4. ^ a b c Andersen, Lykke E.; Doyle, Anna Sophia; Granado, Susana del; Ledezma, Juan Carlos; Medinaceli, Agnes; Valdivia, Montserrat; Weinhold, Diana (2016-03-18). "Net Carbon Emissions from Deforestation in Bolivia during 1990-2000 and 2000-2010: Results from a Carbon Bookkeeping Model". PLOS ONE. 11 (3): –0151241. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1151241A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151241. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4798530. PMID 26990865. Included in Supplemental Material S1.
  5. ^ a b c Kleemann, Janina; Zamora, Camilo; Villacis-Chiluisa, Alexandra Belen; Cuenca, Pablo; Koo, Hongmi; Noh, Jin Kyoung; Fürst, Christine; Thiel, Michael (February 2022). "Deforestation in Continental Ecuador with a Focus on Protected Areas". Land. 11 (2): 268. doi:10.3390/land11020268. ISSN 2073-445X.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  6. ^ Steininger, Marc K.; Tucker, Compton J.; Townshend, John R. G.; Killeen, Timothy J.; Desch, Arthur; Bell, Vivre; Ersts, Peter (June 2001). "Tropical deforestation in the Bolivian Amazon". Environmental Conservation. 28 (2): 127–134. doi:10.1017/S0376892901000133. ISSN 1469-4387.
  7. ^ a b c d e Slunge, Daniel (May 2015). "Environment and Climate Change in Bolivia - Challenges and Opportunites for Development" (PDF). ResearchGate.
  8. ^ a b Delgado, Ana Carolina (2017-05-08). "The TIPNIS Conflict in Bolivia". Contexto Internacional. 39: 373–392. doi:10.1590/S0102-8529.2017390200009. ISSN 0102-8529.
  9. ^ a b c d Farrows. "Bolivia". World Land Trust. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  10. ^ a b c Ibisch, Pierre L. (2005), Romero, Aldemaro; West, Sarah E. (eds.), "Biodiversity Conservation in Bolivia: History, Trends and Challenges", Environmental Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 55–71, doi:10.1007/1-4020-3774-0_3, ISBN 978-1-4020-3774-0, retrieved 2023-10-30
  11. ^ Weltbank (2013). Environmental Management in Bolivia: Innovations and Opportunities.
  12. ^ "Bolivia - Disaster Recovery and Vulnerability Reduction Project : environmental framework". World Bank. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  13. ^ a b c Ferronato, Navarro; Portugal Alarcón, Grecia Paola; Guisbert Lizarazu, Edith Gabriela; Torretta, Vincenzo (2021-04-01). "Assessment of municipal solid waste collection in Bolivia: Perspectives for avoiding uncontrolled disposal and boosting waste recycling options". Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 167: 105234. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105234. ISSN 0921-3449.
  14. ^ Group, SafetyStratus Research Advisory (2023-07-11). "GIS Technology: Improving Waste Management". SafetyStratus. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  15. ^ a b c "Bolivia. New facilities for the treatment and recycling of urban waste | COOPI". www.coopi.org. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Slunge, Daniel (May 2015). "Environment and Climate Change in Bolivia - Challenges and Opportunites for Development" (PDF). ResearchGate.
  17. ^ a b Mardoñez, Valeria; Pandolfi, Marco; Borlaza, Lucille Joanna S.; Jaffrezo, Jean-Luc; Alastuey, Andrés; Besombes, Jean-Luc; Moreno R., Isabel; Perez, Noemi; Močnik, Griša; Ginot, Patrick; Krejci, Radovan; Chrastny, Vladislav; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Laj, Paolo; Andrade, Marcos (2023-09-15). "Source apportionment study on particulate air pollution in two high-altitude Bolivian cities: La Paz and El Alto". Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 23 (18): 10325–10347. doi:10.5194/acp-23-10325-2023. ISSN 1680-7316.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  18. ^ Trohanis, Zoe Elena; Zangerling, Bontje Marie; Sanchez-Reaza, Javier (May 2015). "Urbanization Trends in Bolivia: Opportunites and Challenges". Open Knowledge Repository.
  19. ^ a b McDonald, Robert I.; Marcotullio, Peter J.; Güneralp, Burak (2013), "Urbanization and Global Trends in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services", Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 31–52, ISBN 978-94-007-7087-4, retrieved 2023-11-09
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Environmental_issues_in_Bolivia&oldid=1184208967"