BIG Things
Every tucked-away corner of the planet is changing, some quicker than others, but all in some way or another. There are some big changes that many of us hear about; issues like deforestation, climate change, and the urbanization of countryside. These are all threats, but the biggest, and often unspoken, threat is the gradual homogenization of the world. Many of the unique cultures and traditions of the world are disappearing. Like the small towns from our pasts that have lost that “something special”, that uniqueness, that quaintness, the same is true worldwide.
Commercialization and the global economy are affecting even the smallest communities, communities that were once remote. So why bring more people to these locations? Because we believe that although some change is inevitable, by raising awareness of the changes taking place, we can play a role in helping to stave off overdevelopment. There are hundreds of instances where travel has actually played a key role in protecting areas by showing local communities that what they have is valuable and worth preserving.
Endangered Scale
Low
High
Wildlife
Andean Flamingo
Andean Mountain Cat
Black faced Black Spider Monkey
Bolivian Red Howler
Brown throated Three toed Sloth
Bush Dog
Capybara
Chunyi
Cougar
Culpeo
Emperor Tamarin
Geoffroys Cat
Giant Anteater
Giant Armadillo
Giant Otter
Goeldis Marmoset
Spectacled Caiman
Gray Woolly Monkey
Green Anaconda
Guanaco
Jaguar
Long tailed Otter
Maned Wolf
Margay
Mountain Paca
N Andean Huemul
Ocelot
Pacarana
Pampas Cat
Red Brocket
Red bellied Piranha
Rio Beni Titi Monkey
S American Tapir
Scarlet Macaw
Short eared Dog
Short-tailed_Chinchilla
Spectacled Bear
Viscacha
White lipped Peccary
Landscapes and Cultures
Lake Titicaca
Threats
- Eutrophication from livestock runoff
- Heavy metal pollution from mining
- Depleted water level from overuse
- Untreated sewage contamination
- Droughts due to climate change
In Bolivia
- Continuously occupied since 10,000 BC
- First occupied by the Tiwanaku whose civilization’s ruins are being discovered under the surface of the lake
- Climate change-fueled drought causing historic low volume
Cerro Rico
Threats
- Inadequate historic preservation
- Possible structural collapse of mine
- Environmental impacts of hydraulic systems
In Bolivia
- Is in danger of complete collapse
- Once supplied 80% of the world’s silver
- There are currently about 15,000 active miners
- Nicknamed “The Mountain that Eats Men”
- The life expectancy of miners is about 40 years
- It is thought that as many as 8 million miners have been killed in the mines of the Potosi area.
Indigenous peoples
Threats
- Oil, gas, and hydroelectric projects
- Anti-indigenous sentiments
- Large-scale indigenous emigration
In Bolivia
- There are 36 recognized peoples in Bolivia
- Over 40% of Bolivia’s population is considered indigenous
- 20% of Bolivia’s land has been converted to community land
Madidi National Park
Threats
- Land conversion to agricultural use
- Gold mining
- Illegal logging
- Potential construction of a major road, mega dams and a bridge
- Poaching
In Bolivia
- Community run ecotourism lodges and guiding companies are helping to provide jobs and increase local support for protection
- 14% of world’s bird species
- Home to 46 indigenous communities
Salar de Uyuni
Threats
- Inadequate historic preservation
- Possible structural collapse of mine
- Environmental impacts of hydraulic systems
In Bolivia
- Is in danger of complete collapse
- Once supplied 80% of the world’s silver
- There are currently about 15,000 active miners
- Nicknamed “The Mountain that Eats Men”
- The life expectancy of miners is about 40 years
- It is thought that as many as 8 million miners have been killed in the mines of the Potosi area.
UNESCO Sites
City of Potosí
Fort Samaipata
The archaeological site of Samaipata consists of two parts: the hill with its many carvings, believed to have been the ceremonial centre of the old town (14th–16th centuries), and the area to the south of the hill, which formed the administrative and residential district. The huge sculptured rock, dominating the town below, is a unique testimony to pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs, and has no parallel anywhere in the Americas. Read More
Available in
Historic City of Sucre
Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
Available in
Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System
This site is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defence network of roads covering 30,000 km. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts. It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century, when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. Read More
Available in
Tiwanaku
The city of Tiwanaku, capital of a powerful pre-Hispanic empire that dominated a large area of the southern Andes and beyond, reached its apogee between 500 and 900 AD. Its monumental remains testify to the cultural and political significance of this civilisation, which is distinct from any of the other pre-Hispanic empires of the Americas. Read More
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
The National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon Basin. With an altitudinal range of 200 m to nearly 1,000 m, it is the site of a rich mosaic of habitat types from Cerrado savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park boasts an evolutionary history dating back over a billion years to the Precambrian period. An estimated 4,000 species of flora as well as over 600 bird species and viable populations of many globally endangered or threatened vertebrate species live in the park. Read More
UNESCO Sites
Fully Designated Sites
City of Potosí
Fort Samaipata
The archaeological site of Samaipata consists of two parts: the hill with its many carvings, believed to have been the ceremonial centre of the old town (14th–16th centuries), and the area to the south of the hill, which formed the administrative and residential district. The huge sculptured rock, dominating the town below, is a unique testimony to pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs, and has no parallel anywhere in the Americas. Read More
Available in
Historic City of Sucre
Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
Available in
Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System
This site is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defence network of roads covering 30,000 km. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts. It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century, when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. Read More
Available in
Tiwanaku
The city of Tiwanaku, capital of a powerful pre-Hispanic empire that dominated a large area of the southern Andes and beyond, reached its apogee between 500 and 900 AD. Its monumental remains testify to the cultural and political significance of this civilisation, which is distinct from any of the other pre-Hispanic empires of the Americas. Read More
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
The National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon Basin. With an altitudinal range of 200 m to nearly 1,000 m, it is the site of a rich mosaic of habitat types from Cerrado savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park boasts an evolutionary history dating back over a billion years to the Precambrian period. An estimated 4,000 species of flora as well as over 600 bird species and viable populations of many globally endangered or threatened vertebrate species live in the park. Read More
Tentative Sites
| Name | Type | Location | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sajama National Park | Mixed | Oruro | 2003 | UNESCO Website |
| Pulacayo, Industrial Heritage Site | Cultural | Potosí | 2003 | UNESCO Website |
| Incallajta, the largest Inca site in the Kollasuyo | Cultural | Cochabamba | 2003 | UNESCO Website |
| Cal Orck'o: Footprints of time | Natural | Sucre | 2003 | UNESCO Website |
| Sacred Titicaca Lake | Mixed | La Paz | 2003 | UNESCO Website |